Jonathan's research interests are in immigration and asylum law, and his research and writing are informed by the methodologies of human rights law and of administrative law. He is also interested in issues related to citizenship, identity and exclusion.

His research publications to date relate to the barriers to children's access to justice in immigration appeal proceedings, on the statutory interpretation of the Immigration Act 2014, and on notions of national belonging and citizenship raised in recent Australian constitutional experience (https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2017/09/21/jonathan-collinson-disqualifying-dual-national-parliamentarians-in-australia-a-problem-of-legal-status-or-of-their-true-belonging-to-australia/).

Jonathan joined Huddersfield Law School in September 2018 as a Lecturer in Law. He teaches on the Immigration and Asylum Law LLB, Constitutional and Administrative Law LLB, and Legal Skills LLB modules and is module leader for Humanitarian Challenges LLM. Jonathan acts as Year 1 Tutor, providing pastoral and academic support to first year undergraduates.

His PhD was awarded by the University of Birmingham in 2019. His thesis asked why UK law has found it difficult to take into account the best interests of the child in decisions about the deportation of foreign national offenders.

Jonathan worked as a caseworker in a well respected legal aid firm of solicitors in Birmingham, working exclusively in the area of asylum and immigration law. His practice included the representation of some of the most marginalised migrant groups, including asylum applicants and foreign national offenders. He developed expertise in asylum claims based on LGBTQ+ identity and on the Refugee Convention ground of religion.

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is interested in innovative curriculum and assessment design. He has experience mentoring students through schemes for widening participation in Higher Education, and in teaching pedagogy and teaching skills to postgraduate students who are embarking on HE teaching for the first time.