Declan Cullen

Declan Cullen is an Assistant Professor of Geography at George Washington University, affiliated with the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. He serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Geography major and teaches courses on cultural geography, economic geography, political geography, and geographies of colonialism. His research focuses on platform capitalism, labor dynamics, urban governance, and historical colonial geographies. Cullen earned his PhD from Syracuse University's Department of Geography.

Key research interests include the impacts of automation and platform economies on labor, the historical legacies of colonialism, and the interplay between urban policy and social inequality. His recent work critiques the rise of Uber in Washington D.C., exploring how platform capitalism disrupts traditional urban structures and exacerbates labor precarity.

Dr. Cullen has been recognized with the Ashby Prize (2022) for his scholarly contributions. His teaching portfolio includes courses on colonialism, empire, and the history of geographic thought. Office hours are held Tuesdays 9:30–10:30 AM and Fridays 9:30 AM–11:00 AM in Samson Hall, Room 204.

His publications span journals like Environment and Planning A and Society and Space, with a monograph Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City (Princeton University Press). Research integrates historical analysis with contemporary case studies, emphasizing critical perspectives on technology, labor, and urban systems.