Martin is a Professor of Social Work at the University of York. He is Director of the International Centre for Mental Health Social Research in the School for Business and Society and Head of Social Work. He is also a registered social worker.

His research focuses on the development and evaluation of social interventions for people with mental health problems. This involves working with practitioners in community and voluntary organisations, local authority and NHS teams to develop ways of working which enhance the support provided to people, often with minimal resources. Evaluations typically involve a variety of methods to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the new approaches. Martin therefore uses qualitative approaches to explore experiences and processes alongside quantitative approaches to evaluate outcomes.

In the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre, Martin is co-leading the mental health project. This will build upon previous work he has conducted in evaluating street triage services and mental health training for police officers. He is interested in exploring how police officers work with people with mental health problems in their routine work; what they draw upon to inform this work; and what looks like ‘best practice’ in everyday policing. This work will align with his interest in supporting people who are not mental health professionals or specialists to support people when experiencing mental distress.