Bio

Temitope Onifade is a Nigerian-Canadian from Ọ̀yọ́, the historical political capital of the Yorùbá  People of Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo and other West African countries, and grew up in Ìbàdàn in Nigeria. Currently a fulltime lecturer at the Assistant Professor level at the University of Bristol Law School, he has lived and practiced law in the notorious Niger Delta area of Nigeria where he learnt about environmental issues, intially igniting his interest in environmental sustainability and natural resource issues. He also worked as a partner at Lex Luminaire Solicitors in Nigeria, leading renewable energy projects and advising clients such as Biofuel Development Farmers Association and Green Energy Plant on low-carbon investment and incentives. Going beyond professional practice and often in collaboration with experts and community stakeholders, he has also conceptualized, designed, and/or led the work of several organizations advancing sustainability interests, including the UBC Liu Institute Network for Africa and Holistic Sustainable Development Network International, and sustainability projects, such as "Community Sustainability Global" and "Re-Imagining Agenda 2063," with impacts mainly in Africa and Canada.

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After coming across environmental and renewable energy policy challenges in his legal practice, Temi decided to learn more about climate and low-carbon policy and sustainability through research. Building on his legal and policy training in Nigeria and Canada, he has worked as a researcher for Canada Climate Law Initiative, housed at UBC but working on issues across Canadian federal and provincial jurisdictions. He has also worked as a research consultant for Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative, housed at Oxford University but working across commonwealth countries. Previously, he was a research associate with Social Impact Firm, working on documents for clients such as the American Chamber of Commerce. Before that, he was a research fellow at University of Calgary, lecturer at Memorial University, and policy researcher with the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, working on various sustainable energy, resource, and trade projects. His research has produced results contributed to over 20 journal articles, book chapters and policy reports and other outputs, including policy documents for provincial governments in Canada. Besides these academic and policy contributions, he has also published articles in professional publications, including the Newsletter of the International Bar Association Section on Public and Professional Interest and the International Legal Research Informer of the American Society of International Law. 

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Dr. Onifade's PhD at UBC was funded by the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS). He also received the Joseph Armand Bombardier CGS, the International Doctoral Fellowship, and other awards at UBC. For his LLM at the University of Calgary, he was one of the three global recipients of the Scholarship for Energy and Natural Resources Studies, the biggest graduate and post-doctoral award of the International Bar Association, among several other awards. His studies at Memorial University and in Nigeria were also funded through various scholarships and fellowships. Altogether, his over 40 awards, honours and grants are from the African Bar Association, American Society of International Law, American Law and Society Association, International Bar Association, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Government of Canada, Oyo State Government, and academic units and programmes at UBC, Stanford University, Columbia University, Yale University, University of Calgary, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Obafemi Awolowo University.