Ian has worked in the Department of Social Sciences since 2011. He works across the disciplines/fields of geography, urban studies and criminology.

His research often focuses on cities, and his latest research project consider people's experiences of, and the governance of, pedestrian underpasses in Newcastle. Away from cities, he is also working on a research project looks at the experience of academics who move between academic disciplines. 

Before arriving in the North East, Ian worked at the University of Liverpool, University of Portsmouth and University of Manchester. Most importantly, he is a fan of Portsmouth Football Club.

Ian's research focuses on cities, with a particular emphasis on four issues: (1) public spaces and subterranean places; (2) policy mobilities; (3) sex work; and (4) fictional cities and crime:

• Public spaces and subterranean places - Ian's research often focuses on two different parts of the city: parts that are public space and parts that are underground/subterranean. These two types of places merge in his current research project on pedestrian underpasses. A recent article by Ian and colleagues explores the sensory, gendered and aged dimensions of people's encounters with pedestrian underpasses. Elsewhere, he has continued the subterranean theme in an article examining the representation of the subterranean within crime fiction novels. 
• Policy mobilities - Perhaps his best known work is on policy mobilities which looked at the construction and movement of models of best practice, often in the field of urban development and urban regeneration (e.g. Business Improvement Districts, suburban developments, waterfront regeneration, sporting mega-events) as well as sex work. A key part of this research involved looking at the methods through which policymakers learn about policies elsewhere, focusing in particular on study tours, conferences and award ceremonies.
• Sex work - Ian has worked on a number of projects about sex work, many with an urban focus. These projects include ones looking at how clients of sex work are policed (and the use of John Schools in the UK); the international circulation of sex work policy models; the role of platforms within contemporary sex work; and activism by sex work academics. 
• Fictional cities and crime - Ian is examining the representation of cities within crime dramas and crime fiction. He has explored this through an analysis of the crime drama Breaking Bad and has explored how subterranean places and time are represented in Ian Rankin's long-running John Rebus novels.