Professor Conner's research interests focus on understanding and changing health behaviours. This includes work on the attitude-behaviour relationship, psychological models of the determinants of health behaviours, cognitive versus affective influences on behaviour, the effects of the mere measurement of cognition, and attitudinal ambivalence.

Together with Daryl O'Connor he is the joint Editor-in-Chief of Psychology & Health. Mark was elected an Academician by the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) for his significant contribution to the Social Sciences and won the 2010 British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology Award for outstanding contribution to research.