Neil is a professor in Criminology, director of the Institute for Policy, and co-director of the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester. He has published extensively within the fields of hate crime, harassment and victimisation, and has been commissioned by numerous funding bodies including Amnesty International, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Leverhulme Trust to lead groundbreaking research studies which have shaped policy and scholarship.

Neil is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and series editor of Palgrave Hate Studies. He has received prestigious awards for his work from a variety of sources, including the Royal Television Society, Learning on Screen, the British Society of Criminology, the President and Vice Chancellor’s Award from the University of Leicester and a Hero of Leicestershire Award.