I am a social scientist studying the aftermath of refugee status cessation, asking whether refugeehood ever ends, how states and international actors determine when protection responsibilities cease, and the socio-economic realities that persist for those no longer formally recognised as refugees. I focus on displacement, humanitarianism, conflict, diaspora, and development. Mainly using mixed methods research, my agenda aims to:
- critically assess institutional disengagement from displacement governance and the resulting gaps in legal status, economic security, and access to durable solutions
- develop a bottom-up framework for understanding how displaced populations navigate life after formal protection is withdrawn
- investigate how legal and humanitarian categories such as “refugee” continue to shape identity, belonging, and claims-making after cessation
- examine how national and international actors construct, negotiate, and implement decisions to end refugee protection, and the political dynamics underpinning these processes
- explore the lived experiences and creative strategies of post-cessation communities as they confront exclusion and renegotiate their futures
My publications on these topics have appeared in journals and edited volumes such as Ethnic and Racial Studies, Refugee Survey Quarterly, Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Change, African Currents, and Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration. I also recently contributed to the Special Issue on “Refugee Resettlement as an Institution” in Ethnic and Racial Studies.
Alongside my research, I have provided policy analysis and evidence-based insights on projects supported by think tanks and international organizations, including the Migration Policy Institute (Washington, DC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS). I have held roles as Research Affiliate at the Refugee Law Initiative, University of London and Research Intern on International Migration at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). My broader service includes a public office role at the subnational level in Nigeria and serving as a Research Associate at the Reformers’ Initiative for Development in Africa.
Currently, I am completing my PhD at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, supervised by Dr. Maggie Dwyer, Dr. Jean Benoit Falisse, and Dr. Thabani Mutambasere. My thesis, titled Does Refugeehood Ever End? Cessation, Homing, Labelling, and Resettlement Dreams among Post-Cessation Liberians in Nigeria, investigates the long-term implications of the aftermath of refugee status cessation. I also serve as a Guest Lecturer and Tutor in the School of Social and Political Science, leading undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and discussion on history, displacement-development nexus, conflict, and peacebuilding.
I hold an M.Sc. in African Studies (Diaspora and Transnational Studies) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where I graduated with the highest Distinction and ranked first in my department. I earned my B.A. (Hons) in History and International Studies at Bowen University, Nigeria, and completed an MBA with Distinction at Nexford University, USA. I also obtained certification from the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CTC) at Leiden University, Netherlands.
My research and academic work have been recognized through numerous awards, including the School of Social and Political Science PhD Scholarship at Edinburgh, the Border Criminologies Dissertation Prize at Oxford, the Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Award from the Migration Policy Institute, and the Royal African Young Leadership Forum Award.
Beyond academia, I actively engage with policymakers and practitioners. I have participated in consultations and roundtables organised by UNHCR, World Bank, UK Aid, SDC, and ICVA, and contributed to the launch of the African Public Square initiative at King’s College London. I have also served as a Jury Member for the Model UNHCR Refugee Challenge, adjudicating entries from over 22,000 students globally.
To learn more about my research and publications, visit my website at 📲 https://tosindurodola.com/publication