Dave Cook

Dave Cook is an anthropologist, published writer and business leader.

Dave is a remote work specialist and his research has been featured by Time, Wired, BBC, The Guardian, Le Monde, O Globo, The Independent, World Economic Forum and The Conversation.

Their anthropology research focuses on the lives of digital nomads – who before the pandemic were viewed as an extreme type of remote worker. Their research started in 2015, they lived with digital nomads in co-working and co-living spaces in Southeast Asia. Their research focuses on the work practices and routines that are required to sustain working remotely. This research is unique in having 7+ years of continuous data about the remote work experience. So, Dave has a unique insight into how people adapt to remote working over months and years.

Dave is currently conducting research in the Anthropology Department at UCL (University College London). In addition to their writing on digital nomads and remote work, their research interests include the future of work, the gig economy, globalisation, citizenship, gentrification, neoliberalism, digital technologies and surveillance.

They are also a member of the eWorkResearch project: eworkresearch.org at UCL’s (University College London) Brain Science Faculty. This ongoing project studies remote work and digital self-regulation strategies. Dave continues to research how people are coping with the transition to working remotely due to the pandemic. And they advise corporations, governments and education in these accelerating changes: iamdavecook.com

Dave co-founded and runs the design consultancy What People Want in 2002. Prior to that they were European Head of Experience Design at global digital agency Razorfish and was the launch editor of BBC Online in 1997.