Temitayo Isaac Odeyemi

Temitayo Odeyemi is a Research Fellow in Democratic Resilience at the International Development Department, University of Birmingham, working within the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability & Representation (CEDAR) and in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). His research spans comparative politics, democratic engagement and resilience, digital governance, and climate governance, with a particular emphasis on Africa.

Temitayo's work focuses on the institutional and actor-based foundations of democratic resilience, particularly the ways in which relationships between political institutions and citizens influence accountability and participation. Temitayo has worked across academic, policy, and civic spaces, contributing to efforts that strengthen democracy through public engagement, institutional reform, and inclusive policymaking.

He was Co-Investigator on a multi-country research project at Leeds University Business School examining the role of labour unions in just transitions, where he led the Nigerian case study. He also served on the international research team for the 2022 Global Parliamentary Report (Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNDP), conducting case studies across Africa and Latin America and contributing to chapters on institutionalisation and digital engagement. In addition, he led an evaluation of public engagement during the drafting of South Africa’s Climate Change Act, commissioned by the IPU.

Temitayo holds a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Leeds. His academic work has been published in The Journal of Legislative Studies, Disability & Society, Theory and Practice of Legislation, and African Security Review. He has written for policy and public audiences via The Conversation, Australian Outlook, and Africa at LSE.

Temitayo has held academic/research appointments and fellowships at Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria), the University of Leeds, and the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and currently holds visiting researcher roles at the University of Leeds and the Institute for Parliamentary Research in Berlin. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses on comparative politics, global development, and democratic governance.