Leighton is Professor of Economics and Finance. He is Head of Economics Research and Director of the Betting Research Unit and Political Forecasting Unit at Nottingham Business School. Leighton's main teaching is in the area of money, risk, forecasting, efficiency of markets and financial economics. Prior to joining Nottingham Trent University, Leighton was Lecturer in economics at the University of East Anglia. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Clark University, Massachusetts, USA.