He was previously associate pro-vice-chancellor (research) at the University of Essex, Director of the ESRC South-East Social Science Network Doctoral Training Partnership and a professor of political science at the Institute for Social & Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex.
[2] He was previously professor of political science at the University of Sussex; an ESRC Knowledge Exchange Fellow in the UK Home Office; a Yale World Fellow at Yale University; Senior Advisor at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office, HM Government; and reader in political behaviour at Queen Mary, University of London.
He later published Pariah Politics (Oxford University Press) that systematically examined the causes of radicalisation among western Muslim groups and traced this understanding to the efficacy of different policy strategies open to democratic governments.
The author of six books, over 60 articles in scientific journals and 20 major policy reports, he has also been a frequent op-ed contributor to UK, US and Australian newspapers.
His regularly collaborates with prominent think-tanks – for example, Regulation and Fairness (with Policy Network on the centre-left), setting out the case for a pro-active role among market and public service regulators, and Bittersweet Success?, (with Policy Exchange on the centre-right), highlighting the practical way forward for boards in ensuring reputational fairness in senior jobs.