Scotland-Africa PhD Mentorship scheme promotes international academic collaboration
Charlie Cobbinah, doctoral researcher at the University of Ghana, and Dr. Milena Dobreva, Senior Lecturer in Information Behaviour at the University of Strathclyde, share their experiences of academic mentorship through RSE and University of Edinburgh scheme.
In January 2024, the RSE Africa Working Group established a PhD mentoring scheme in collaboration with the Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable African Futures (WESAF) Doctoral Programme, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Designed to address the challenges that early-career researchers face, the scheme also serves to foster collaboration between established academics and African researchers.
To date, 24 PhD candidates enrolled in the WESAF Doctoral Programme across African Universities are taking part, each matched with an experienced academic who serves as their mentor.
The RSE spoke to mentee Charlie Cobbinah and mentor Milena Dobreva about the mentorship programme and how it facilitated their collaboration on the DeCoGLAM project (Community building in Decolonising Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums).
Milena, how did you identify the potential for collaboration, and could you tell us more about the DeCoGLAM project?
Milena Dobreva: When I received the invitation to join the RSE x WESAF mentorship programme, I did not think twice. Over the past decade, I developed several impactful collaborations with colleagues from Zambia and Tanzania. Working with alumni from a master’s programme who reintegrated in their native countries was the success factor in all these experiences. In the case of the RSE x WESAF mentorship programme, I had the pleasure of meeting a very talented and enthusiastic PhD student, Charles Cobbinah.
I see the major challenge in this mentorship as building a relationship that is more ”loose” – it does not offer supervision in the academic domain. Instead, it serves as a compass in the complex academic landscape, as becoming an excellent researcher means more than mastering research skills (a deep understanding of methodologies, the ability to design research frameworks, and skills in data collection, analysis, and interpretation).
I believe that communication skills, networking and ethics are the areas where mentorship is particularly valuable, as it provides an opportunity to get an additional perspective and explore any of the aspects which the mentee feels would be beneficial for them.
The mentorship creates a space to explore how two people coming with various life and academic experiences can co-create additional opportunities for academic maturity. This is not a one-directional relationship where the mentor constantly provides the direction and the mentee follows – it is a process of collaborative exploration of relevant areas, opening opportunities for growth to the mentor as well through exploring ideas from a different academic domain.
We started from a discussion of research interests and expectations of how Charlie thinks this mentorship could usefully support his efforts to establish himself in academia. He has a very clear focus in his research and excellent supervision, and was keen to explore more about the open science aspects and the visibility of his academic profile. When I shared that we are starting a project which will support the development of a community of practice in decolonisation within the project “Community building in Decolonising Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums (GLAMs) – DeCoGLAM”, we both identified that Charlie can provide a useful perspective as his research in education policies touches on the issues of decoloniality.
DeCoGLAM is supported by the Wellcome Trust through the University of Strathclyde’s project “Cultures of Collaborative Research in a Socially Progressive Technological University.” DeCoGLAM aims to establish a community of practice (CoP) that brings together academics, galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) professionals, and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) experts. On an institutional level, it will contribute to the cross-university Community of Practice, which will work on decolonising the curriculum across faculties. On a wider scale, it will support changes needed in societal processes and attitudes to enable effective decolonisation in GLAMs.
The educational connection and the relevance of Charlie’s doctoral research is clear. What is particularly valuable in his contribution is the opportunity to hear more on this topic from the point of view of academic institutions in former colonies. This is balancing the discussions around the topic, where the voices of the Global North are not always complemented by the positions of the Global South.
After we identified where our interests meet, the next steps were easy – we invited Charlie to join the panel of the launch event of DeCoGLAM on 7 May 2025, and we identified there is a gap in the literature on the Global South perspective on decolonising GLAMs and its importance in decolonising the curriculum. This opens a great opportunity for future joint research.
Charlie, how does this collaboration with the GLAM project enhance your research and/or academic career?
Charlie Cobbinah: Collaborating with Dr. Milena Dobreva on the Decolonising Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (DeCoGLAM) project has been one of the most rewarding and intellectually stimulating experiences of my academic journey so far. As an emerging academic, collaborations like this offer invaluable opportunities for exposure and development—personal and professional. They sharpen research skills, build academic confidence, and open new pathways for engaged, socially responsive scholarship.
As part of the project, I had the privilege of spending a week in Glasgow for the official launch, hosted by the University of Strathclyde. This immersive experience gave me the opportunity not only to observe the project’s early momentum but to actively contribute to it. I was honoured to deliver a guest lecture on the theme of decolonisation—a topic central to both the project and my own doctoral research. Preparing for and delivering this talk sharpened my ability to communicate complex, contested, and sometimes sensitive ideas in ways that were accessible and engaging to a broad audience, including academics, students, museum professionals, and curators. It was a rare and valuable space to challenge dominant narratives and invite new ones, grounded in critical scholarship and lived experience.
This collaboration couldn’t have come at a more meaningful time in my research. My PhD explores the intersections of decolonisation, higher education, and sustainable development, and the DeCoGLAM project provided an ideal interdisciplinary platform to explore these themes beyond the boundaries of formal academia. It deepened my understanding of decolonisation not only as a theoretical framework, but also as a living, structural process—one that is necessarily ongoing, participatory, and situated in particular histories and communities. Engaging with GLAM professionals and fellow researchers helped me appreciate how decolonial work happens in real-world settings, through storytelling, collections, community engagement, and institutional change.
The week in Glasgow was also an opportunity for cultural immersion. With the generous guidance and company of Milena, I visited several museums and heritage sites, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, House for an Art Lover and The Burrell Collections. These visits enabled me to critically reflect on how histories are curated, remembered, and in some cases, contested. They allowed me to engage directly with the tensions and possibilities of decolonising institutional and cultural spaces, and to consider how narratives of the past continue to shape social imaginaries and academic knowledge today.
Perhaps most significantly, this collaboration has expanded my global professional network. I connected with a diverse group of scholars, practitioners, and community-based collaborators working across disciplines and geographies. These relationships have already sparked conversations about future joint research, project partnerships, and platforms for mutual learning. As an early-career researcher, such connections are invaluable—not only for academic development, but also for building a career grounded in equity, collaboration, and public impact.
Overall, my involvement with the DeCoGLAM project has enriched my research, strengthened my professional profile, and deepened my commitment to decolonial practice within and beyond academia. Special thanks to Dr. Dobreva for investing in my potential and supporting my development with generosity, insight, and care. I look forward to continuing this journey and contributing further to the important work DeCoGLAM presents.
Milena, could you tell us more about your experience in supporting early-career academics?
Milena: Supporting the next generation of researchers is well-integrated into academic roles. I had a somewhat unconventional academic pathway myself, starting my research career in my native Bulgaria and later working for the University of Malta and the University College London (UCL) campus in Qatar, which closed in 2020. The academic cultures and, respectively, the support for early career academics differ substantially across countries and educational environments. There is a whole spectrum, ranging from environments where an early-stage researcher is seen as a handy research assistant to those that focus on developing a strong individual research profile. Mentoring is particularly important as setting an example when we work with international students, as they could find useful components they would integrate into their practice later.
However, we all face a major challenge – how academic work in general, supervision and supporting early-career academics is going to change. We still need to take a deeper look at how our roles change with the broader use of AI tools in academia. We can already see the influence in data collection, analysis, writing for publication, and AI tools being used even in assessment and publication reviews. Nevertheless, all transmission of human experiences seems to have components which are best transferred and are impossible to capture in manuals and handbooks. I am keen to explore more about this. By all means, I think the human contact and collaboration is indispensable and our experience with Charlie prove this – as what we developed as an outcome from our discussions goes beyond what one would expect as an advice from AI tools.
What are some of the benefits of mentorship for you both?
Charlie: Mentorship has played a pivotal role in my academic and personal development. Working with Milena as a mentor was particularly impactful; it provided a supportive, intellectually stimulating space where I could ask questions, refine my ideas, and receive thoughtful, constructive feedback. Her guidance has helped me navigate the often-complex terrain of doctoral research and gave me the confidence to engage more critically and independently with the themes at the heart of my work.
One of the most valuable aspects of the mentorship was the space it created for reflection—not just on my research, but on my role and responsibilities as an emerging scholar. It encouraged me to think deeply about what it means to do ethical, socially engaged work, and how to remain grounded in my values while pursuing academic excellence. The experience also pushed me to grow in practical ways: learning to communicate across disciplines, develop collaborative skills, and contribute meaningfully to a shared project.
Mentorship has also opened doors—literally and figuratively. Through Milena’s invitation to join the DeCoGLAM project and participate in the launch in Glasgow, I was exposed to new academic environments, networks, and institutional cultures. These experiences have expanded my vision of what is possible and given me the confidence to pursue ambitious, collaborative work across borders and disciplines.
Importantly, this mentorship reminded me that academic development is not just about knowledge acquisition, but also about confidence-building, trust, and growth through dialogue. Having someone believe in my potential and invest time and resources in my progress was both affirming and motivating. It’s an experience that I hope to carry forward—not only in my own research, but also in how I engage with others in academic and professional spaces.
What has made this mentorship particularly meaningful is its spirit of reciprocity. While I have learned a great deal from Milena, I also feel that our collaboration has allowed us to co-create knowledge, learn from each other’s experiences, and navigate the challenges of decolonial work together. There is a shared commitment to learning, listening, and reimagining—and that, to me, is the essence of truly impactful mentorship.
Milena: I was very interested in how educational research is framed within the context of Sub-Saharan educational institutions. We face various challenges related to the digital divide. Traditionally, we view it as an issue for those who do not have access to technology or digital resources. However, from my practice, I have observed that the Global North can also experience a digital divide when digital resources from the Global South are not accessible to them. In my discussions with Charlie, I am gradually improving my understanding of some of these local issues, and I hope we can work jointly in the future to offer some solutions.
Another domain I am personally interested in is how different systems of knowledge can be integrated into the digital resources we create. This is a very under-researched domain, and our meetings with Charlie provide useful food for thought.
I am sharing these as examples of how working alongside an early-stage researcher is helping to expand and refresh our own research work.
In addition, Charlie’s voice and shared experience at our DeCoGLAM event launch were extremely useful, and I hope he will continue to contribute to our activities.
