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 suitability of 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 citizens' and professionals' needs. I write about changing criminal justice, including through restorative justice and restorative practices. I also seek to communicate evidence from research to public and professional audiences.

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

• VICINFOJUST - Enabling victim access to restorative justice through information sharing (funded by the Irish Research Council, 2025).
• Embedding a culture of interdisciplinary open research in criminal justice in Ireland (funded by NORF, 2023-24) established the Criminal justice Open Research Dialogue (CORD) Partnership, with partners from 59 organisations.
• Researching restorative practices training for academic and professional staff (funded by Maynooth University SPARK Fund, 2024-25).
• Restorative Practices Training for Senior Prison Leaders (funded by the Irish Prison Service, 2022-23) is awaiting publication.
• Restorative Justice: Strategies for Change (2019-24) involved partners from ten countries collaborating to develop restorative justice. This is currently being evaluated.
• Unlocking Potential seeks to create a fair admissions process to higher education institutions for people with convictions (funded by the Public Service Innovation Fund, 2020-22).

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

Outside Maynooth, I am a Lecturer at the International Institute for Restorative Practices, 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, the Irish Penal Reform Trust and the European Society of Criminology. 

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.