Menu Close
Professor, Sociology, University of Alberta

Temitope Oriola is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of criminology and terrorism studies. He has established a strong reputation as an expert on police reform. A public intellectual engaged in impactful work, Oriola's research has garnered national and international recognition as well as awards from community-based organizations. Professor Oriola served as special adviser to the Government of Alberta on Police Act Review and produced recommendations that were passed into law through The Police Amendment Act, 2022. A recipient of the Governor General of Canada Academic Gold Medal (first presented in 1873 by the Earl of Dufferin), Oriola’s book Criminal Resistance? The Politics of Kidnapping Oil Workers is one of a small number of book-length sociological investigations of political kidnapping in the English language. Professor Oriola’s research focuses on policing & use of force by police, terrorism studies, and resource-related conflict (involving tactics like political kidnappings). Publications from his research appear in leading scholarly journals, such as Sociology (the flagship journal of the British Sociological Association), the British Journal of Criminology, African Affairs, Critical Studies on Terrorism, African Security, Third World Quarterly, Review of African Political Economy, Criminal Justice Ethics, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, among others. Oriola regularly contributes to public scholarship through keynotes, op-eds, media interviews and expert opinions. A decorated researcher and teacher, Professor Oriola is a two-time Carnegie fellow, the 2020 recipient of the Kathleen W. Klawe Prize for teaching excellence and 2022 research excellence award recipient, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta.

Experience

  • –present
    Associate Professor, University of Alberta

Education

  • 2011 
    University of Alberta, PhD/Sociology

Honours

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal; Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) Distinguished Academic Award; Arts Research Excellence Award, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta; Professional of the Year Award, Diversity Magazine, Alberta.