Following the completion of his PhD in 2015, which focused on experiences and impacts of unemployment and crime among men in Stoke-on-Trent, Ian joined Liverpool Hope University as a lecturer in Criminology. In September 2018 he moved to Nottingham Trent University. His research continues to focus upon experiences of crime and deviance among marginalised and impoverished communities and the role of the state's response in compounding these experiences.