Jayeel Cornelio is Professor in the Development Studies Program at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he also holds the Francis E Reilly, SJ Professorial Chair. He has written extensively on religion and public life, paying attention to some of the most controversial issues in contemporary Philippine society including the religious support for strongman politics, the struggle for gender equality, and young people's changing attitudes to religion. For his scholarship, he received the 2015 Virginia A. Miralao Excellence in Research Award from the Philippine Social Science Council and the 2017 Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology and was named among The Outstanding Young Men/People (TOYM) of the Philippines in 2021.

He is currently co-leading a mentoring program for aspiring scholars of religion and public life in the Philippines and a project on the role of local faith actors in peacebuilding. Both projects are funded by the British Academy.