Welcoming Dr. Temitope Oriola as associate dean (research)

The College of Social Sciences is excited to announce that Dr. Temitope Oriola will serve a three-year term as the college’s next associate dean (research). 

Dr. Oriola is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of criminology and terrorism studies. A professor, he was most recently the associate dean (undergraduate) in the Faculty of Arts. Additionally, Dr. Oriola has served as president of two national scholarly associations, including the Canadian Sociological Association. He was also the former interim chair of the Department of Sociology and the former chair of the University of Alberta Press Committee. He has been a director on the board of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences over the last four years.

A public intellectual engaged in impactful work, Oriola’s research has garnered national and international recognition. He served as a special adviser to the Government of Alberta on the Police Act Review and produced recommendations that were passed into law through The Police Amendment Act of 2022.

A recipient of the Governor General of Canada Academic Gold Medal, Oriola has been awarded many prestigious national and international awards and fellowships, such as the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, Dorothy Killam Fellowship, Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) Distinguished Academic Award, the Gerald L. Gall Human Rights Award, the University of Alberta Alumni Association Honour Award, the University of Alberta J. Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research, among several others.

In January 2023, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Dr. Oriola was awarded the distinguished Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to our province in the field of Advanced Education and Public Service.