Patricia Daley

Patricia Daley
Born
Jamaica
Academic background
EducationUniversity of London, University of Oxford
ThesisRefugees and underdevelopment in Africa : the case of Barundi refugees in Tanzania (1989)
Academic work
DisciplineHuman geographer
Sub-discipline
Institutions

Patricia Orchid Daley is a British human geographer and academic, specialising in forced migration, political violence, political ecology, and Africa. She is Professor of Human Geography of Africa at the University of Oxford and the Helen Morag Fellow and Tutor in Geography at Jesus College, Oxford.

Early life and education

Daley was born In Kingston,Jamaica, and spent her early years in rural Jamaica. At the age of 10, she emigrated to England. She attended school in Hackney, London, and as a teenager lived in the Pembury Estate.

Daley was the first of her family to attend university, and studied at Middlesex Polytechnic, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. She then undertook postgraduate studies at Goldsmiths College and the School of Oriental and African Studies, both part of the University of London, graduating with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and a Master of Arts degree in African Studies. She then moved to the University of Oxford to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree. She completed her doctorate in 1989 with a thesis titled "Refugees and underdevelopment in Africa: the case of Barundi refugees in Tanzania".

Academic career

Daley previously taught at Dartmouth College, and Loughborough University. In 1996, she moved to the University of Oxford, where she was appointed University Lecturer in Human Geography and jointly to Jesus College and Pembroke College, Oxford. She is the first black woman to be appointed a lecturer at Oxford. She is now solely a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. She served Jesus College as Tutor for Women from 1998 to 2004, and as Tutor for Admissions from 1999 to 2002. She was the University Assessor for the 2015/2016 academic year. She was awarded a Title of Distinction as Professor of the Human Geography of Africa in September 2016. Daley served as Vice-Principal of Jesus College from 2018 to 2021 and was elected to the governing Council of the University of Oxford in 2021.

In 2017, Daley was one 24 notable individuals chosen by the University of Oxford to have their portrait painted. Daley's portrait was painted by Binny Mathews (https://www.binnymathews.com/) . It was first exhibited at a temporary exhibition and then permanently at the Examination Schools of Oxford University. The portrait commission was part of a project to augment the existing portraiture at Oxford with a greater, "diversity of background, gender and accomplishments of scholars, staff and alumni."

In 2020, Daley was announced as one of the United Kingdom's 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage, in recognition of her contribution to education by being included in the 2021 edition of the annual Powerlist. In October 2025, a portrait of Daley painted by artist Chloe Cox was hung in the dining hall of Jesus College, making Daley the second person of colour to be displayed there, after college alumnus Norman Manley.

Selected works

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Professor Patricia Daley". School of Geography and the Environment. University of Oxford. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Patricia Daley". Jesus College. University of Oxford. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Profile: On the Level with Dr Patricia Daley". Operation Black Vote. 18 November 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Recalling 1970s London: has life improved since for the young, poor and black?". Open Democracy. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "Council and Main Committees". Oxford University Gazette. 145 (5091). University of Oxford. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  6. ↑ Daley, Patricia O. (1989). Refugees and underdevelopment in Africa : the case of Barundi refugees in Tanzania. E-Thesis Online Service (PhD). The British Library Board. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Daley, P. (1989). Refugees and underdevelopment in Africa (Thesis). University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Examinations and Boards". Oxford University Gazette. 126. University of Oxford. 18 January 1996. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Notices – Recognition of Distinction". Oxford University Gazette. 147 (5143). University of Oxford. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Patricia Daley". Independent Social Research Foundation. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  11. ↑ "Professor Patricia Daley Recognised in 'Oxford Portraits'". African Studies Centre. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  12. ↑ Coughlan, Sean (6 April 2017). "Oxford puts up more portraits of women". BBC News. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "University of Oxford, African Studies Centre". African Studies Companion Online. doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_1626. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  14. ↑ Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020). "Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021". mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "New portrait of Tutor and Fellow Professor Patricia Daley unveiled in Hall". Jesus College, Oxford. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.