Jennifer Onyedum earned her Ph.D. in History from Princeton University in 2010. Her dissertation examined the politics of medicine and international intervention during the Algerian struggle for national liberation, 1954-1962. Professor Onyedum specializes in contemporary African history, with a particular interest in North Africa, decolonization, and humanitarianism.

She has received several fellowships including an Andrew W. Mellon fellowship in Humanistic Studies. She also has received awards from the Social Science Research Council, the American Institute for Maghrib Studies, and the National History Center. Professor Onyedum teaches courses on pre-colonial to present-day African history,the History of medicine and  Humanitarianism and Conflict in Africa.