People
Inspiration in Every Turn
Founder
Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska, PhD
Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska, PhD, is an award-winning creative practice researcher, educator, and psychologist with a trusted global reputation for her warmth and expertise. A distinguished filmmaker, theorist, and trained psychotherapist, she is currently completing her life coach qualification with Mindvalley. Based in the UK, Professor Piotrowska has presented her work internationally, including at Columbia University and the University of Southern California, US, inspiring others with her commitment to inclusivity and cross-cultural collaboration.
Throughout her career, she has held various academic roles, including as Head of the School of Film, Media, and Performing Arts at the University for the Creative Arts, UK. Currently, she serves as a PhD supervisor at Staffordshire University and Oxford Brookes University, where she is also a Visiting Professor. From 2019 to 2022, she was a Professor of Film and Cultural Studies at the University of Gdansk, where she directed the prestigious Visible Evidence conference and remains involved on the VE General Council.
Professor Piotrowska is best known for her acclaimed documentary Married to the Eiffel Tower and her award-winning experimental creative work in Zimbabwe, which received honuors at the WHO festival in June 2023. Her extensive scholarship on psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and culture includes influential monographs such as Psychoanalysis and Ethics in Documentary Film (2014, 2023), and a number of other publications, a new volume on ethics to be published in 2025.
Advisory Board
The members of the Advisory Board for The Scholars' Mentor are trusted colleagues and personal friends of the founder, Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska. Each board member brings unique cross-cultural experiences and has dedicated their careers to the care and development of others, whether as educators, mentors, or teachers. Their role in this project is to provide support and guidance to the Founder, and occasionally, they may also be called upon to offer one-on-one mentoring. The Board Members will be joining some live online events and in-person summits which Scholars’ Mentor will be organising in due course.
Dr Priyanka Singh Shekhawat,
University of Leeds
Dr Priyanka Singh is the former student of the founder of the Scholars’ Mentor Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska, obtaining her doctorate in 2022. Her research focuses on female authorship in contemporary Indian cinema. She is an educator incorporating different cultural traditions and religions in her practice. As a doctoral students she has held various positions of leadership, navigating the student experience and institutional systems.
Dr Peter Dean
Former Associate Dean (Student Experience), University of Bedfordshire
Dr Peter Dean is a former Associate Dean at the University of Bedfordshire, specialising in teaching, learning and, staff and student well-being. He has also served as an external examiner at a range of UK and international universities. His research is around power relationships within UK higher education applying Foucault's approach to discourse analysis. He is currently an independent education consultant and the CTO at hi-tech startup Ke-Assured Ltd.
Prof Diana Jeater, PhD
Professor of African History
University of Liverpool
Professor Jeater has spent a lifetime de-colonising the narratives of Southern Africa (particularly Zimbabwe) through her extensive research and publications but also through oral traditions and spiritual reconciliation practices. She is committed to justice, equality and peace across cultures and traditions.
Dr Charmaine Dambuza, Lecturer
University of East London
Dr Charmaine Dambuza is the former student of Scholars’ Mentor Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska, obtaining her doctorate in 2022. Her research examines female and feminist narratives in post-colonial Zimbabwe with the focus on cinema and culture. As an educator she has been the Course Leader in media. She is a musician and a DJ and her commitment is to equality and justice.
Helen Reade, Positive Psychologist (MSc) | Master Existential Coach | Coach Supervisor
Apart from being a Master Life Coach, Helen has had an extensive experience of higher education in terms of administration and management. She is also a coach Supervisor, helping qualified coaches to develop their practice. She is accredited by the EMCC.
Dr Babar Dogar Hussain
Dr Babar Hussain obtained his doctorate in 2023 under the supervision of Scholars’ Mentor Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska. His research focuses on masculinities in Pakistani’s culture and cinema with the particular attention paid of the importance of Islam and Islamic feminism in the development of progressive and inclusive ideas. As an educator he is committed to practice his theoretical approaches within the wide community of students and scholars. He is a devoted husband and father of three children.
Dr Jane Carr, Head of Academic Studies,
Bird College
With more than 20 years in Higher Education across conservatoire and university contexts, Jane combines her background as a former dance artist with research on embodiment and the Feldenkrais method. Her holistic approach supports students, while her leadership experience navigates complex institutional systems.
Dr Stewart Cornes, Businessman,
Mining Engineer, Entrepreneur
Having completed his PhD in mining engineering at Cardiff University in the 90’s, Dr Cornes has set up a number of successful businesses in southern Africa as well as mentoring and supporting young entrepreneurs and businessmen from different cultures in these businesses.
Prof Tamara Dragadze,
DPhil(Oxon)
Social Anthropologist and Quaker, Fellow of Royal Anthropological Institute
Professor Tamara Dragadze’s complicated personal background encompassing different cultures and religions has always led her to an exploration of different ways of lives, globally and within the community. She is committed to justice and equality in the world
Prof Philip Powell, PhD
Former Dean of Business, University of Bath
A senior academic with a number of leadership roles in higher education to his name, including the Dean of Business and Management at Birkbeck, University of London, Deputy Dean of the University of Bath and Dean of Business at the University of Hull. Professor Powell now works as a Lead Assessor for the Office for Students and is part of the University of London Mentoring Programme.