Research Interests
- Technology and regulation
- Financial technology
- Digital sovereignty
- Digital Rights
- Children’s Rights
- National Security
- Cybercrime
UnyimeAbasi Odong is a doctoral student conducting research on the regulation of technology. Her Ph.D. research on the regulation of financial technologies, cybercrime, and national security is supervised by Professor Elizabeth Judge of the Center for Law, technology, and Society. A Fellow of the Africa Fintech Network, Unyime contributes to research on strengthening the digital finance regulatory framework and digital finance infrastructure across the African continent
Prior to embarking on the Ph.D., Unyime undertook a master’s program at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, where she compared regulatory regimes in Canada and the United Kingdom for regulatory experimentation and technology, which research was generously supported by the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship for Masters Students. She also holds a law degree and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Uyo, Nigeria.
As a lawyer qualified to practice in Nigeria and Ontario, Canada, Unyime draws from her multijurisdictional experience to inform her research and policy proposals. Prior to her arrival in Canada, Unyime practised as a lawyer with a municipal government in Nigeria where she provided strategic advice and policy direction on human rights implications of policy and regulatory proposals. She also worked as a lawyer in private practice where she instituted legal action against human right violations and defended the rights of her clients against (potential) breaches.
She serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Heartwood House, a charitable organization that supports vulnerable Ottawa residents who are marginalized, living in poverty, and/or in need of educational, mental health, emotional, physical, economic, employment, training or recreational support. She also serves on the Online Safety Special Interest Group of the Internet Society, a group dedicated to safer and more secure internet, digital rights, privacy, and inclusivity.