Alimi specializes in religion, ethics, and politics. His research and teaching span ancient Roman philosophy (specializing in Lactantius and Augustine), intellectual history (focusing on freedom, slavery, law, rule, and authority), contemporary ethics and politics (idem), and philosophy of religion.

His first book, “Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics,” explicates Augustine’s reasons for justifying slavery and argues that slavery is a central theme in his broader ethics and politics. It was published by Princeton University Press in 2024. 

“I think I can speak for all of my colleagues in saying that we are delighted to welcome Olaoluwatoni Alimi to UCHV and to the Department of Religion,” said Andrew Chignell, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Religion and the University Center for Human Values. “Toni’s scholarly expertise ranges across the late antique and medieval periods, but his work is also relevant to certain contemporary debates in ethics and political thought.”

Alimi comes to Princeton from Cornell University, where he has been an assistant professor since 2024. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton, an M.A. from Yale Divinity School and an A.B. from Princeton.