Naomi Wilkinson is a Senior Commissioning Editor at Epigeum. She is responsible for the commissioning and strategic development of a portfolio of courses, creating and testing potential course outlines and pedagogical approaches for new online programmes, and overseeing projects through the development process. Naomi has over 18 years’ experience in academic publishing, and has previously commissioned across a range of higher education subjects and medical reference works.
What brought you to Epigeum?
Before Epigeum, I had worked in academic book publishing for years, but I was ready for a change. Having worked on various online resources for textbooks, I was keen to move into digital publishing, and Epigeum offered an exciting opportunity to develop my skills in that area.
Which parts of your role do you enjoy the most?
I love the diversity of my role, and in particular the wide range of people I meet, which is so important in making sure we develop effective programmes to meet institutions’ needs. I spend a lot of time speaking with customers, attending conferences, bringing on board advisors, authors and reviewers, and liaising with our collaborating institutions throughout the development of the content. As I work on programmes across several of our strands, I get to work with researchers, academics, and students, as well as staff from student services and a whole host of other areas. It’s also really exciting to see a new idea come to fruition – from mapping the content and creating the learning design, to reviewing the draft modules, and finally seeing it all come together in a finished interactive programme. And we have a fantastic team at Epigeum who make the whole process seamless!
What does your workspace say about you?
It’s fairly well organised and functional, and a little dull to be honest, so I hope it doesn’t say too much about my personality! I do keep a jar of Marmite on my desk for breakfast emergencies, though.
What do you do in your free time?
I have two children who keep me busy, and I am also a governor at my local infant school. Otherwise, I love cooking and baking (actually, I am better at cake decorating than the baking itself), and spending time with friends. I also love singing and I am rehearsing with a friend who plays guitar… we have vague plans to do an open mic night, although I suspect we’ll focus on the rehearsals for a while longer!
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
For five years, I also co-owned a pub. I loved the social aspect, and who wouldn’t like to have a bar as their living room? But it was a lot of hard work!
To find out more about Epigeum’s work with universities and colleges, or to arrange a consultation, please get in touch with us.