yousafzaishumailayaqoob@gmail.com
Excellence through empathy
I have successfully supervised eight post-docs and 15 PhD students to completion. I have a reputation of a trusted and gentle supervisor who is genuinely interested in the well-being, mentoring and development of junior colleagues and PhD students. My PhD students have enjoyed scholarly acclaim through winning EDAMBA Competition, ESRC scholarships, publications and securing academic positions. I have also served as the Deputy Director of the PhD Program at Cardiff Business School. 
8+
supervised Post Doc Students
15+
supervised PHD Students
10+
Across Countries
Supervision of PhD students is a special and important part of my academic career.
It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work, both intellectually and in terms of forming relationships with researchers who become friends and colleagues in the broader research communities of which I am part. I take immense pride and joy in investing my time in mentoring and empowering the future generation of researchers.

PhD supervision has, at times, been both inspirational and generative of my own research ideas and projects. The diversity of the students I have supervised, the intellectual learning I have acquired through working with them on a range of different topics, and the different demands they have placed on me have all made me a better supervisor. I have supervised mature students, students with disabilities, overseas students and students who have become parents in the course of their research, and all have challenged and inspired me in different ways.

A good supervisor would know that supporting her students’ wellbeing is fundamental to helping them achieve academic excellence.
 My supervision philosophy has evolved with time and experience  and is underpinned by the ethos of respect and care. A PhD journey for a doctoral student can be arduous, academically and mentally. A good supervisor would know that supporting her students’ wellbeing is fundamental to helping them achieve academic excellence. I have seen it happening too often that academic supervisors forget that students are managing multiple priorities and workloads and they need empathy as much as  they need expert guidance and supervision. During my academic career, I have had the chance to supervise students who were going through difficult personal circumstances and struggling to continue with their research. In those situations, my priority was to focus on their wellbeing first, and attempt to consider their individual situation and devise a strategy that will support them through their difficulties while keeping them positively disposed to their research. 
I take pride in being a role model for women in academia.
Most importantly, I take pride in being a role model for and empowering female researchers in management. You can’t be what you can’t see! When they see me as a successful academic and being a mother of four young children at the same time, they know that they can do it too. It has been a pleasure for me to play a part in their PhD journey and subsequent academic careers. 
Ongoing Doctoral Supervision
at Nazarbayev University
  • Aigerim Tarbagatayeva
    2025 - Now
    She is a current PhD student whose research focuses on disability and entrepreneurship, exploring how entrepreneurial pathways can create more inclusive and empowering opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Kazakhstan and beyond. Alongside her doctoral work, Aigerim brings extensive practical experience as a business trainer, life coach, and Chairperson of the Association of Business Trainers, where she leads a network of over 70 trainers. With more than 13 years of professional experience, she has trained and mentored thousands of entrepreneurs across Kazakhstan, including women, youth, and families with special needs. Her work bridges research and practice, combining rigorous academic inquiry with large-scale social impact initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
  • Alua Nurbayeva 
    2024 - Now
    She is a current PhD student whose research focuses on creative entrepreneurship, examining how creativity, innovation, and digital transformation shape new entrepreneurial pathways. She is a Research Assistant at NURCE and previously served as a lecturer at the Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU), where she taught across areas such as risk management, corporate finance, and investment analysis. With a strong foundation in finance and business strategy, Alua brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her doctoral work, integrating insights from digital entrepreneurship and creative industries. Her work reflects a commitment to advancing both academic knowledge and practice, while fostering innovation and engagement among students and emerging entrepreneurs.
  • Feiruz Shangutova

    2024 - Now

    She is a PhD student in Organizational Behavior, with a research focus on workplace well-being and the conditions under which work enables individuals to thrive. Her work is driven by a fundamental question: why does work energize some people while leaving others depleted? Alongside her academic research, Feiruz is a Gallup-certified coach, working with individuals, teams, and organizations to identify and build on their natural strengths. Her approach challenges deficit-based thinking, instead fostering environments where people can perform, grow, and genuinely do well. By bridging research and practice, she brings a thoughtful and human-centered perspective to understanding and improving the lived experience of work.
Completed  DOCTORAL SUPERVISION
(all at Cardiff University)
  • Dr. Wojdan Omran 

    2017-2022

    Dr. Wojdan Omran – Women’s Entrepreneurship Eco-System 

    Wojdan Omran is currently a Senior Lecturer in Queen University Business School, Belfast, UK. Her doctoral thesis topic explores the epistemic injustices endured by internally displaced Palestinian women entrepreneurs situated in city and refugee camp environments in the West Bank. Based on her work thus far, she has presented her work at several conferences and co-hosted an online seminar. Bridging academic work to the mainstream and representing a Palestinian perspective, Wojdan also contributed to a documentary film on women’s entrepreneurship which premiered at Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) UK in 2020. Prior to starting her PhD studies, Wojdan's professional experience has been heavily based in academia as a lecturer of management at Birzeit University in Palestine where she also served the administration, most notably as director of the Alumni and Career Services Office. Her published work to date includes topics on organizational processes, gender and entrepreneurship with particular emphasis on marginalized groups. Wojdan is currently working with Nazarbayev University’s Research Centre for Entrepreneurship (NURCE) at the Graduate School of Business (GSB), which aims to advance transformative social value and impact through entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. Wojdan has also contributed to an integral aspect of this endeavour with a research team exploring the role of women entrepreneurs in community-based tourism across Kyrgyzstan. 

  • Dr. Mohammad Sameer Ahmed Alasadi 
    2017 - 2022
    Dr. Mohammad Sameer Ahmed Alasadi – Corporate Entrepreneurship 
    Mohammad Alasadi is a lecturer at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia and a PhD candidate in his final year within the Marketing and Strategy Section at Cardiff University, United Kingdome. His research, sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Education, is in the field of Corporate Entrepreneurship. More precisely, focusing on the role of employees and institutions in promoting Corporate Entrepreneurship. He holds a Diploma in Commerce and Bachelor of Management from Griffith University,  a Master of Business in the Field of Entrepreneurship from The University of Queensland, Australia, and a Master of Science in Social Science Research Methods from Cardiff University. Before his undregradute degree, he worked as a sales agent for Saudia Airlines. Since completing his Master of Business in Entrepreneurship, he gained some working experience in academia as a lecturer in the Management division, Assistant Vice-Dean, and Deputy supervisor of the distance education unit for academic affairs at the College of Business Administration. He also worked as a Quality Assurance Consultant.

  • Dr. Renuka Vyas 

    2018-2022

    Entrepreneurship Opportunities for the Rural Women in India
  • Dr. Shandana Sheikh 

    2016-2020

    Value Creation through Women Entrepreneurship. 
  • Dr. Adam Poole 
    2014-2018
    Trust in Financial Decisions (ESRC funded), Senior Lecturer at Bristol Business School, University of West England, UK. 

    Prior to joining academia, Adam worked extensively in both sales and marketing within the financial advice industry, including several years as a marketing communications manager. His research interests are related to digital marketing ethics, financial services marketing, trust and consumer protection regulation. His PhD (Cardiff University) investigated the formation of environmental trust between consumers and their financial advisers. 
  • Dr. Ibrahim Alhaidari 
    2010-2014
    Monetary Donation Behaviour. Assistant Professor, Imam Mohammed University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

    Consultant and Director of Community Participation, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. 
     
  • Dr. Nuradli Shah Bin Mohd 
    2010-2014
    Islamic Credit Cards Customer Satisfaction, Associate Professor at University Sains Islam, Malaysia. 
     
    Dr Nuradli leads the institute in conducting research, consultation, training in the areas of Islamic Finance and Wealth Management. In addition, he also organises trainings, seminars and conferences in the same areas.
  • Dr. Suhaer Younas 
    2011-2016
    Work and life balance and employee well-being, Lecturer, University of Lincoln, UK. Before joining her role at LIBS, she worked as a Research Associate at the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD), Cardiff University.
  • Dr. Juwaidah Sharifuddin 
    2006-2011
    Halal Food Labelling. Associate Professor at University Putra, Malaysia. 


    Dr. Juwaidah Sharifuddin is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, UPM specializing on Agribusiness Marketing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring in Marketing and Economics from Drexel University, USA. She obtained her Masters of Business Administration (Marketing) from Universiti Putra Malaysia and Ph.D. in Marketing from Cardiff University, UK. Her main interest in research is in agribusiness marketing and consumer behavior towards agro-related and food products. 
  • Dr. Uzma Javed 
    2006-2010
    Employee Well Being and Work Environment. (EDAMBA Thesis Winner), Assistant Professor, Effat University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
     
    Dr Uzma Javed is an assistant professor and Chair of HRM Program at Effat College of Business, Effat University, Jeddah since 2014. She earned her PhD in HRM at Cardiff Business School in 2010. Her PhD research primarily investigated the impact of work environment characteristics, as perceived by employees, on their attitudes, wellbeing and behaviour. This research was grounded in the theories and methods from sociology and psychology with an application to the field of HRM. She has also won first prize in European Doctoral Thesis Competition 2012.​Employee Well Being and Work Environment. (EDAMBA Thesis Winner), Assistant Professor, Effat University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
     
    Dr Uzma Javed is an assistant professor and Chair of HRM Program at Effat College of Business, Effat University, Jeddah since 2014. She earned her PhD in HRM at Cardiff Business School in 2010. Her PhD research primarily investigated the impact of work environment characteristics, as perceived by employees, on their attitudes, wellbeing and behaviour. This research was grounded in the theories and methods from sociology and psychology with an application to the field of HRM. She has also won first prize in European Doctoral Thesis Competition 2012.​
  • Dr. Syadiyah Abdul Shukor 
    2006-2011
    Fashion Branded Clothing. Associate Professor at University Sains Islam, Malaysia.
  • Dr. Albert Alexander Krug 
    2005-2008
    Ethnic Minority Consumer Behaviour, Senior Account Executive, Momentive.ai, Netherlands. 
  • Dr. Alvina Gillani
    2010-2014
    Fair Trade Consumer Behaviour, Lecturer, University of Surrey, UK. (As 2nd supervisor)