Audrey Steenbeek is a Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. She has previously served as the Associate Director of Graduate Programs and as the Associate Director of Research and International Affairs. Dr. Steenbeek teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and has supervised numerous master’s and doctoral students. She holds adjunct appointments at the University of Malta and Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi, India, and earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia.

A Commitment to Global Collaboration

Audrey has a long-standing affiliation with MicroResearch, where she has served as a research judge, coach, and more recently, as a member of the Board of Directors. Through MicroResearch, she was first introduced to Academics Without Borders (AWB), volunteering alongside Dr. Noni MacDonald to deliver a research workshop for medical residents and nutrition students at Kabarak University in Kenya.

More recently, Audrey participated as an AWB volunteer with Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) in Ghana, where she provided mentorship and capacity-building support in research grant writing, publication, and scholarly development. She is deeply committed to international collaboration and partnerships that advance education and research. She is passionate about fostering research excellence and supporting others in developing skills in grantsmanship, publication, and community-based research.

The Value of Volunteering and Lasting Impact

For Audrey, the most rewarding aspect of volunteering is having the opportunity to share knowledge and experience while supporting colleagues as they develop their own research capacity. She particularly values seeing someone gain confidence in an area such as grant writing, publication, or research methodology and then begin to apply those skills independently.

“The most meaningful partnerships are those where knowledge flows in both directions. I may begin thinking I am participating to share my expertise, but I always leave having learned something from my colleagues and their experiences, perspectives, and approaches to research. Building relationships that continue beyond the initial volunteer experience is especially rewarding. Working with colleagues in different cultural and academic contexts has made me more thoughtful about how I approach research collaboration, mentorship, and capacity building at home. It has reinforced for me that there is rarely a single “right” way to approach a research problem.”

Local knowledge, context, resources, and priorities are critical to developing research that is meaningful and sustainable. These experiences strengthen Audrey’s commitment to partnership rather than simply knowledge transfer.

“The most successful experiences are built on mutual respect and an understanding that you are entering someone else’s academic and cultural environment. Take the time to understand what your colleagues need rather than assuming what would be helpful. I would also encourage colleagues to think beyond the immediate volunteer experience. Capacity building is most meaningful when it contributes to longer-term relationships and partnerships. Share your expertise generously but also recognize the expertise that already exists within the institution and community. Some of the most valuable outcomes of my volunteer experiences have been the relationships and collaborations that continued long after I returned home.”

AWB is deeply grateful to Audrey and to all our volunteers for their dedication to advancing opportunities in higher education worldwide.

Peter Keller is a retired Professor of Geography from both Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of Victoria (UVic).  He joined UVic in 1985 and became their Dean of Social Sciences from 2004-2014.  Peter then moved to SFU to take on the role of Provost and VP Academic retiring from there as Emeritus Professor of Geography in 2024. His area of scholarship explored the advancement of the geographical information sciences and spatial analysis for informed decision making as well as secondary research areas in community mapping and tourism development.

Peter joined AWB in 2019 as a volunteer alongside other AWB volunteers collaborating on a project, Strengthening Engineering Education and Research in partnership with Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Uganda. This project included a series of on-line lectures to develop research capacity for local faculty, followed by guided preparation of research proposals, some which later became funded scholarship.

Peter currently serves as the AWB Lead Volunteer, supporting colleagues in Nepal in the establishment of the University of Nepal (UN). His involvement began in 2019, when he responded to an AWB request to review and validate a proposal for a new university centered on interdisciplinary undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. The proposed institution places a strong emphasis on community engagement and is designed to operate and govern itself at arm’s length from the Nepali government.

Bold in vision and scope, it took until 2024 for the idea to translate into the Nepali Government passing an Act in Parliament to facilitate the establishment of such an institution. Peter took an active role in helping craft the Act, as well as collaborated in conversations around designing the academic programming and campus operations. The goal is for the University of Nepal to open its doors to the first cohort of students in August of 2026.

Peter developed expertise in the opportunities and challenges of international research contexts early in his career through participation in collaborative research programs with communities in northern Thailand and East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. These initiatives were supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and laid the foundation for his sustained engagement in international and community-based research.

His scholarly record reflects extensive collaboration with industry and government to advance technological innovation, alongside long-standing partnerships with local and Indigenous communities focused on participatory mapping for knowledge preservation and community empowerment. These efforts culminated in his leadership in establishing the Community Mapping Collaboratory at the University of Victoria (UVic), which later expanded to a national scale, as well as the Office of Community-Based Research at UVic. Collectively, these initiatives strengthened institutional mechanisms for university–community engagement and knowledge mobilization.

Reflecting on his volunteer work, Peter shared:

“I was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community as a volunteer what I learned over decades as a faculty member and university administrator. AWB opened those doors for me.

It is a genuine privilege and pleasure to work with people in low- and middle-income countries to help them advance their dreams; delivering education in their own countries, to their own youth. Graduating informed, open-minded young people who are ready to become active participants in society and the economy is incredibly meaningful work. Supporting aspirations to advance research and innovation at the cutting edge of knowledge in their own countries is equally rewarding.

Through this work, I have gained new colleagues in distant parts of the world, some of whom I now call friends. I am deeply grateful to AWB for the opportunities they created for me, and for so many other faculty and staff, to engage in this kind of volunteer work.”

AWB volunteers are dedicated academics who collaborate with their colleagues at AWB’s partner institutions in low- and middle-income countries, giving generously of their time and efforts, to share expertise through working on projects across objectives and disciplines. Thank you, Peter for all of the energy and engagement you have dedicated towards volunteering with AWB!