Dr Rory Horner is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester's Global Development Institute following studies at Trinity College Dublin and the Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA where he gained his PhD.

His research and teaching explore the changing geographies of global development, with a specific focus on South-South trade and the pharmaceutical industry, and in consequence has conducted research for various periods of time in India, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.

He has recently completed a major ESRC Future Research Leader Award to support his
comparative study of Indian pharmaceuticals and locally manufactured medicines in sub-Saharan Africa.

His research is focused on the political economy of globalization and industrial development, specifically exploring the pharmaceutical industry in the global South, an issue of considerable contemporary significance and wide-ranging implications, for public health as much as economic development. It traces the South-South dynamics of an industry known for supply of relatively low-cost generic medicines and how Africa is attempting to overcome a dependence on imports.

Rory's pioneering work has wider implications; it provides insights into contemporary globalization, considering the impact of changing trade rules (especially in relation to patenting), industrial development and production of vital medicines.