Carlo Inverardi-Ferri is a geographer whose work lies at the intersection of economic geography and political ecology. His research focuses on understanding the role that production systems play in the world economy and related social and ecological issues. This agenda is advanced through research in diverse theoretical and empirical areas. In recent years, Carlo has participated in research projects on socio-ecological transformations in East Asia, particularly in China. Beyond CNR, Carlo is a Lecturer in Economic Geography at Queen Mary University of London. He is also an Early Career Editor of Territory, Politics, Governance and a Committee Member of Economic Geography Research Group of the RGS-IBG.

Carlo has a Doctorate in Geography and the Environment from the University of Oxford; an MPhil in Social Sciences and a BA in Chinese Studies from Inalco in Paris; and a BA in Digital Humanities from the University of Pisa. Carlo worked as a Lecturer at the University of Fribourg and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National University of Singapore. He also held visiting fellowships at Peking University, National Taiwan University, and Efeo. The merits of his work have been verified by several institutions, awarding research grants, most recently by the British Academy and the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant). Through personal grants and internal reviewing, Carlo contributed to securing over EUR 2.6 million. He currently leads a major ERC Starting Grant (EUR 1.5 million), Illicit Labour.

A key theme in his research focuses on ‘ecology and global production’ and asks how we understand the role of nature in economic processes. This research theme engages scholarship on global production networks and extends theoretical perspectives that conceptualise these systems of production considering their ecological risks and distributional effects. Building on his ERC starting grant, this work examines the linkages between climate change mitigation and illicit economies and the resulting implications for ecological governance. Through an analysis of the global photovoltaic industry, a significant climate change mitigation sector, this project aims i) to cast light on those neglected actors, practices, and processes that operate in the shadow of 'sustainable development' and ii) advance new theoretical perspectives on ecological risk, vulnerability, and mitigation.

Over the years, his work has appeared in international journals, including Economic Geography, Progress in Human Geography and Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.