Daniel Cockayne

Daniel Cockayne is an Associate Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.12 His research focuses on workplace culture, employment, and workplace politics, with a particular emphasis on high-status work in sectors such as digital media, finance, advertising, and insurance.1

Research Interests

Cockayne's main research areas include:

• Entrepreneurialism and startup economies
• Digital media and the digital economy
• Work and employment
• Gender and sexuality in the workplace
• Affect and emotions in work environments
• Feminist economic geography

He is particularly interested in exploring the future of work, equity issues in the workplace, and the relationship between employees and employers.1

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Kentucky (2012-2016)
• Master of Arts in Cultural Geography from Royal Holloway, University of London (2011-2012)
• Bachelor of Arts in Geography from The University of Manchester (2007-2010)1

Current Work

Cockayne is currently working on a project examining the impact of the shift to remote work, return-to-office policies, and "digital by default" approaches resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Ontario.1 His previous research has focused on entrepreneurial and digital media work in San Francisco, California, and Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.1

Teaching

At the University of Waterloo, Cockayne teaches courses such as:

• GEOG100: On Becoming a Geographer
• GEOG302: Geography of Work and Employment
• GEOG202: Geography of the Global Economy
• GEOG411: The Digital Economy2

Cockayne approaches economic geography through feminist and cultural lenses, incorporating theoretical influences from social theory, feminist theory, Marxism, post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, and queer and affect theory.2