About me

I am currently an Associate Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada. My research interests are in borders and migration, critical security studies, and African politics. As part of a multi-faceted research trajectory, I have also come to research and write on issues related to the politics of surveillance and privacy for diverse audiences.

My ongoing research is on the transnational governance of security, with a particular focus on technologies and policies of border control and migration management. I am currently working on two parallel projects. The first is on automation/digitalization of border security in Canada through electronic visas, apps and airport kiosks. The second is on the politics of intervention in and around the G5 Sahel and its place in the evolving architecture of security in West Africa.

Much of my work has focused on how security dynamics play out in West Africa, with particular emphasis on the Sahel space. In addition to the projects above, I have worked on international interventions against migrant smuggling in Niger as well as the role of vigilantism and local militias in Burkina Faso. Prior to this, I worked on border policing practices in Senegal and Mauritania through police cooperation, the reinforcement of border infrastructure and the deployment of digital identification technologies.

I obtained my PhD in Political Science from McMaster University in 2015, having completed my BSocSci (2008) and MA (2010) at the University of Ottawa. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa in 2018, I was a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of York and Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield.