Tom is an Associate Director at the IFS and Head of the Income, Work and Welfare sector. Broadly, his research focuses on the design of the welfare benefit system and the low wage labour market, all in a UK context. His work on benefit design includes the impact of job-search conditionality requirements; why people do not take-up benefits to which they are entitled and what might be done about it; and how benefit reforms affect people's choices around employment and hours worked.

Other work, exploring wider impacts of benefits includes research studying how benefits to parents affect children's outcomes, and how benefit reforms feed through to changes in progression and pay. Tom's research on labour markets includes the impact of the minimum wage and the rise in hours-flexible contracts. Tom also maintains a research interest in inequality and poverty, and is the editor of IFS’ flagship reports on Living Standards, Inequality, and Poverty.