Dr Manford completed his undergraduate training at UCL and his neurology training at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Charing Cross Hospital and the Wessex Neurological Centre. His research was into the clinical patterns of frontal lobe epilepsy.

He has been consultant neurologist at Addenbrooke's and Bedford Hospitals since 1997. He sees patients with a full range of neurological conditions and has a special interest in epilepsy and related conditions in which he runs a specialist service in Cambridge. He introduced video-EEG-telemetry and is starting an epilepsy surgery programme. He is clinical service director for neurology at Addenbrooke's Hospital and is closely involved in undergraduate training. He was awarded the Pilkington Prize for undergraduate education by the University of Cambridge in 2012.