Daniel Cockayne

Dr. Daniel Cockayne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Waterloo. His research bridges feminist economic geography, queer theory, and digital studies, focusing on workplace cultures within startup economies and the intersections of sexuality with neoliberal labor practices.

• Co-taught courses:
  • GEOG100 - On Becoming a Geography
  • GEOG302 - Geography of Work and Employment
  • GEOG202 - Geography of the Global Economy
  • GEOG411 - The Digital Economy

Research Focus:

• Empirical: Startup culture, anti-work politics, and digital entrepreneurship in Waterloo-Kitchener and Silicon Valley.
• Theoretical: Integration of feminist theory, Deleuzian philosophy, queer theory, and affect studies to analyze labor, identity, and digital infrastructures.
• Current projects: Exploring the political economy of LGBTQ+ activism, diversity programs in tech, and queer temporalities in digital systems.

Publication Themes:

His work critically examines digital economies, affective labor, and queer geographies through empirical studies of tech startups and theoretical engagements with Deleuze and feminist epistemologies.

Graduate Supervision: Dr. Cockayne welcomes MA and PhD students interested in cultural geography, queer theory, digital economies, and feminist critiques of knowledge production.