Naohiko Omata

Naohiko is Senior Research Officer of Humanitarian Innovation Project at the University of Oxford. He is currently researching the economic lives of refugees, mainly in East Africa.

Prior to joining the Refugee Studies Centre, Naohiko was Senior Teaching Fellow in Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at University of London. Previously, he has worked as a practitioner and consultant for UNDP, UNHCR, and international and local NGOs in various Sub-Saharan African countries.

Based on extensive research in West Africa, Naohiko has published widely on refugee livelihoods, rights and repatriation including articles in the Journal of Refugee Studies and Forced Migration Review. Before started his career in forced migration and international development, he worked in the private sector in Japan and the United States.

Naohiko received his PhD in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London; he also holds an MA in Forced Migration and Humanitarian Aid from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in Law from the University of Tokyo.

Based on extensive research in Sub-Saharan Africa, Naohiko has published widely on refugee livelihoods, rights and repatriation.