After his PhD, he joined, in 2001 Prof. Dr. Robert H. Crabtree's research team at Yale, USA, to develop the coordination chemistry of N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with various metals and to study their application as catalysts in C–H activation reactions.
This period was followed by a short stay, 2002–2003, as researcher R&D Coating Effects, in Ciba Specialty Chemicals (Basel, CH). Then, Martin Albrecht accepted a position as Alfred Werner assistant professorship in Fribourg, Switzerland working on NHC coordination chemistry, on the edge with biology. For this research, he was granted a European Research Council starting grant in 2005 for the CARBENZYMES project that aimed to understand the bonding properties of metalloenzymes.
In 2009, he joined the University College Dublin as a full Professor. He developed a productive research program using novel 1,2,3-triazolylidene mesoionic carbene ligands.
At that time, he received a European Research Council Consolidator Grant in 2014 for the synMICs project that aimed at the exploration of sustainable pathways for the efficient production of pharmaceutical drugs and for energy storage with 3d metals.
In 2015, he moved with his research group back to Bern, Switzerland to continue his research on donor flexible ligands as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. Since 2021, he has been deputy director of the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern. In 2021, the 1st year Biology Bachelor students recognized his commitment to teach young undergraduate students, to inspire them and to act as a scientific role model by nominating him for the "Teacher of the year 2021" award.