Prof. Martin joined the University of Leicester in 1979 to become a Professor of Astrophysics & Space Science (2003). He held several positions: (1) Head of Physics & Astronomy (2005-09), (2)  Pro-Vice Chancellor/Head of Science & Engineering (2009-16), and (3) and the Pro-Vice Chancellor/Director of the Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation (2016-19). He has been involved in many space missions, including Voyager, ROSAT, EUVE, FUSE, Hubble, and ESA's Gaia astrometry mission. He is a member of the ESA Astronomy Working Group, the UKSA Science Programme Advisory Committee, and the President of the Royal Astronomical Society (2014-16). In 2019, he chaired the program committee of the UK Space Conference. He is currently Chair of the Space Telescope Institute Council and a member of the board of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. In 2019, he was appointed Chair of the UK Space Agency Science Programme Advisory Committee. Prof. Martin is known to have devised the concept of Space Park Leicester, creating an economic space cluster with industry partners. Space Park is a collaborative community of industry, academics, and students working together to drive growth in space and space-enabled sectors. Due to its leadership development, Prof. Martin is now the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the project. In addition, he is also the leader of the SPRINT project, supporting the growth of small companies in the space sector.

Prof. Ilias Fernini's SAASST Space Sciences Department Director welcomed Prof. Martin and thoroughly discussed possible research cooperation with Space Park Leicester (SPL). There are several common areas in space sciences where SAASST and SPL can cooperate. There is also a potential possibility of exchanging students between the University of Sharjah and Leicester University. Furthermore, due to the various themes of space applications that the SPL is engaged in, there are many opportunities for SAASST to develop its space sciences capabilities.