He was awarded a PhD by Aston University in 1987 for his research on state funded support to small and medium sized businesses in rural England.

Martin was appointed as a Professor at Cardiff Business School in 2000 where he established the Centre for Local & Regional Government Research,[2] which he led until 2013.

[4] Martin and his colleagues at Cardiff completed major studies on public service improvement with a particular focus on Best Value inspection, Comprehensive Performance Assessment and Corporate Peer Challenge.

It collaborates with leading researchers to provide ministers, officials and public service leaders with authoritative independent evidence and expertise.

He was the editor of Policy & Politics from 2015 to 2020 and served as the public sector expert on the scientific committee of the Chartered Association of Business Schools' academic journal guide for four years until 2019.