Cosmin Popan was born in the city of Jibou, north-west Romania, on the 4th of April 1982. He completed his PhD in Sociology at Lancaster University in 2017, under the supervision of John Urry, Monika Büscher, Katerina Psarikidou and Tim Dant. Cosmin joined the Department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2018, where he is currently a Leverhulme Early Career postdoctoral researcher. His current research focuses on the platform-based gig economy and its reconfiguration of urban spaces, by investigating the management, solidarity and resistance of cycle couriers in three European cities: Manchester, Lyon (France) and Cluj (Romania).