Matt joined the IPSCJ in January 2016 and as one of the Senior Researchers in the Institute, Matt has led on a variety of projects including on early intervention, citizens in policing, community sentence treatment requirements, anti-social behaviour and hate crime reviews, victim satisfaction, and public perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour. Matt recently completed a regional project which evaluated mental health street triage, involving a joint response between police and mental health practitioners. As part of his citizen in policing research portfolio, he is leading national evaluations of the mini-police and volunteer police cadets and an evaluation on a Joint Response Unit in Wales.

He is experienced in translating research into strategy and was the lead author for Northamptonshire’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy 2016-2020: ‘Supporting Northamptonshire to Flourish’. In February 2015, he acted as an expert advisor to the Poverty Scrutiny Committee at Northampton Borough Council and is currently a member of the Northamptonshire Mental Health Criminal Justice Board and Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire Community Sentence Treatment Requirement Steering Groups.

His research interests include life course transitions, migration, anti-social behaviour, organisational transformation, public safety, public health and late modern theory. He is particularly interested in qualitative research that considers the views of marginalised and disadvantaged groups.

Matt previously held the post of Researcher in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Northampton. It was here that Matt built a reputation for delivering high quality research and evaluation.

Matt has published in several internationally peer reviewed journals and presented at various international conferences.

Matt completed his doctorate at the University of Northampton in 2012. His PhD explored the lives of young Polish migrants who reside in Northamptonshire and focussed on the impacts of migratory experiences upon life course transitions. The thesis challenged traditional conceptualisations of young Polish migrants by exploring their ‘insider’ life worlds through the use of participatory methodology and contributed to an emerging literature on young adulthood.

Prior to starting a PhD, his MSc investigated a youth-centred interpretation of anti-social behaviour in Coventry working with children and young people (aged 11-15).