Personal statement

Dr Emmanuel K. Nartey is an accomplished academic and interdisciplinary scholar, currently serving as Associate Professor of International Law and Artificial Intelligence at Bath Spa University. He previously held the position of Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa, following a distinguished academic journey that has spanned several UK institutions.

Dr Nartey began his academic career teaching on the LLM programme at the University of East London while undertaking his doctoral studies. He subsequently held academic appointments at Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Open University – where he served as Lecturer and Institutional Academic Lead for Employability – and the University of the West of England (UWE), where he was Senior Lecturer and LLM Programme Leader.

He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity at Coventry University and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Bolton University Centre for Generative AI in Education. He is also an active member of the Athens Institute for Education and Research, reflecting his strong commitment to international academic collaboration.

Before transitioning into academia, Dr Nartey served for 17 and a half years in the British Army’s Royal Tank Regiment. During this time, he trained as a professional athlete at the University of Bath, representing the Armed Forces and Ghana in Judo. His sporting accolades include being named the 2012 Army Sportsman of the Year, the UK Armed Forces Sportsman of the Year, UEL International Sports Excellence Award recipient, and Ghana Judoka of the Year in both 2013 and 2014.

Academic and Research Leadership

As Institutional Academic Lead for Employability at The Open University, Dr Nartey led several strategic initiatives to bridge the gap between academic learning and career readiness. His work included:

  • Google GATEWAYS Project: Grounded in his original conceptual paradigm of AI and employability, this innovative project explores the use of AI to develop personalised, data-driven career pathways for students.
  • Student Perceptions and Strategy Alignment Study: Led a major study on how student perceptions of employability align with institutional strategies, using mixed methods research to inform policy reform.
  • Comprehensive Employability Framework: Designed and proposed a new institutional framework to support employability and skills development, adopted as part of wider curriculum enhancement initiatives.
  • Assessment Innovation and Strategic Design: Contributed to the academic think tank and co-led the assessment design team responsible for shaping the institution’s new assessment strategy.
  • Law School Employability Strategy and Internship Programme: Co-created a dedicated employability strategy for the Law School, including the development of a structured internship scheme for students.

At UWE, Dr Nartey was responsible for the successful design, development, and validation of a new suite of LLM programmes. He also established an International Students Network to enhance the integration, support, and employability of international postgraduate students, and set up a Tutor Support Network to strengthen peer collaboration among academic staff.

Current Leadership at Bath Spa University

At Bath Spa University, Dr Nartey has led the revalidation and redesign of the LLM programme, creating a dynamic and forward-looking course structure with a strong focus on employability and contemporary legal skills. He also chairs the Bath Spa Staff and Black Academic Network, a staff-led initiative aimed at fostering inclusivity, equity, and belonging within the academic community.

Dr Nartey currently supervises 4 PhD students and has acted as an external examiner for 4 PhD vivas at Coventry University. He serves as a reviewer for the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) and for academic journals including the Journal of AI and Ethics.

Academic qualifications

  • PhD in International Law and Human Rights – University of East London
  • LLM in International Trade and Economic Law – University of the West of England
  • MSc in International Relations and Comparative Public Policy
  • BA (Hons) in Business Management

Professional memberships

  • Principal Fellow Advance HE
  • International Society of Public Law
  • Society of International Economic Law
  • Athens Institute for Education and Research

Other external roles

Dr Nartey actively contributes to academic publishing through editorial and peer review work. He is a Journal Reviewer for:

  • Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning
  • Journal of International Relations
  • Journal of Political Marketing

Dr Nartey actively engages in collaborative research projects with academic institutions and public organisations. Key partnerships include:

  • Coventry University and the NHS – Investigating attitudes towards counselling among Ghanaian immigrants and Black and ethnic minority communities in the UK
  • Ghana Institution of Science and Technology – Researching applications of science and technology in governance and development contexts
  • Mozambique Government

Areas of expertise

  • AI Ethics and Governance
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)