Martin’s PhD project focuses on deception detection in national security and counter-terrorism cases. He aims to strengthen the empirical evidence base that informs deception detection training and policy in high-stakes intelligence contexts, while contributing to psychological theory on motivation and social identity.

Specifically, Martin’s work examines whether intelligence about a suspect’s social identity and motivation helps interviewers spot indicators of deception more effectively. The findings could inform intelligence-gathering practice, helping teams to prepare more effective lines of enquiry and make more accurate credibility assessments in investigative interviews.

Martin’s supervisors for this project are Dr Mircea Zloteanu (King's College London), Dr Nathan Hall (King's College London) and Dr Cody Porter (University of the West of England Bristol).

Martin pursued academia as a mature student after beginning his career in retail management. He achieved a first-class honours BSc in Psychology at the University of Northampton (2009), completed an MSc in Occupational Psychology at the University of Sheffield’s Institute of Work Psychology (IWP) (2010), and returned to the University of Northampton as an Associate Lecturer (2011-2014). More recently, Martin returned to his studies, completing an MBA at Wrexham Glyndŵr University (2022). Alongside his PhD, he currently works as a Senior Business Consultant for government organisations.

Research interests

• Psychology/Criminology
• Deception detection
• Counterterrorism