He received both his B.S. in Molecular Biology and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at UC San Diego. His thesis research with Roger Tsien involved the development and optimization of genetically encoded fluorescent probes for light and electron microscopy. He then carried out postdoctoral studies at the Scripps Research Institute with Benjamin Cravatt developing chemical probes and chemoproteomic strategies for profiling post-translational modifications. The Martin lab is currently developing multidisciplinary methods to explore the function and physiological role of novel enzymes and post-translational modifications involved in the development of neurological diseases and cancer.