Stephen is currently an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Economics at the University of Reading. Prior to joining in Reading he was an Assistant Professor in Empirical Econometrics at the University of Mannheim. He completed his PhD in 2013 in a joint position at the University of Amsterdam and the VU Amsterdam.

His research focuses mainly on empirical microeconomics, in particular forensic and crime economics. He also works on empirical dynamic causal inference models.

He joined IZA as a Research Affiliate in 2011 and as a Research Fellow in 2023.