I am a Deputy Director / Research Fellow at the Manchester Metropolitan University Crime & Well-Being Big Data Centre (BDC) in the Policy Evaluation & Research Unit (PERU). I am leading on managing projects, data collection / analysis and developing relationships with external partners. I am a specialist in managing and analysing large data sets.
I am currently working with a number of police forces and Councils on a range of Big Data Projects. I am currently the project manager and research evaluation lead supporting the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). Previously, I was the project manager for the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Operational Analytics / Data Science project, understanding demand across GMP, including the areas of Domestic Abuse, Missing Persons, Mental Ill Health and Knife Crime. I have also worked with other police forces on projects including; the relationship between crime and alcohol outlets in the West Midlands (working with West Midlands Police (WMP)), the impact of minimum unit pricing on crume and disorder (Police Scotland / NHS Health Scotland). I have also supported the ESRC Understanding Inequalities project and developing research with Police Scotland.
I currently teach on the undergraduate Environmental Criminology and Crime Mapping course, and the QSTEP Quantitative Data Management MSc programme.
I previously worked as a Research Fellow for the Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU), managing a range of projects. Mark has supported Interserve / Purple Futures (Community Rehabilitation Companies) with demand, business and outcomes modelling. I have also worked on a Troubled Families data-mining project with Manchester City Council. I have previously worked on a range of Criminal Justice projects and evaluations including; Greater Manchester ICO evaluation, Manchester College / Novus impact of education on re-offending, GM Transforming Justice Project, London Criminal Justice Partnership Reducing Reoffending evaluation, HMP Preston impact evaluation, Wigan DAAT Payment by Results Pilot and London Probation Trust evaluations. I have also previously worked on the European FP7 MYPLACE project (contemporary views of young people), managing the UK survey (fieldwork / data collection) and analysing the consortium dataset of 17,000 records.
Prior to joining MMU in July 2011, I worked in the public sector for 11 years in a range of organisations and policy areas, and has led Information, Analysis and Research teams at Cumbria Constabulary, Blackpool Council Children & Young People’s Department, and Government Office for the North West. I have been PRINCE 2 trained and has managed a number of ICT projects. In a previous role with Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), I worked on Local Area Agreements (LAAs), Tools to capture and present Local Authority Performance Information (Data Interchange Hub/Places Analysis Tool) and analysis on the economic downturn (Risk, Resilience and Recovery, and PSA and Place). Mark has strong project management, research and analytical skills, with a good knowledge of a range of software including MS Excel, MS Access, MapInfo, ARCGIS and SPSS. Mark also teaches on the Q-STEP MSc. Quantitative Methods Data Management Module.
I currently teach on the undergraduate Environmental Criminology and Crime Mapping course, and the QSTEP Quantitative Data Management MSc programme. I also contribute to a number of modules with guest lectures.
I enjoy teaching students practical and technical skills. I am an active researcher working with a range of criminal justice organisations. I use academic research and pratical experience to inform my teaching.
• MSc. Geographical Information Systems, Manchester Metropolitan University (2014-2017)
• Certificate in Public Administration, Liverpool John Moores University (2010-12)
• BSc. (Hons.) Statistics and Geography, Coventry University (1993-1997)
Prior to MMU I have worked in research, evaluation, and performance management roles for 10 years in a range of organisations and policy areas including Crime, Criminal Justice, Reoffending, Domestic Violence, Families and Young People. Mark has managed Information, Analysis and Research teams at Cumbria Constabulary, Blackpool Council Children & Young People’s Department, Government Office for the North West.
Mark was a member of the DCLG Government Office ‘Places Handbook’ Toolkit Project and lead for the ‘Performance Management’ section. Mark has worked with DCLG on Local Area Agreements (LAAs), Tools to capture and present Local Authority Performance Information (Data Interchange Hub/Places Analysis Tool) and analysis on the economic downturn (Risk, Resilience and Recovery, and PSA and Place). Mark has also led projects to capture intelligence from Local Authorities, evaluate policy and have produced briefing for Government Ministers. Mark has supported the development of performance management frameworks for Blackpool’s Children Trust and Cumbria Constabulary. Mark has worked as an Analyst researching Alcohol related violent crime and Domestic Violence in Cumbria, and has also developed and managed a business unit; Cumbria Partnership Support (CuPS) which supported CDRPs, DAT and YOTs.
Areas of Expertise
Research Activity & Consultancy projects
S. Langton, J. Bannister, M. Ellison, MS. Haleem, K. Krzemieniewska-Nandwani (2021). Policing and Mental ill-health: Using Big Data to Assess the Scale and Severity of, and the Frontline Resources Committed to, mental ill-health-related calls-for-service. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice. 15(3), pp.1963-1976.
M. Ellison, K. Szifris, R. Horan, C. Fox (2017). A Rapid Evidence Assessment of the effectiveness of prison education in reducing recidivism and increasing employment. Probation Journal. 64(2), pp.108-128.
M. Ellison, C. Fox, A. Gains, G. Pollock (2013). An evaluation of the effect of housing provision on re-offending. Safer Communities. 12(1), pp.27-37.
C. Fox, K. Albertson, M. Ellison, T. Martin (2011). How will the recession affect crime rates in Greater Manchester?. Safer Communities. 10(3), pp.17-30.
C. Fox, K. Albertson, K. Williams, M. Ellison (2011). Estimating the costs and benefits of an alcohol treatment requirement. Drugs and Alcohol Today. 11(3), pp.147-155.
R. Grimm, G. Pollock, M. Ellison, A. Koronaiou, E. Lagos, et al. A. Sakellariou. (2018). Attitudes Towards the EU Among Young People in Eastern Germany, Greece, and the UK: Embedding Survey Data Within Socio-Historical Context. In: Understanding Youth Participation Across Europe. Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp.67-98.
M. Ellison, WD. Lee The efficacy and efficiency of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-based Violence (DASH) questionnaire as a risk assessment tool. In: https://www.eurocrim2019.com/. Ghent, Belgium, 18/9/2019.
M. Ellison, M. Haleem, WD. Lee (2019). Understanding police demands and deployment across space and time. 19th Annual Conference on European Society of Criminology 2019, Ghent, Belgium,
M. Haleem, M. Ellison The scale, nature and spatio-temporal patterning of mental health-related incidents: Insights from text mining police incident logs.
M. Haleem, M. Ellison (2019). The scale, nature and spatio-temporal patterning of mental health-related incidents: Insights from text mining police incident logs.
K. Krzemieniewska-Nandwani, J. Bannister, M. Ellison, M. Adepeju (2022). Evaluation of the Impact of Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) on Crime and Disorder, Public Safety and Public Nuisance. , Public Health Scotland (2021).
M. Adepeju, J. Bannister, M. Ellison, S. Morris, K. Krzemieniewska-Nandwani (2022). Directed Hotspot Policing with Contextual Safeguarding – A Randomised Control Trial. , Home Office & Greater Manchester Police by the Crime and Well-Being Big Data Centre (2022).
M. Ellison, B. Hall, J. Bannister Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit : The PIED (Prosecution, Intervention, Education and Diversion) pilot programme – An Implementation Evaluation.
M. Ellison, J. Bannister, B. Hall (2021). Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit: Hospital Navigators Pilot - An Initial Implementation Evaluation (First five months). , Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit.
R. Kinsella, R. Clarke, J. Lowthian, M. Ellison, Z. Kiss Whole system approach to women offenders final evaluation report. , Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
M. Ellison, M. Haleem, K. Krzemieniewska-Nandwani, J. Bannister The extent and nature of Knife Crime in Greater Manchester. , Greater Manchester Police.
M. Ellison, M. Haleem, K. Krzemieniewska-Nandwani, J. Bannister Understanding ‘Missing from Homes’ demand in Greater Manchester. , Greater Manchester Police.
M. Ellison, M. Haleem, J. Bannister Understanding Mental Health Demand using a text mining approach. , Greater Manchester Police.
CC. Fox, M. Ellison, H. Partridge, K. Szifris, R. Horan (2016). The Enablers of Change Assessment Tool Evaluation. Manchester Metropolitan University, Interserve PLC.
R. Kinsella, C. O'Keeffe, J. Lowthain, R. Clarke, M. Ellison (2015). Evaluation of the Whole System Approach for Women Offenders. Sheffield Hallam University, Greater Manchester Police & Crime Commissioner.
R. Clarke, M. Ellison, J. Ozan, CC. Fox (2015). Evaluation of Intensive Community Support - Interim Report. Manchester Metropolitan University, Public Service Reform (PSR) Justice and Rehabilitation Team.
M. Ellison, G. Pollock (2014). MYPLACE WP4 report Measuring Participation, European Commission MYPLACE Deliverable 4.6. , European Commission.
M. Ellison, H. Goswami, G. Pollock (2013). MYPLACE WP4: Measuring Participation, Country specific analyses which highlight local historical and cultural factors and which contrast the two regions sampled in the UK, European Commission MYPLACE Deliverable 4.5. , European Commission.
GM. Smyth, C. Smith, A. Watson, C. Fox, M. Ellison (2013). Evaluation of Choose Change at HMP Manchester.