Dr Aditya Ray

I am a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. My research explores the political economy of technological transformation in the Global South, examining how digitalisation, artificial intelligence and changing forms of work are reshaping states, labour, governance and development. Supported by funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), my work has investigated digital economies, IT-enabled outsourcing and global AI value chains, with a particular focus on the relationships between technology, labour, capital and development. I currently lead research on decent work in global AI and data supply chains, alongside work on digital informality across the Global South.

My recent research examines how technological transformation is reconfiguring labour markets, welfare and state–society relations in rapidly changing digital economies. This includes leading a study on the experiences of platform workers in the aftermath of COVID-19, exploring their interactions with the state, digital platforms and labour market intermediaries. Since 2022, I have also been involved in collaborative research on the transnational mobility of technology professionals between India and the United Kingdom, investigating the changing geography of skilled migration within the global digital economy.

At UWE Bristol, I teach and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students across human geography, global development and environmental management. My teaching spans global political economy, geographies of globalisation, urbanisation, environment and social justice, and geographical research methods. Previously, I have taught at the University of Sheffield and Queen Mary University of London. I also serve on the Editorial Board of Work, Employment and Society.

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in political economy, technology and development, digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI), labour and employment, platform economies and the state, geopolitics of migration, global production networks and value chains.