Dara Leyden
School of Society and Environment, Queen Mary University of London
Dara Leyden is a Postdoctoral Research Associate on an ERC-funded research project examining the global solar industry. His current research investigates transformations in photovoltaic production networks from extraction to manufacturing, installation, and generation. Applying a political economy approach, he analyzes how such networks are being reconfigured through the strategies of states, firms, and labor. Employing mixed methods and case studies, his research assesses the implications of these dynamics for green transition trajectories. Dara's PhD on development and labor in electronics global value chains was completed at QMUL and was awarded the annual prize for the best thesis in economic geography by the Royal Geography Society (and IBG)'s Economic Geography Research Group. He has published peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Economic Geography and Competition & Change, and has contributed chapters to volumes published by the Edward Elgar and Oxford University Press.