Ashley teaches economics in the J. E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Bristol, having previously studied in Cambridge and London.

His research lies at the intersection of economics, political science and philosophy. He is interested in welfare economics, social choice theory, decision theory, game theory, philosophy of economics and electoral systems (particularly the U.S. Electoral College). Ashley has published papers in the Journal of Economic Theory, Economic Theory, Journal of Mathematical Economics, Social Choice and Welfare, Public Choice, Mathematical Social Sciences, Economics and Philosophy, Economics Letters, Journal of Logic and Computation, PS: Political Science and Politics, and Electoral Studies.

Ashley is currently an Associate Editor of the European Economic Review.

He has given invited research seminars at Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris School of Economics, University of Bath, University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, Trinity College Dublin, Queens University Belfast, Université de Caen, Universidad de Murcia, Universität Osnabrück, University of St. Andrews, University of East Anglia, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, London School of Economics, CORE, Université Catholique de Louvain, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Durham University, Universidad Zaragoza and Union College.

He has taught at the University of Nottingham, University of Bristol, Queens University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Microeconomic theory; in particular, social choice theory, welfare economics, decision theory, the spatial theory of politics, political institutions, economics and philosophy.

Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economics and Philosophy, Principles of Economics, European Economy, Irish Economic Policy, Public Economics, Mathematics for Economists.