Dayo Olorunnisola is a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where she earned her BA and MIA in International Affairs. While there she developed research interests in democratization and political instability in West Africa, which culminated in a bachelor's thesis on coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. She also interned with the Congressional Research Service and developed a report with them on the work of American Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) and outlined reports used to inform policy discussions and publications.

Research

Thesis title: "Leadership, Legitimacy, and Statebuilding in post-civil war Liberia"

Dayo's thesis explores state reconstruction in the aftermath of the Liberian Civil War, engaging with theories of political legitimacy and African statehood and the evolution of the concept over time.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Dr Abiodun Alao
• Secondary supervisor: Dr Olawale Ismail