Welcome to a thesis defence at DSV! In his PhD thesis, Riyaj Shaikh explores food deliveries from the gigworkers’ perspective.
On February 28, 2025, Riyaj Shaikh will present his PhD thesis at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV), Stockholm University. The title of the thesis is “The Work Practice of Platform-Mediated Food Delivery: An Ethnographic Study of Bridging Algorithmic Workflows and Situated Action”.
PhD student: Riyaj Shaikh, DSV External reviewer: Jacqueline O’Neill, Microsoft Research Africa, Kenya Main supervisor: Airi Lampinen, DSV Supervisor: Barry Brown, DSV and University of Copenhagen, Denmark
The defence takes place at DSV in Kista, starting at 14:00. Find your way to DSV
Abstract
The thesis examines the work practice of platform-mediated food delivery. Combining ethnographic studies in India and Sweden, it highlights the friction between the platform’s representation of work and the ground realities shaping workers’ situated actions, including their economic concerns. The thesis contributes to the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, with an emphasis on worker-centered design and the critical role of human labor in gig work.
The STIR group brings together a mix of technologists and social scientists. Together, we research and build new digital technologies. Our work is situated within the Human–Computer Interaction field.