By Rasheed Sobowale

A Nigerian scholar, Zainab Olubukola Gidado, has emerged as a growing voice in the fields of communication studies, genocide research, and social justice advocacy through her academic and professional work in the United States.

Gidado is an international graduate scholar and educator at Purdue University Fort Wayne, where she earned a Master’s degree in Professional Communication with a 4.0 grade point average.

During her programme, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, providing academic support to first-year students and contributing to the development of inclusive and trauma-informed teaching approaches.

Her academic excellence earned her the Outstanding Graduate Student Award and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the Department of Communication at Purdue University.

Her research focuses on the intersection of communication, trauma and resistance, particularly in societies affected by mass violence and historical erasure.

Her master’s thesis, titled Breaking the Silence: The Center for Genocide and Human Rights in Africa and the Diaspora (GHRAD) and the Fight to Recognize the 1972 Burundi Massacre, examined the role of survivor testimony, advocacy and visual storytelling in healing processes and efforts to secure international recognition of genocidal violence.

The study has contributed to wider academic and policy discussions on genocide prevention and memorialisation.

Gidado’s research has been accepted for presentation at numerous national and international academic conferences, including those organized by the National Communication Association, the Central States Communication Association, the Northeast Popular Culture Association, Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria, and the Center for Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora.

Her work has also featured in policy-related spaces, including engagements with Burundi’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and participation in a closed session at the United Nations General Assembly on the Responsibility to Protect and the 1972 Burundi massacre.

In recognition of her work in atrocity prevention research, she was awarded the I-GMAP Faculty Fellowship in Atrocity Prevention by the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University.

The fellowship supports scholars involved in genocide prevention research, policy formulation and global justice initiatives. She has also received recognition from the Activism and Social Justice Division of the National Communication Association.

Beyond academia, Gidado collaborates with the Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Fort Wayne and works as an Intervention and System Advocate at the Center for Nonviolence, where she leads violence intervention programmes, coordinates community outreach and represents the organisation at public engagements.

She has also held leadership roles within academic and civic institutions, including serving as President of Purdue University’s African Student Organization and as a member of the university’s Senate Curriculum Sub-Committee. She is currently a member of the Advocacy Committee of the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne.

Before relocating to the United States, Gidado worked in Nigeria’s corporate sector, where she gained experience in leadership, organisation and problem-solving. She has also volunteered with organisations focused on gender-based violence prevention, medical advocacy and community empowerment.

Despite her growing academic and professional profile abroad, Gidado continues to engage with global issues through research, teaching and advocacy aimed at promoting justice, social transformation and human dignity.