Part of IRISE
🎓 IDEAS
📘 International Doctoral Education, Admissions & Supervision
🌟 Vision
To be the leading international gateway connecting ambitious researchers with the right doctoral pathway — and the expert supervision they need to complete it successfully.
🎯 Mission
IDEAS supports individuals and institutions across the full doctoral journey: from choosing between a traditional PhD and a professional doctorate, through admission, to expert supervision and tutoring all the way to successful completion.
✅ We Are Committed
- Rigour — every candidate matched to the pathway and supervisor best suited to their research
- Integrity — transparent, ethical guidance at every stage of the doctoral journey
- Personalisation — no generic advice; every application and supervision plan is built around the individual’s research
- Global Reach — supporting candidates and institutions internationally, across disciplines and doctoral models
🤝 Who We Serve
- Prospective doctoral candidates exploring PhD, MRes, DBA, EdD, DProf, or DEng routes
- Doctoral candidates who need additional or interim supervision/tutoring support
- Universities and HE providers seeking admissions support for their doctoral cohorts
- Executives and professionals pursuing a professional doctorate (DBA, DProf) alongside their careers
🛠️ What We Offer
🔎 How IDEAS Works — Doctoral & Professional Doctorate (PhD, DBA, EdD, D’Prof, DEng)
1️⃣ Stage 1 — Discovery
- Background and eligibility questionnaire
- Initial consultation with client manager
- Pathway matching: PhD vs. professional doctorate (DBA, EdD, DProf, DEng)
2️⃣ Stage 2 — University & Supervisor Matching
- Shortlist of suitable universities and departments
- Supervisor research-fit review
- Strategy and support for approaching potential supervisors
- Personalised timeline of key dates and deadlines
3️⃣ Stage 3 — Research Proposal Development
- Support identifying research interests and the research gap
- Literature review guidance
- Structuring and refining the research proposal
- Advice on scholarship and funding options
4️⃣ Stage 4 — Application & Interview Preparation
- CV and personal statement development
- Guidance securing strong reference letters
- Proofreading and academic feedback (with one free revision)
- Application submission support
- Mock interview preparation
🧭 How IDEAS Works — MRes & Pre-Doctoral Pathways
1️⃣ Stage 1 — Discovery & Pathway Fit
- Background questionnaire and initial consultation
- Confirming MRes as the right route (vs. direct doctoral entry)
2️⃣ Stage 2 — Programme Shortlisting
- Shortlist of suitable programmes and departments
- Timeline of key dates and deadlines
3️⃣ Stage 3 — Application Preparation
- CV and personal statement support
- Proofreading and academic feedback
- Application submission support
4️⃣ Stage 4 — Interview Preparation
- Mock interview preparation
👨🏫 PhD Supervision / Tutoring
- Ongoing supervision support (as primary, co-, or interim supervisor)
- Structured tutoring for candidates needing additional academic support
- Milestone and progression review support
- Viva preparation and mock viva sessions
➕ Add-on Services
- Professional proofreading and academic feedback (standalone)
- Subject-specific academic tutoring
- Academic English writing support
- Extended mock interview / viva simulation package
- Funding and scholarship application support
💷 IDEAS Pricing
👤 For individual candidates
| Service | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Session Only | £150 | Stage 1 (Discovery): 60–90-minute pathway matching consultation — PhD vs. professional doctorate |
| MRes Application Package | £450 | All 4 stages: Discovery & Pathway Fit → Programme Shortlisting → Application Preparation → Interview Preparation |
| PhD/Professional Doctorate Application Package | £950 | All 4 stages: Discovery → University & Supervisor Matching → Research Proposal Development → Application & Interview Preparation |
| Research Proposal Development Only | £400 | Stage 3 only — for candidates who already have a university/supervisor in mind |
| Supervision & Tutoring — Standard | £75/hour | Ad hoc or block-booked sessions, billed hourly |
| Supervision & Tutoring — Retainer | £250/month | 4 hours/month ongoing supervision or tutoring support |
| Viva Preparation Package | £250 | Mock viva + structured feedback session |
➕ Add-ons (any package)
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Extra proofreading round | £60 |
| Additional mock interview | £90 |
| Funding/scholarship application support | £150 |
🏛️ For institutions
| Tier | Price (per year) | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Small Institution | £2,000 | Full application-journey support for up to 10 candidates + 20 pooled supervision/tutoring hours |
| Medium Institution | £4,500 | Full application-journey support for up to 25 candidates + 50 pooled supervision/tutoring hours |
| Large Institution | £8,000 | Full application-journey support for up to 50 candidates + 100 pooled supervision/tutoring hours, dedicated account manager |
Institutional packages are aimed at universities needing overflow admissions capacity or associate/interim supervision cover. Custom quotes available beyond Large tier.
👥 Doctoral Supervision Team
Each supervisor has a dedicated profile page. Open a profile to read the full biography, research interests, and candidate fit.
Professor MM Van Wyk – Full Professor in Economics Education , NRF C2-Rated Researcher , Doctoral Supervisor – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Prof. Dr Ljiljana Kukec, PhD – Franchising & Entrepreneurship Specialist, Doctoral Supervisor, Business Scaling & Market Expansion.
[ Read full profile → ]
Professor Abdul Sattar Ahmad Al-Alusi – BSc, MSc, PhD, CQP FCQI, Leadership Trainer, Educational Consultant ,Higher Education & Quality Assurance Consultant, University Founder & Former Chancellor
[ Read full profile → ]
Prof. Dr Kristyan Stoyanov Hadjiev – Human resource Management Specialist, Doctoral Supervisor, Organisational Efficiency – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Professor Faisal Mustafa, PhD, PFHEA – Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University Leader, Innovation Strategist, Doctoral Supervisor – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Prof. Dr Julián Andrés Díaz Tautiva – Research Assistant Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Business Economics, Corporate Governance & Innovation Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Katarina Sokić – Senior Lecturer, Doctoral Supervisor, Personality Psychology & Business Law Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Prof. Dr Hristo Georgiev Sirashki – Associate Professor in Social Management at D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, Bulgaria
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Yitong Liu – Lecturer, Doctoral Supervisor, Renewable Energy Economics & International Higher Education Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Aljoša Šestanović – Research Associate, Oxford Business College, CFA Charterholder, Corporate Finance & Valuation Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Bernard Appiah – Full-time lecturer at the University of Sunderland London Campus – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Wing Han Helen Lee – Faculty member at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Ansari P. Abdul Azeez – PhD, Post Doc, SFHEA, CMBE, Doctoral Supervisor, Migration, Development & AI in Education Specialist
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Richard George – PhD (Marketing), Doctoral Supervisor, Tourism Marketing & Destination Development Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Mayah Abraham – BSc (Hons), PGC, MA, M.Phil., PhD, MCMI, FHEA – Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Eleftheria Panagiotopoulou
– AML & Financial Crime Compliance Specialist \| Doctoral Supervisor \| Regulatory Risk Strategy for High-Growth Sectors – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Carlos Gomez – PhD, MBA, FHEA, Doctoral Supervisor, Conscious Leadership & Organisational Psychology, Leadership Development for the AI Era – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Susan Nwadinachi Akinwalere – Senior business and management lecturer and Research Associate at Oxford Business College – Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Richard George – PhD (Marketing), Doctoral Supervisor, Tourism Marketing & Destination Development Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Chao Zhou – Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Building Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Specialist – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Pedro Longart – PhD, MBA, SFHEA, FIH, Digital Business Strategist, Academic Leader, Doctoral & Postgraduate Supervisor, Founder, Longart Consulting – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Aftab Dean – PhD, MBA, BEng (Hons)** Doctoral Supervisor , Former Director of Postgraduate Research, Leadership, Governance & Organisational Performance – Part of IDEAS
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Ventsislav Ivanov – Business and Management, with a specialist grounding in Banking, Finance and Accounting – Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr. Shahid A. Wani – Associate Dean, Doctoral Supervisor, Business Strategy & AI Governance Specialist – Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
[ Read full profile → ]
Dr Widin Bongasu Sha’ven – Doctoral Supervisor — Accounting, Finance & Sustainability – BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA, CMBE, GRI
[ Read full profile → ]
📬 Contact / Enquire
Ready to talk about doctoral admissions, supervision, or researcher development? Contact the Knowledge Edge team.