Welcome to my website. I am Dr Aditya Ray - academic and researcher at the School of Geography and Environment at the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol. My work investigates technological transformations that are shaping human experiences in the context of complex global challenges of sustainability, equitable development and democratic governance.
My PhD and early postdoctoral work, funded by the ESRC, focused on the 'labour geographies' of India's burgeoning services economy, examining the working-lives of those engaged in the Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sectors. Since 2021, I have been involved in research at the Open University, analysing data drawn from a large-scale study on gender and transnational mobility among 'high-skilled' tech workers in UK and India. At the Open University, I was also involved in leading an action-research project to understand the educational pathways for refugees and asylum seekers in UK higher education and making a case for joining the University of Sanctuary network.
Between 2021 and 2024, I led a participatory research project documenting the experiences of migrant and non-migrant app-based drivers on platforms like Uber, Zomato and Ola in post-COVID-19 India. This project examined their interactions with platform companies, the state, and traditional labour market intermediaries, as well as their strategies for coping with the precarities of new digital work in cities. You can explore the outcomes of this project through my publications and by visiting the illustrating digital precarity page of this website. I plan to extend this research to include app-based logistics and transport workers, third sector organisations, and labour unions.
Between 2021 and 2024, I led a participatory research project documenting the experiences of migrant and non-migrant app-based drivers on platforms like Uber, Zomato and Ola in post-COVID-19 India. This project examined their interactions with platform companies, the state, and traditional labour market intermediaries, as well as their strategies for coping with the precarities of new digital work in cities. You can explore the outcomes of this project through my publications and by visiting the illustrating digital precarity page of this website. I plan to extend this research to include app-based logistics and transport workers, third sector organisations, and labour unions.
I am committed to fostering openness and cross-disciplinarity in education and research. I teach and supervise students across a range of modules covering topics such as the geographies of globalisation, digital labour, geopolitics of migration, ordinary and global cities, environment and social justice and research methods. For more information on my ongoing research projects and publications, please browse this website. If you are interested in these topics or potential academic collaborations, feel free to contact me at [email protected]
