Chris works at NatCen (the National Centre for Social Research) where he is Deputy Director of the Qualitative Research Unit.

Prior to working at NatCen, Chris was an independent social policy research consultant. This followed a varied career in local government, employment relations and academic research. He holds an MSc (with commendation) in Policy Research from the University of Bristol and a BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Lancaster.

He has taught widely on research methods for universities and the Social Research Association, and delivered training on how to do research for practitioners.

Outside paid work, Chris has held numerous positions in public life at both local and national level. He was a local councillor in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets between 1998 and 2002, where he chaired the majority group for three years. He is currently chair of Tower Hamlets Homes, an arms length management organisation set up by Tower Hamlets Council to manage more than 22,000 properties, and the Scottish Adoption Association, an independent adoption agency based in Edinburgh.

Chris is an advisor to the Mapping Needs Project.