Ian Greer is a Research Fellow at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labour Relations , with a career focused on marketisation , industrial relations , and transnational solidarity . He holds a PhD from Cornell University and has previously studied at Bard College. His work examines labor dynamics in globalised industries , welfare states , and multinational corporations , often through qualitative comparative methods . Education : BSc (Bard College), MSc/PhD (Cornell University) Greer's research spans marketisation of employment services , social movement unionism , and labour policy in crisis situations . His publications include studies on European welfare-to-work schemes , healthcare privatisation , and labour migration . He is associated with the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC) at the University of Leeds. Greer's recent work analyses precarious labor and project-based employment in social services across Slovenia and France. He also contributes to debates on social dumping , work-first welfare states , and activist labor strategies in sectors like healthcare and automotive manufacturing. He has no listed scientific awards. His work often involves collaboration with scholars like Marco Hauptmeier , Charles Umney , and Nathan Lillie , though no formal advisees are named in the provided text. His email is icg2@cornell.edu .
Mohammad Amir Anwar is a Senior Lecturer in African Studies and International Development at the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science. He leads the UKRI-funded Planetary AI project and has held senior research roles at the British Institute for Eastern Africa and the University of Johannesburg. His work bridges digital economies, labor studies, and African political economy. Research Interests: His scholarship focuses on globalization, digital economies, platform labor, and the political economy of AI, with specific attention to inequality, social movements, and the future of work in African contexts. He employs digital ethnography and interdisciplinary frameworks to analyze technology's impact on marginalized communities. Publications & Projects: He is author of The Digital Continent (Oxford University Press, 2022) and has over 20 peer-reviewed publications. Current projects include studies on AI labor chains, platform economies in African cities, and pandemic impacts on informal workers, funded by UKRI, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and British Academy. Public Engagement: Anwar regularly contributes to media outlets like The Conversation and African Arguments, translating academic insights into public debates around digital labor, gig economy dynamics, and South-South cooperation.
Sian Lazar is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, serving as Head of the Department of Social Anthropology and a Fellow at Clare College. Her research focuses on labor politics and social movements across Latin America, particularly within trade unions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and collective mobilizations in El Alto, Bolivia. Research Interests include political anthropology, ethics and kinship in collective action, citizenship studies, and the anthropology of Latin America. She explores themes of labor agency, urban rebellion, and the interplay between state and non-state forms of political engagement. Recent Publications demonstrate a strong focus on labor organization in precarious economies, moral dimensions of political outrage, and comparative analyses of citizenship practices. Her work spans ethnographic studies of trade unions, indigenous movements, and the evolving role of infrastructure in political subjectivities. Teaching & Supervision at Cambridge includes courses on Social Anthropology, with a particular emphasis on labor, citizenship, and political movements. She supervises postgraduate students and contributes to the academic community through editorial and research leadership roles.
Rosalind Gill is a prominent Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London, with a distinguished career spanning gender studies, media studies, and cultural studies. Her extensive publication record demonstrates leadership in critical analyses of postfeminism, neoliberalism, and digital culture. Gill's research interests focus on the intersections of gender, media, and neoliberal subjectivity, with particular attention to postfeminist discourse, digital culture, embodiment, and creative labor. Her work critically examines how contemporary media cultures shape gendered subjectivities, with significant contributions to understanding the 'postfeminist sensibility' as a dominant cultural framework. She has pioneered research on the affective dimensions of neoliberalism, particularly how it shapes women's experiences of confidence, self-care, and embodiment in digital environments. Analysis of Gill's recent publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory examining the psychological and affective dimensions of contemporary culture. Her work increasingly focuses on digital embodiment, social media practices, and the 'editable self,' exploring how visual culture and digital technologies reshape bodily experiences and self-perception. Gill's research demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how neoliberal imperatives intertwine with postfeminist discourse to create new forms of gendered subjectivity. Gill has produced significant scholarly collaborations, particularly with researchers like Shani Orgad, Julia Coffey, and Akane Kanai. Her influential book 'Confidence Culture' (2022, co-authored with Orgad) offers a critical analysis of how confidence has become a moral imperative within contemporary neoliberal feminism. Her academic contributions extend to professional activities, including submissions of evidence to UK Parliamentary committees on employment rights, demonstrating her engagement with policy-relevant research. Gill's work consistently bridges theoretical sophistication with attention to contemporary social issues, making significant contributions to feminist scholarship and cultural studies.
Dr Anita Hammer is a Reader in International Employment Relations at King’s Business School, King’s College London. She specializes in comparative and international work and employment relations, focusing on the Global South, informal/precarious work, and the impact of technology/climate change on labor markets. Her research addresses socio-economic inequalities, sustainability, and the future of work through interdisciplinary approaches combining history, political economy, and labor process theory. Education: PhD, MSc, PGCHE (University of London); MPhil in History (Jawaharlal Nehru University), MA Area Studies (SOAS), BA History (St Stephen’s College, Delhi University). She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Research Interests: Automation’s impact on work in India, migrant labor in Saudi Arabia, just transitions for informal workers, and climate change’s labor implications. She collaborates with civil society, trade unions, and policy bodies like ACAS and the ILO. Her recent books include *Global Rupture* (2023) and *The Political Economy of Work in the Global South* (2020). Publications span peer-reviewed journals (*Work, Employment and Society*, *Journal of Labor and Society*) and edited volumes. She leads the CRIMT international research project on work improvement and is affiliated with King’s India Institute and Climate Research Hub. Editor roles include *Work Employment and Society* and *Journal of Industrial Relations*. Awards: 2019 Outstanding Doctoral Supervisor, Thomas Holloway Fellowship (2002). She supervises PhD students and examines theses at Cardiff Business School and SOAS. Labs/Teams: Part of the Critical Global Capitalism Studies Collective at King’s, fostering collaborations on global capitalism research and activism.
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.
Professor Emma Murphy is a leading scholar in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University , holding the Chair of Political Economy . She is also a Senior Fellow in the Global Policy Institute and a member of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies . Her research focuses on the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa , with particular emphasis on ICTs, youth policy, food security, economic liberalization, and Arab-Israeli relations . Recent work explores youth exclusion and inclusion in the MENA region, Africa, and Europe, and gendered transport systems in African cities. Her publications (2025-2009) span gendered mobility practices , ICTs and democratization , economic reforms in Tunisia, and youth activism across the Mediterranean. She co-edits the journal Mediterranean Politics (IF 0.722) and has served on the HEFCE Research Excellence Framework Sub-Panel . Honors : Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturing (FRSA) Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (ACSS) International Election Observer, Tunisia (2011) Doctoral students supervised include Abdullah Al-Maani and Saleh Albulayhi. Her work intersects with social policy, gender studies, and urban mobility , with recent projects analyzing COVID-19 impacts on youth .
Claire Hart is an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University and joint Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy. She combines clinical practice experience with academic leadership, focusing on internationalization and innovative teaching in occupational therapy and guidance counseling. Her research emphasizes qualitative exploration of marginalized groups' occupational needs, refugee mental health, and the disproportionate impact of crises like CoVID-19. Education: PhD in Occupational Therapy, 2018 PGCE in Teacher Training (Further Education), 2000 MA in Counselling, 1999 DipCOT in Occupational Therapy, 1988 Research Interests: Refugee mental health, occupational science, qualitative methodologies, and the intersection of austerity and social exclusion. Active in international collaborations and policy advocacy. Grants & Supervision: Supervising Fayrouz Al Haj Moussa’s PhD on refugee mental health service co-production. Involved in research evaluating NHS home-working support and Marie Curie end-of-life programs. Professional Involvement: Member of Occupational Science Europe Board, European Occupational Science Research Committee, and reviewer for prominent journals like the Journal of Occupational Science.
Rachel Lara Cohen is a Professor in Sociology, Work and Employment at City, University of London , where she joined in 2013 after prior roles at the University of Surrey, University of Warwick, and St Petersburg State University. Her research focuses on the sociology of work, particularly non-standard employment forms like self-employment, mobile work, and homeworking, with a strong emphasis on work-life boundaries, body work, and gendered labor dynamics in occupations such as hairdressing, car mechanics, and accountancy. A mixed-methods researcher, she co-edited special issues on body work and everyday self-employment and led the City Q-Step Centre to enhance data literacy in social science students. Established : 2022-2025 ESRC-funded project ‘L-Earning: Rethinking young women's working lives’ Education : PhD in Sociology (UCLA), BA in Politics and Modern History (University of Manchester) Her research spans gender disparities in student employment, feminist methodologies, and quantitative literacy. She has served as Associate Editor of Work in the Global Economy and former Editor of Radical Statistics , with leadership roles including Head of Department of Sociology (2017-2020) and Elected Senator at City. Notable awards include the British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2007-2010) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2021). Students supervised include topics on care sector workers, student employment in service work, ethnic identity negotiation, gender in higher education administration, and statistical studies of diversity. Her work has been published in journals such as The British Journal of Sociology , Sociology , and Gender, Work & Organization , covering themes like precarity, gendered labor patterns, and methodological innovation.
Dr. Sara Ababneh is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sheffield's School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations. Previously an Associate Professor at the University of Jordan's Center for Strategic Studies, her research bridges political theory and gender studies with a regional focus on the Middle East. Her core research examines intersections of class, gender, resistance movements, liberation struggles, and economic sovereignty. She employs feminist and postcolonial frameworks to analyze Islamic political parties, labor movements, and women's rights advocacy across Jordan and Palestine. Current projects investigate decolonial pedagogies and geopolitical dimensions of feminist praxis. Her publications demonstrate strong thematic coherence, predominantly exploring: feminist critiques of Western epistemological hegemony; re-politicization of economic rights in Arab uprisings; and Islamic paradigms of gender justice. Methodologically, she combines discourse analysis with ethnographic approaches to capture lived experiences of resistance. Research grants include principal investigator roles for the Arab Barometer, Gender Barometer, and International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES Jordan). She coordinates international research networks addressing feminist ethics during geopolitical crises.
Dr Kutoma Wakunuma is an Associate Professor in Information Systems at the School of Computer Science and Informatics, De Montfort University (DMU), UK. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and leadership, serving as Module Leader, Programme Leader for MSc Computing, and Deputy Subject Group Leader. She is affiliated with the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR) and holds a PhD in Information Communication Technologies for Development and Gender from Coventry University. PhD in Information Communication Technologies for Development and Gender, Coventry University, UK Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCert. Teaching), De Montfort University, UK MA in Women’s Studies (Challenges in Management and Decision-Making), Lancaster University, UK HND in Management Information Systems, Zambia Institute of Management Her research focuses on the societal impacts of technology, particularly in the Global South. Key areas include ICT for Development (ICT4D) , ethics in emerging technologies , gender and technology , Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) , and AI governance in Africa . She explores how digitalisation affects development, equity, and sustainability, with a strong emphasis on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Her recent publications reflect a growing focus on ethical AI, digital platforms, and the gig economy in Africa. Themes include gendered AI design , responsible innovation , digital governance , and stakeholder engagement . Her work often bridges technical systems with ethical and social justice concerns, particularly in underrepresented regions. Dr Wakunuma has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet Fellowship for outstanding research, UN World Summit Award, and DAAD Scholarships. She has also been a recipient of EU and UKRI/GCRF research funding. DMU award on Exploring Sustainable Development in Ahmedabad, India, 2019 Coventry University PhD full Studentship, 2007 Open Society Institute scholarship, Oxford Internet Institute, 2006 UN World Summit on the Information Society Award, 2005 DAAD Scholarships (2004, 2000) Initiativkreis Ruhrgebiet Fellowship (Honoured for outstanding research), 2002 International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Award, 2000 She is an active PhD supervisor and examiner, mentoring students on topics such as identity theft in Nigeria, e-voting, digital SMEs in South Africa, and feminist critiques of techno-capitalism. She has served as a Principal Investigator and Senior Researcher on major EU-funded projects including RRING, SATORI, CONSIDER, and ETICA. She is also a Visiting Lecturer and PhD Supervisor at Stockholm University, an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Responsible Technology, and an ethics advisor for the European Commission. Dr Wakunuma is affiliated with the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR), where she contributes to interdisciplinary research on technology ethics and governance. She leads and participates in teams focused on responsible innovation, digital inclusion, and sustainable technology development, particularly in African contexts.
Holly Patrick Thomson is a Lecturer in the Business School at Edinburgh Napier University , where she contributes to research and teaching in management, human resources, and social informatics. She is affiliated with the Centre for Social Informatics and the Centre for Business Innovations and Sustainable Solutions , focusing on the dynamics of creative industries and freelance work. PhD research and supervision in organizational identity, labour precarity, and digital communities. Active involvement in interdisciplinary projects bridging computing and management. Regular participation in academic workshops and conferences. Her research interests center on creative freelancers , online occupational communities , and peer advice systems . She investigates how digital platforms enable solidarity and knowledge exchange among precarious workers, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Her work combines qualitative methods such as netnography with applied design research to develop tools supporting freelance well-being and professional development. Recent publications highlight trends in digital transformation within creative sectors, organizational identity in cultural institutions, and labour ethics in industries like craft beer and journalism. Her articles reflect a strong interdisciplinary approach, integrating management theory, sociology, and information science. She has received research funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council , the British Academy , and the University of Edinburgh . Notable projects include: Scoping an AI Powered Peer Advice System for Creative Freelancers (AHRC, £5,000) A New Generation of Peer Advice Systems – Prototyping the Freelance Advisor App (British Academy, £9,998) Creatives in Crisis (University of Edinburgh, £5,000) Holly supervises PhD students including Alan Brooke , Murad Karimi , and Paul Langford , and collaborates with researchers across disciplines such as computing and sociology. She is involved in lab-like project teams developing digital tools for peer advice and data collection on freelance working conditions. Her work aims to bridge academic research with practical policy implications for creative labour.
Dr Aditya Ray is a Senior Lecturer in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, Faculty of Environment and Technology. His research lies at the intersection of digitalisation, labour geographies, southern urbanisms, and global development, with a strong focus on social justice and sustainability. Funded by the ESRC, he has led major studies on IT-BPO labour in India and post-pandemic gig work, and is currently leading a new project (2025–2027) on AI value chains in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO). He has also contributed to research on transnational mobility of tech workers at the Open University. Research Interests: Dr Ray’s work examines how technological change reshapes work, cities, and development in the Global South. His core areas include: Digital and platform labour Gig economy and informality Labour geographies and global production networks Southern urbanisms and urban justice Climate and environmental justice Transnational mobility and skilled migration AI, automation, and the future of work Recent Research Trends: His recent publications reflect a deepening engagement with the socio-spatial impacts of digital platforms, particularly in India. Themes include worker precarity, state-platform relations, resistance strategies, and the need for alternative economic models. His upcoming work expands this to AI-driven labour systems, highlighting global inequalities in data and logistics work. Teaching and Supervision: He teaches and supervises on modules such as Geographies of Globalisation, Climate Justice, Research Methods, and Transforming Global Cities. He welcomes PhD inquiries on topics related to digital labour, development, and sustainability. Professional Engagement: Dr Ray is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). He serves on the editorial board of Work, Employment and Society , a leading journal in economic sociology. He has led initiatives to improve access to higher education for refugees, contributing to UWE’s successful application to become a University of Sanctuary. Grants and Projects: ESRC-funded project on labour geographies of IT-enabled outsourcing (2019–2021) Participatory study on app-based workers in post-COVID India (2020–2023) New grant on labour and development in AI value chains (2025–2027) Research on transnational mobility of tech workers (UK-India, with Open University) Labs and Teams: Dr Ray is affiliated with research groups in Digital Geography and Southern Urbanisms at UWE. He collaborates with international partners including the ILO and researchers across the UK and India, working within interdisciplinary teams focused on labour, technology, and urban development.
Chris Forde is Professor of Employment Studies at the University of Leeds , affiliated with the Leeds University Business School and Department of People, Work and Employment . He co-directs the Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change and serves as Deputy Director of the ESRC Digital Futures at Work Research Centre . His career spans multiple leadership roles, including former Head of the Work and Employment Relations Division. BA Economics and Management (First Class Honours), University of Leeds (1993) MA Economics, University of Leeds (1994) PhD, Leeds University Business School (1998) Forde's research investigates the evolution of work structures , focusing on temporary work , migrant labor dynamics , platform economy challenges , and labour market regulation . His work examines intersections between job quality , worker well-being , and business policy lobbying , employing mixed-method approaches across sectors like healthcare and aerospace. His recent publications and projects include analyses of NHS migrant workforce adaptations during Brexit and pandemic crises, union responses to post-Brexit labor shortages , and labour market reforms in Saudi Arabia. As Co-Director of the Digit Data Observatory , he leads digital work futures research. Co-investigator, ESRC Labour Mobility in Transition (LiMITS) project Co-investigator, EU Horizon 2020 Skills4Justice Project 20+ successfully supervised doctoral students Founding member, Leeds Migration Research Network
Daniele Pizio is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM) at the University of Warwick, where he collaborates with Professor Matt Spencer on the 'Scaling Trust: An Anthropology of Cyber Security' project. His work interrogates cybersecurity models like Zero Trust and Distributed Trust through empirical and philosophical lenses. He holds a PhD from the University of Leicester (School of Business) and degrees in International Relations from the University of Bologna. Research interests span Science and Technology Studies, Infrastructure Studies, and Internet Governance, with a focus on Tor's privacy infrastructure, hacker cultures, and surveillance capitalism. His publications analyze cybersecurity frameworks and digital rights, including a 2021 PhD thesis on Tor's power structures and privacy policies. He previously worked as a freelance journalist covering digital rights and as a network administrator. Key contributions include critiques of cybersecurity metaphors and comparative studies of trust models. No notable awards are listed, but his interdisciplinary approach bridges social science and technical analysis. His research narrative connects infrastructure politics with societal implications, emphasizing ethical dimensions of digital systems. Labs/Teams: Active within CIM's interdisciplinary environment, focusing on cyber-security anthropology and digital governance studies.
