Academic Coach & Mentorship
Empowering Researchers in Global Politics, Global Political Economy, Political Science
Are you looking for rigorous, flexible and expert guidance for your MA or PhD thesis? I offer graduate students in Social Sciences, Political Science, International Relations (IR), and International Political Economy (IPE) tailored support for as long (or as short) as you need it.
It can be as short as an hour to discuss your ideas through Zoom, or more detailed feedback on your PhD proposal. And we can discuss this in a preliminary meeting free of charge.
My Approach to Mentorship
Critical Thinking:
Succinct, relevant, exciting and manageable research questions.
Theoretical Clarity:
Sharp, well-defined conceptual frameworks.
Methodological Rigour:
Robust design across qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.
Research Areas
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Global Politics: Decentring the West to understand the Rest; how the whole world tells us something different from mainstream accounts.
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Global Governance: Institutional dynamics and international organisations. And how these are being confronted through climate change, the rise of AI, and the end of Western Liberal legitimacy.
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Power & Wealth: The intersection of political structures and global markets in different places, spaces, and scales (or flows). This intersection manifests differently depending on histories, geography, ideologies, institutional frameworks, and economic systems.
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Modern Crises: Addressing contemporary systemic challenges such as infrastructure failure. Submarine cables are the new site of the global; theorising the global as it becomes digital.
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Postcolonial Dynamics: Postcolonial dynamics trace the profound shifts, ongoing struggles, and structural mutations left in the wake of formal empires and colonialism. These processes reshape global power, identity, and knowledge systems, reaching far past simple historical timelines.
"Despite a broad interest in the nexus between natural resources and civil wars, I arrived at the University of East Anglia, U.K. with only a vague idea about the precise focus of my PhD research. Under Dr. Elizabeth Cobbett’s rigorous, inspiring, and empathetic supervision, however, I developed a fascinating research puzzle and adopted the most intellectually and theoretically stable framing that ensured I completed my PhD within four years. Dr. Cobbett is an exceptional mentor for doctoral researchers seeking rigorous, relevant and high-impact scholarship."
Dr. Samuel G. Toe,
Associate Professor and Former Director
"I had the opportunity to work with Dr Elizabeth Cobbett during my PhD at the University of Plymouth. Her expertise in Global Political Economy, particularly her work on finance, power and Africa, had a major influence on the development of my research. Elizabeth was instrumental in helping me develop my PhD topic. Our discussions helped me think more carefully about the relationship between global finance, power and the position of African states in the international political economy. She was able to see the wider significance of my ideas while also helping me turn them into a focused and workable research project. She was a very good supervisor. Her feedback was direct, thoughtful and useful, and she encouraged me to question my assumptions and strengthen my arguments. She also gave me the freedom to develop my own ideas rather than directing the research for me. Her knowledge of Global Political Economy and her understanding of Africa were particularly valuable in shaping the theoretical direction of my thesis. I am grateful for the role Elizabeth played in the early stages of my PhD. Her advice helped me develop the research question and theoretical foundations that became central to my thesis. I would readily recommend her to anyone looking for knowledgeable and engaged supervision in Global Politics, International Relations or International Political Economy."
Stephen Haizel, Esq
Executive Director, Centre for Environmental and Energy Affairs, Ghana
