Tolu Odukoya

Assistant Professor

I am an Assistant Professor at Georgia Southern University with a joint appointment in the Department of Political Science and International Studies and the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. 

My research sits at the intersection of terrorism and counterterrorism, artificial intelligence, criminology, computational social science, and public policy. I study how emerging technologies shape security, governance, and criminal behavior, with a particular focus on ethical and trustworthy AI, violent extremism, homeland security, and evidence-based policymaking.

My work combines quantitative and computational methods, survey and experimental research, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and data analytics to address real-world security challenges. I am particularly interested in developing responsible AI systems for national security applications, improving our understanding of extremist organizations and online harms, and translating research into practical solutions for policymakers and practitioners.

I bring an interdisciplinary toolkit that integrates computational methods with social science theory and policy analysis. My research utilizes R, Python, Qualtrics, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, and LaTeX, and spans projects involving terrorism, cybercrime, AI safety, responsible AI evaluation, and computational approaches to criminal justice and political violence.

Beyond academia, I am passionate about leveraging technology for social good, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing ethical artificial intelligence, and applying data-driven insights to complex challenges in security, governance, and public policy.

I received my Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Virginia in 2025. I also hold an M.S. in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy and an LL.M. in Law, Politics, and Legislation, as well as Criminal Law, from American University. I received my LL.B. (J.D.) from the University of Lagos.