Ian Marder

I am an Associate Professor in Criminology, having joined Maynooth University as Assistant Professor in May 2018. In the School of Law and Criminology, I am Co-Deputy Director of the Centre for Criminology and Restorative Practices Officer. In the latter role, colleagues and students can contact me to explore the potential for a restorative process under our Restorative Practices Policy. Previously, I was Director of Outreach and Engagement (2019-24), Chair of the MA in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice (2019-24) and Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies (2022-24).

My research explores how to prevent, reduce and repair the harm caused by crime and criminal justice, while reorienting justice to meet needs. I write about changing criminal justice and higher education, including through restorative justice and restorative practices. I also communicate research to public and professional audiences and work with policymakers and practitioners to translate research into policy and practice.

In 2025, I am collaborating with colleagues from academia, policy and practice on several projects:

• VICINFO: Enabling victim access to restorative justice through information sharing (funded by Research Ireland, 2025-26. Research Assistant: Dr. Sophie van der Valk).
• Embedding a culture of interdisciplinary open research in criminal justice in Ireland (funded by NORF, 2023-25; Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, 2025-26) established the Criminal justice Open Research Dialogue (CORD) Partnership, with 59 partner organisations (Research Assistants: Stephanie Vento, Triona Kenny and Patrice McCormack).
• Researching restorative practices training for academic and professional staff (funded by Maynooth University SPARK Fund, 2024-25. Research Assistants: Stephanie Vento and Nina Singh).
• The UBUNTU Project (funded by the Irish Research Council, 2020-22; the Department of Justice, Policing and Community Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána and Maynooth University, 2024-26. Research Assistant: Katharina Kurz).

Previously, I received funding from the Irish Research Council, Restorative Justice Services, Irish Prison Service, Probation Service, Irish Department of Justice, Estonian Ministry of Justice, European Forum for Restorative Justice and International Commission of Jurists.

Outside Maynooth, I am an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Justice Reform, Vermont Law School, a Visiting Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University's School of Applied Sciences, and a Director of Victim Support at Court. In 2020, I established the Restorative Justice Pedagogy Network, bringing together academics from over 40 countries to discuss teaching restorative justice and restorative practices. I am an active member of the European Forum for Restorative Justice and the Irish Penal Reform Trust. 

My PhD (2018) is from the University of Leeds Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (UK) for my research on the institutionalisation of restorative justice in the police. Previously, I was Research Associate at the University of Liverpool working with the N8 Policing Research Partnership's Public Engagement Strand (2018). I was a Visiting Scholar at the University of the West of England (2022) and at KU Leuven Institute of Criminology (2015-16). In 2017-18, I acted as Scientific Expert to the Council of Europe to draft a new legal framework on restorative justice.

I am happy to speak to the media about restorative justice, policing, sentencing and criminal justice reform. I am also open to requests to give guest lectures and workshops, or to discuss developing restorative justice and restorative practices.