Durodola, Tosin Samuel has 5+ years of experience collaborating with think tanks and research institutes on sustainable, practical, evidence-based, and data-driven research. His focus is on addressing today's most critical development challenges, informing enhanced practices and policies for global and multilateral institutions engaged in migration, displacement, humanitarian efforts, development, and governance. He possesses expertise in mixed methods research, including the design and implementation of qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
As a PhD Candidate at the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, he is examining the politics of refugee resettlement, returns, reintegration, and integration policies in the global south, with a particular emphasis on the sub-Saharan region. Through a 3-year full scholarship awarded the School of Social and Political Science, he is looking into the complexities of this topic by conducting a comprehensive case study on 'residual' Liberian refugees in Nigeria under the supervision of Dr. Maggie Dwyer, Dr. Jean Benoit Falisse, and Dr. Thabani Mutambasere.
Tosin has a longstanding interest in the global refugee regime and the roles of international organisations, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the World Bank. His work has been supported by institutions and research bodies such as the DAAD- German Academic Exchange Service, Border Criminologies Network, University of Oxford's Centre of Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), amongst others. He has received numerous awards, including The Global Border Thesis Award organised by Routledge and the Border Criminologies Network based at the Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, as well as The Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program, organised by Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC and dedicated to the study of global migration.
His research has also appeared in journals and book chapters such as Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Change, African Currents, and Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration. He is contributing to the Special Issue on “Refugee Resettlement as an Institution” in the Journal of Ethnic and Racial Studies, as well as a manuscript undergoing revision at the Refugee Survey Quarterly.
As a Tutor at the School of Social and Political Science, he facilitates and enhances students' understanding of the discourse of displacement, development, identity, citizenship, ethnicity, power dynamics, diaspora, migration and post-conflict building.
In addition to his research and teaching, Tosin has worked with a range of organisations concerned with displacement, humanitarianism, governance and development. He is a Research Intern on International Migration at the Migration Policy Institute, Research Fellow of the French Institute for Research in Nigeria, a member of the Centre for Security Research SPS, a member of the Border Criminologies Network, and a Research Associate at the Reformers' Initiative for Development in Africa. His public service experience also includes serving as Senior Technical Assistant at the Government of Ekiti State between 2018-2021, and later as Special Assistant on Digital Communications to the Governor of Ekiti state from August 2021.
Tosin earned his M.A in African Studies (Diaspora and Transnational Studies) with the highest Distinction from the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He completed his B.A (Hons) in History and International Studies at Bowen University, Nigeria; Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Nexford University, USA with Distinction; and obtained certification from the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CTC), Leiden University, Netherlands.
Committed to praxis, he seeks a progressive and transformative approach to life. Through collaborative research and civic advocacy, he strives to create diverse platforms that add significant voice to the (re)presentation of silenced issues in ungoverned spaces and communities outside the realm of the state