Find Academic Supervisors

Kaveri MedappaView profile

Research Fellow

• Labour Anthropology
• Critical Mobility Studies
• Feminist Political Economy
• +4 more

Kaveri Medappa is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Human Geography at the University of Oxford's Department for Continuing Education and a Junior Research Fellow at Kellogg College. She contributes to a multi-institutional ESRC-funded project, 'Trucking Lives: Making Space for People in Truck Driving Work', focusing on UK HGV drivers' work-life conditions. Formerly associated with the University of Sussex, where she earned her PhD in International Development (2022), and St. Joseph’s College, Bengaluru. Doctoral research on app-based workers in Bengaluru under Prof Geert De Neve and Dr Rebecca Prentice Teaching experience in Anthropology and Social Work across UK and India Previous role as Research Associate in 'Speculative Urbanism' project Her expertise spans labour anthropology , critical mobility studies , and feminist political economy , examining intersections of digital technologies, financialisation, and social movements. Recent publications highlight gig economy dynamics, platform worker rights, and speculative finance impacts. Key trends in her research include: Digital labor platform governance (2020–2023) Comparative truck driving work (2024) Financialisation and social reproduction (2022–2025) Urban displacement and affective landscapes (2020) Scientific recognition includes: DSA 'Highly Commended' PhD Thesis Prize (2023) Adam Weiler Doctoral Research with Impact Award (2022) Chancellor’s International Research Scholarship (2018–2021) Her work connects academic research with public scholarship through policy briefs, media contributions, and podcast appearances.

• Innovation and governance
• Environmental planning and eco-city development
• Urban financialisation
• +6 more

Professor Fangzhu Zhang is a leading academic in China planning at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (UCL). With a PhD from the University of Southampton and prior roles at Southampton and Cardiff University, she has been at UCL since 2011, progressing from Lecturer to Professor since 2023. Education: BSc (Nanjing University, 1991), MPhil (University of Hong Kong, 1998), PhD (University of Southampton, 2007) Her research focuses on urban governance , financialization , and environmental planning in China. Recent work explores post-pandemic statecraft, eco-city development, and land assetization in municipal finance. She leads the ERC Advanced Grant project "Rethinking China’s Urban Governance" (2020–2026) and contributes to journals like Urban Studies and Land Use Policy . The 15 most recent publications span topics such as: State entrepreneurialism in megaprojects Financial intermediation in local government bonds Land assetization and urban debt risks Post-pandemic governance transitions Participatory micro-regeneration models She has supervised 20 PhD students (10 completed, 10 ongoing) and serves as founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Transactions in Planning and Urban Research (TPUR). Her teaching integrates equality, diversity, and inclusion, with leadership roles in UCL's dissertation curriculum.

Enda BrophyView profile

Associate Professor

• Political economy of communication
• Communication and social change
• Labour and collective organizing in media and communication industries
• +7 more

Enda Brophy is Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University, where he researches and teaches at the intersection of political economy, labour, and social change in communication industries. Education & Training: While his formal degrees are not explicitly listed, Brophy’s extensive translation work of foundational Italian autonomist texts and his co-editorship of critical academic volumes signal advanced training in critical theory, labour studies, and communication research. Research Interests: Political economy of communication and digital media Labour and collective organising in media, cultural and creative industries Call-centre work and global outsourcing Platform labour and gig-economy dynamics Autonomist Marxist theory and worker inquiry Digital debt, financialisation, and resistance Student movements and university governance Precarious employment and creative labour Analysing his recent publications (2015-2020) reveals a consistent focus on the transformation of labour processes under communicative capitalism: from call-centre scripting and surveillance to food-delivery platform work during COVID-19, and from unpaid internships in creative industries to emergent forms of tech-worker organising using digital tools. These works collectively map how digital infrastructures mediate, discipline, and occasionally enable new solidarities among precarious workers. Awards & Recognition: 2018 Canadian Association of Work and Labour Studies Book of the Year Award for Language Put to Work 2018 Canadian Communication Association Gertrude J. Robinson Book of the Year Award for Language Put to Work Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC Academic of the Year Award Research Grants & Collaborative Projects: He co-leads Cultural Workers Organize , a multi-investigator SSHRC-funded project with Greig de Peuter, Nicole Cohen, Kate Oakley and Marisol Sandoval, investigating collective responses to precarity among cultural and creative workers in Canada and the UK. Editorial board memberships at Studies in Political Economy , Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , and tripleC further anchor his scholarly leadership. Graduate Supervision & Teaching: Brophy currently teaches CMNS 130 Communication and Social Change and actively supervises MA and PhD students working on labour, social movements, and digital media. He is formally associated with SFU’s Labour Studies Program as an Associate.

Rory HearneView profile

Associate Professor

• Housing Policy
• Social Policy
• Human Rights
• +7 more

Rory Hearne is an Associate Professor in Social Policy at Maynooth University's Department of Applied Social Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences. He holds a PhD in political and economic geography from Trinity College Dublin (2009). His work focuses on housing policy, economic inequality, human rights, and climate justice. He teaches courses on social policy, housing rights, and the welfare state at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Education: PhD in Political and Economic Geography, Trinity College Dublin, 2009 Research Interests: Housing crises, financialisation of housing, homelessness, human rights-based approaches, neoliberalism, spatial justice, public policy reform, and social movements. His landmark books Housing Shock (2020) and Gaffs (2022) address Ireland’s housing crisis and advocate for constitutional rights to housing. His work has influenced national policy debates and been recognized by the Irish presidency and international scholars. Articles Trends: Recent publications analyze housing financialisation, participatory policy approaches (e.g., PAHRCA methodology), and post-neoliberal social policy. His research bridges academic and activist spheres, emphasizing community engagement and systemic change. Awards: His book Housing Shock was honored by the President of Ireland for its policy contributions. Peer reviews acclaim his work for its interdisciplinary rigor and practical impact. Grants & Projects: Co-developed the Participatory Action Human Rights and Capabilities Approach (PAHRCA) during the EU-funded Re-InVEST project (2017–2018). Lead author of influential TASC reports on inequality and housing. Labs/Teams: Active in Maynooth University’s Social Sciences Institute and collaborates with NGOs like the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Engages in public advocacy through media, podcasts, and conferences.

Emma MawdsleyView profile

Professor

• Global Development Politics
• South-South Cooperation
• Development Finance
• +6 more

Professor Emma Mawdsley is a leading scholar in Human Geography at the University of Cambridge, where she contributes to the Geographies of Knowledge Research Group . As a Fellow of Newnham College and Director of the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies , her work bridges academic rigor with practical engagement in global development politics. BA in Geography (St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1989-1992) PhD in Geography (St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1992-1996) Academic trajectory: Lecturer (1996-2003), Senior Lecturer (2009-2014), Reader (2014-2022), Professor (2022-present) Her research interrogates the politics of global development , focusing on South-South Cooperation (especially India-Africa dynamics), financialisation of aid, and the UK’s shifting development agendas. She leads the ESRC-funded project ‘Development Consultants and Contractors’ , analyzing private-sector roles in ‘Aidland’. Recent publications highlight trends in South-South partnerships , innovative finance, and decolonial approaches. Awards include the Leverhulme Research Fellowship and recognition as a Royal Geographical Society medalist. She supervises PhD students on topics like Sino-Indian development cooperation and postcolonial governance. As Director of the Margaret Anstee Centre, she fosters interdisciplinary global studies, connecting academia to policy through initiatives like the India-UK Development Partnership Forum .

Imogen T. LiuView profile

Assistant Professor

• Political Economy
• Geopolitics
• Geoeconomics
• +7 more

Imogen T. Liu is an Assistant Professor of International Political Economy at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Multi-layered Governance in Europe and Beyond (MLG) research group. Her work focuses on the politics and governance of finance, production, and energy systems in contexts of geopolitical competition, particularly analyzing transnational firms' roles in industrial development trajectories across Europe, China, and the Global South. Education: PhD (2023): Maastricht University - Investing for the state: A finance-sensitive reading of the transnationalisation of Chinese state capital in Europe Master’s (2018): Leiden University - Political Science and Public Administration (cum laude) Bachelor’s (2010): University of Auckland - Economics and Statistics Research Interests: Liu’s research examines state capitalism, financialization, China-EU relations, and geoeconomics. She explores how geopolitical competition shapes global economic governance, with a focus on infrastructure investment, transnational firms, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Her book project, Financialising Global China and the Remaking of Liberal Economic Order , investigates China’s evolving role in global financial systems. Recent Contributions: Her work appears in journals like New Political Economy , Journal of Economic Geography , and Finance and Space . Recent articles analyze foreign investment screening, private equity’s role in state-led markets, and the geopolitical implications of China’s infrastructure projects in Serbia. Awards: Els de Witte Annual Prize in Political Science (2024) FINGEO Doctoral Dissertation Prize (2024) Paul Benneworth PhD Student Award (2023) Professional Activities: Liu co-leads the Finance and Money working group of the China in Europe Research Network and serves as an Early Career Representative for the Regional Studies Association. She also contributes to initiatives like the Second Cold War Observatory and FINGEO network, focusing on global financial and geopolitical dynamics.

Thomas F. PurcellView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Global Political Economy
• Development Studies
• Agrarian Studies
• +5 more

Thomas F. Purcell is a Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy at King’s College London’s Department of European & International Studies since 2019. He holds a PhD from the University of Manchester and has held roles including Deputy Director at Ecuador’s National Strategy Centre for the Right to Territory (CENEDET) and Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University. His research focuses on Latin American political economy, agrarian studies, financialization of urban infrastructure, and Marxist critiques of global capitalism. Key projects include a monograph on Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution and collaborations on Chile’s agro-food systems and Spain’s solar energy transition. Research interests include territorial power relations in value production, financialization dynamics, and global commodity chains. Recent work critiques assetization theory and explores landed property’s role in climate change. He teaches modules on global political economy, development, and Marxist theory. Purcell’s interdisciplinary approach integrates political ecology and critical global capitalism studies, engaging with activist-oriented research collectives at King’s. His peer-reviewed articles span journals like Review of International Political Economy and Antipode . He co-founded King’s Critical Global Capitalism Studies Collective and contributes to public discourse via The Conversation . His current research includes Venezuela’s political economy, Chilean agricultural logistics, and UK land value capture mechanisms.

Luke HeslopView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Development Anthropology
• Infrastructure Studies
• South Asian Economies
• +6 more

Dr. Luke Heslop is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Global Challenges at Brunel University London's College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences. His work focuses on South Asian development, infrastructure, and kinship systems across Sri Lanka, Maldives, and the Indian Ocean region. As founding member of the South Asia Studies Research Group and Director of Research at PRISA, he bridges academic and policy domains through ethnographic approaches to global challenges. Education: PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh (2015) MSc(res) in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh (2010) BA(Joint Hons) Anthropology and Development Studies, Sussex University (2009) Introduction to Project Management, City University of London (2020) His research examines how macro-economic shifts manifest in everyday life through three interconnected strands: mercantile kinship networks in Sri Lankan business families; infrastructure development (particularly roads and connectivity in the Maldives); and evolving 'advice ecosystems' in South Asian business development. Recent work analyzes Chinese infrastructure projects in island nations, financial architectures of development, and the social life of work in emerging economies. His ethnographic approach centers on lived experiences of political and economic transformation, with emphasis on labor, mobility, and financialization. Heslop's publications reveal consistent focus on South Asian political economy through infrastructure studies (40%), business anthropology (35%), and kinship dynamics (25%). His 2021-2024 work increasingly addresses climate vulnerability in island contexts and decolonial approaches to development advice. Key journals include Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute , Current Anthropology , and Journal of South Asian Development . PhD Supervision: First Supervisor: Matthew Adams (Metaverse ethnography), Ramish Chohan (Pakistan brick kiln workers) Second Supervisor: Bandana Adhikary (Nepalese education), Veronika Senkyrova (Policing/obesity) Research Development Advisor: Kat Lacey, Mercy Brown Heslop directs the MSc Global South Asia Studies program and convenes 'Practising Anthropology' while contributing to modules on South Asian societies, religion, and development. His 'Migration Menu' podcast and public exhibitions translate research into accessible formats, demonstrating commitment to impact beyond academia. Current projects include 'South Asia in West London' exploring diaspora communities through food, education, and entrepreneurship lenses.

• Border and Migration Policing
• Carceral Geographies
• Feminist Geography
• +4 more

Dr. Lauren Martin is an Associate Professor in Political Geography at Durham University's Department of Geography , specializing in the spatial dimensions of migration control, carceral geographies, and critical security studies. Her research bridges political geography with feminist and critical migration theories. 2020–present: Associate Professor, Durham University 2016–2020: Assistant Professor/Lecturer, Durham University 2016–2019: Associate Editor, Environment & Planning D: Society and Space Research Focus : Border and migration policing Carceral geographies Political-economic analysis of detention systems Techno-humanitarian transformation in refugee governance Key Projects : Economies of Exclusion (2020–present): Analyzes value creation through immigration detention practices GLiTCH (2020–2022): Investigates financial and digital technologies' impact on refugee governance Scientific Awards : Independent Social Research Foundation Fellowship (2020) ESRC Standard Grant (2020–2022) Publications demonstrate theoretical contributions to carceral geographies, migration control political economy, and spatial governance practices. Her work connects with broader debates in feminist geography and critical security studies.

Michael MarshallView profile

Academic

• Housing Policy
• Decarbonisation of the Built Environment
• Quantitative Analysis
• +4 more

Dr Michael Marshall is a Research Associate at the School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield . His work focuses on housing policy, decarbonisation of the built environment, and the application of quantitative methods and GIS in social sciences. He previously worked at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and brings practitioner experience in social housing to his research. Current role: Research Associate in Quantitative Analysis and GIS Previous role: Researcher at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) Email: michael.marshall@sheffield.ac.uk Research Interests: Marshall explores two intertwined research strands: (1) housing dynamics including financialisation of housing associations, housing insecurity, and governance of social housing; and (2) decarbonisation of construction and maintenance in the built environment. His work bridges theoretical inquiry with policy-relevant applications, particularly in evaluating grant impacts on housing supply and post-disaster regulatory reforms. Publications Trends: His work spans 2021-2025, combining quantitative housing policy analysis (e.g., quasi-experimental studies on grant effectiveness) with spatial analysis using GIS. Topics include social housing regulation post-Grenfell, pandemic-related conspiracy theories, and decarbonisation challenges at scale. Teaching Focus: He contributes expertise in Quantitative Analysis , Geographic Information Systems (GIS) , and Housing to academic instruction.

Omkar Nadh PattelaView profile

Research Fellow

• Political Economy
• Science and Technology Studies
• Bioeconomy
• +2 more

Omkar Nadh Pattela is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's TC Beirne School of Law and an affiliate of the Centre for Policy Futures. His doctoral research examined relationships between state, academia, and finance capital in India's medical biotechnology ecosystem. His work analyzes political economies of bioeconomies, with focus on healthcare biotech innovations and their public health implications. Core interests include financialization of research, science-technology-society interfaces, and innovation in developing economies. Publications span critical analyses of India's biotech sector, intellectual property regimes, and urban health inequities. Recent work explores biopolitics in low-income settlements and non-traditional IP frameworks for biomedical innovation. He maintains active engagement with science policy discourse through books, peer-reviewed articles, and public scholarship on technology-society intersections.

Dawn HoogeveenView profile

Adjunct Professor

• Resource extraction and health
• Environmental health/policy
• Health Impact Assessment
• +5 more

Dawn Hoogeveen is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences. Her work focuses on environmental politics, Indigenous studies, and public health, with a particular emphasis on resource extraction impacts and Indigenous health frameworks. She holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia, an MA from Simon Fraser University, and a BA (Hons) from Carleton University. Her research integrates mixed methods and community-based approaches to examine health and environmental justice, including projects on Indigenous-led health impact assessments and climate change resilience. She collaborates closely with organizations like the First Nations Health Authority and the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Impacts, advancing initiatives such as the Dasiqox Nexwagwez?an Indigenous Protected Area in Tsilhqot’in territory. Her work often critiques settler-colonial frameworks in environmental policy and advocates for decolonized, community-driven solutions. Hoogeveen’s recent publications highlight intersectional analyses of resource extraction, gender-based policy frameworks (GBA+), and decolonizing planetary health. Her projects explore topics like industrial camps’ gendered impacts, queer environmental regulation, and the integration of Indigenous knowledge into health reporting. She actively participates in advocacy roles, including president of the Strathcona Community Centre Association and membership in the Canadian Environmental Network’s Environment Planning and Assessment Caucus. Her current research includes 'Healing Indicators' frameworks for Indigenous health, land-based healing through Indigenous Protected Areas, and climate change strategies in British Columbia. She emphasizes collaboration across sectors to address systemic inequities in environmental and health policy.

Tanja SchneiderView profile

Associate Professor

• Science and Technology Studies (STS)
• Economic Sociology
• Market Studies
• +13 more

Tanja Schneider is Associate Professor and Head of the Human-Centred Innovation Section at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU). She is also a Research Affiliate at the Institute for Science, Innovation & Society (InSIS), School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford. Previously, she held academic positions at the University of St. Gallen and the University of Passau, and was a Research Fellow at Oxford and Green Templeton College. Research Interests: Tanja’s work lies at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies (STS), economic sociology, and market studies. She investigates how agency, accountability, and autonomy are reconfigured in digital societies. Her research spans digital health, food activism, valuation practices, financialisation of innovation, sustainable consumption, and the neuro-turn in the social sciences. She is particularly interested in the interplay between scientific knowledge, technology, and consumer culture. Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications reflect a deep engagement with digital food systems, automated health technologies, and infrastructural participation in digital societies. Articles explore how digital platforms shape eating behaviors, how dietary expertise is automated, and how food innovations are valued in financialized contexts. A unifying theme is the critical examination of how data, algorithms, and digital infrastructures reshape expertise, governance, and individual agency. Scientific Affiliations: Research Affiliate, Institute for Science, Innovation & Society (InSIS), University of Oxford Member, Public Data Lab Member, STS Lab, University of Lausanne Advising and Grants: Tanja supervises PhD students, including Rasmus N. Thomsen on the project 'The Expertise of Expectations – and the case of Power-to-X'. She was Principal Investigator of the Swiss National Science Foundation-funded 'FoodCoach' project (2020–2024), an interdisciplinary study on dietary monitoring and intervention involving ETH Zürich and the University of St. Gallen. She is currently working on her book project 'Venture Food', analyzing the valuation of FoodTech innovations. Labs and Research Networks: She is an active member of the Public Data Lab and the STS Lab at the University of Lausanne, contributing to collaborative research on data practices, digital citizenship, and science-society relations. These affiliations support her interdisciplinary approach and global scholarly engagement.

• Energy geographies
• Low carbon transitions
• Critical geographies
• +7 more

Professor Marcus Power is a distinguished academic in the Department of Geography at Durham University, specializing in the geopolitical dimensions of development. His career spans over two decades with significant contributions to understanding the intersections of space, power, and development processes, particularly focusing on Southern Africa and China-Africa relations. Power's research interests encompass energy geographies and low carbon transitions, critical geographies of postdevelopment, post-colonial studies with focus on Portugal and Lusophone Africa, post-socialist transformations in Southern Africa, China-Africa engagement, and the relationship between visual culture and geopolitics. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary development challenges, examining how development discourses have evolved from the Enlightenment through the Cold War to the present era. His most recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on the financialization of development, South-South cooperation dynamics, and energy transitions in Africa. Power's research demonstrates a consistent focus on how geopolitical imaginaries shape development practices, with particular attention to China's growing role in African development and the implications for traditional development paradigms. His work increasingly examines the material manifestations of development through infrastructure, particularly in energy systems. Principal Investigator for ESRC-funded project on China's Resource Diplomacy in Africa Principal Investigator for ESRC-funded project on China, Brazil and India's role in low carbon energy systems in Southern Africa Co-Investigator for GCRF-funded Sajag-Nepal project on mountain hazard preparedness Co-Investigator for GCRF-funded CESET project on Community Energy Systems in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique Power supervises doctoral students including Huixuan Huang, Sheng Xuan, and Shuyue Xie, focusing on topics related to China-Africa relations, energy transitions, and development geographies. His academic journey began with a PhD from the University of Birmingham (1994-1997), preceded by an MA with distinction from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a BA in Geography from Newcastle University.

Vinh-Kim NGUYENView profile

Professor

• Global Health
• Medical Anthropology
• Pandemic Management
• +3 more

Vinh-Kim Nguyen is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the School of Public Health, University of Montreal, and Co-Director of the Global Health Centre. He practices emergency medicine at the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal and holds an ERC Consolidator Grant on achieving a world without AIDS. His research focuses on global health diplomacy, pandemic management, and the interplay between conflict and healthcare systems. He has led critical studies on antimicrobial resistance, pharmaceutical financialization, and the psychedelic renaissance. His geographical expertise spans Africa, the Middle East, and Melanesia, with fieldwork in conflict zones like Yemen and during Ebola outbreaks in West Africa. He also holds an honorary chair at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris. Education: Not explicitly detailed in text, though his expertise suggests advanced training in medical anthropology, family medicine, and tropical disease management. Research Interests: Global Health Governance Medical Anthropology of Biomedicine Conflict and Healthcare Systems Psychedelic Therapeutics AIDS Treatment Access and Policy Key Awards: His first book received an award (name unspecified), and his work on Ebola and HIV/AIDS treatment programs has garnered international recognition. His ERC Grant underscores his leadership in pioneering research. Advising & Grants: Leads a team researching the Ebola epidemic's sociocultural impacts, holds an ERC Consolidator Grant, and collaborates across disciplines (anthropology, public health, clinical medicine). Grants focus on experimental therapies and global health equity. Labs/Teams: Heads the Global Health Centre's interdisciplinary team and collaborates with the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme on biopolitical studies and pandemic preparedness.