Pádraig Carmody is an Associate Professor in Geography at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where he did his undergraduate and Masters work. His PhD is from the University of Minnesota in the US where, after graduating, he also taught at the University of Vermont. At TCD he co-directs the TCD-UCD Masters in Development Practice. His research centres on the political economy of globalization in Africa. He has published six books, including The New Scramble for Africa (2011) and the Rise of the BRICS in Africa (2013), in addition to articles in leading journals such as World Development. His research has been funded by the United States National Science Foundation, Irish Research Council, Irish Aid and National Geographic amongst others. His current research examines the impacts of mobile phone and other new information technology adoption in Africa. He sits on the board of Political Geography and African Geographical Review and is editor-in-chief of Geoforum.