Biography

Dr. Osibodu’s research interrogates the enduring impacts of coloniality in [math] education, with a focus on the lived experiences of Black youth and educators in both Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa. Grounded in decolonial frameworks, Black geographies, and participatory research methodologies, her scholarship explores how mathematics curriculum, policy, and pedagogy are shaped by eurocentric and racialized structures.

Dr. Osibodu’s work spans three intersecting lines of inquiry: the experiences of Black youth in mathematics classrooms, the colonial foundations of curriculum including international education curricula, and the influence of popular culture on perceptions of mathematical belonging. Her projects—such as Envisioning Diasporic Mathematics Literacies and Critical Financial Literacy—offer critical insights into how Black learners navigate and reimagine mathematics education. She has shared findings with major stakeholders, including the Toronto District School Board and the Ontario Mathematics Coordinators Association, and has published in leading journals such as Educational Studies in Mathematics, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, and the Comparative Education Review. Her research has been well-funded including by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada. 

Outside of academia, Dr. Osibodu is an avid podcast listener, an enthusiastic viewer of films and television shows, and a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction. She also loves exploring new cities and countries. One of her favorite pastimes is taking long walks—often for hours—while listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Recently, she has discovered a new joy in biking through the streets and neighborhoods of Toronto.

Scholarly Interests

Critical mathematics education, sub-saharan African youth mathematics experiences, immigrant and refugee mathematics experiences, identity, race, equity, and power in mathematics education, decolonial theory, African indigenous mathematics practices

Faculty & School/Dept

• Faculty of Education -

Courses Taught

• Content Into Practice (ED/EDFE 3200)
• Mathematics Learning Environments (GS/EDUC 5840)
• Research in Mathematics Education (GS/EDUC 5215)
• Teaching Mathematics in the Intermediate Division (ED/MATH 3000)
• Teaching Mathematics in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - A (ED/MATH 4000)
• Teaching Mathematics in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - B (ED/MATH 4001)
• Thinking about Teaching Mathematics (GS/EDUC 5841)

Selected Publications

• Osibodu, O. (2025). What's Black Got to Do with It? Unsettling Antiblack Logics in Secondary Mathematics Education. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 1-18.
• Osibodu, O. (2024). Racialization through Coloniality in Mathematics Curricula: Problematizing the Cambridge Assessment International Examination in Sub-Saharan Africa. Educational Studies in Mathematics.
• Osibodu, O. & Danjo, N. (2024). Africanfuturism and Critical Mathematics Education: Envisioning a Liberatory Future for Sub-Saharan African Immigrants. In V. Watson, M. Knight-Manuel, & P. Smith (Eds.), Educating African Immigrant Youth: Schooling and Civic Engagement in K-12 Schools (pp. 42-53). Teachers College Press
• Osibodu, O. (2022). Researcher don't teach me nonsense: Engaging African decolonial practices in a critical mathematics education project.. In C. Burkholder, F. Aladejebi, & J. Schwab-Cartas (Eds.), Facilitating community research for social change: Case studies in qualitative, arts-based, and visual research (pp. 48-62). Routledge
• Osibodu, O. (2021). Necessitating teacher learning in teaching mathematics for social justice to counter anti-Black racism.41 (1), 18-20.
• Tunstall, S. L., Osibodu, O., & Bartell, T. G (2019). "On "Icky" data, the political classroom, and towards equity and social justice in mathematics education: A conversation with Tonya Bartell. Numeracy, 12 (1), 1-13.
• Osibodu, O, & Cosby, M. D. (2018). Shades of Blackness: Rehumanizing mathematics education through an understanding of Sub-Saharan African immigrants.. In R. Gutierrez, & I. Goffney (Eds.), Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education 2018: Rehumanizing Mathematics for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Students (pp. 39-49). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Beaudine, G., Osibodu, O., & Beavers, A. (2017). Disney's metaphorical exploration of racism and stereotypes: A review of Zootopia. Comparative Education Review, 61 (1), 227-234.

Awards

• Pat Clifford Award , EdCan Network - 2021
• Outstanding Early Career Researchers Award, York University - 2022
• Faculty of Education Dean’s Impact Award, York University - 2024

Professional Affiliations

• American Educational Research Association : Division G (Social Context of Education) SIGs: Research in Mathematics Education (RME);

York University Affiliations/Cross Appointments

• Harriet Tubman Institute: Faculty Fellow