His research expertise is grounded in Human-Computer Interaction, typically applied to how people search for and explore information, and in how user interfaces can support users in doing so. His recent work has focused on Mental Workload associated with dealing with information using fNIRS to study brain activation during tasks. Max publishes in both the SIGIR and HCI communities, including a book on Search User Interface Design. Max is an associate editor for IJHCS, sites on the steering committee for ACM CHIIR, and frequently takes part in the organisation of CHI conferences.