After having gained his BSc and PhD degrees from Imperial College (London) and performing post-doctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin, Barron spent eight years as a Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University before moving to Rice University in 1995 where he is the Welch Chair of Chemistry and Professor of Nanoengineering and Materials Science. In 2014 he was appointed the Sêr Cymru Chair of Low Carbon Energy and Environment at Swansea University, and founded the Energy Safety Research Institute, where he is the Director. He is a co-founder of DIPA.org a non-profit organization representing a group of innovative companies developing new ways to decarbonize industries.

He is the author of over 550 publications, 50 Patents, 25 books, and has graduated 32 PhD students. His current research involves the application of chemistry, nanotechnology and materials science to fundamental problems in energy and mitigation of climate change. He is a serial entrepreneur, having founded companies globally in energy, water and environment, and is a NED for multiple companies.

Prof. Barron is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the recipient of several awards, including the Star of Asia International Award, the Hümboldt Senior Scientist Research Award, the Corday Morgan Medal, the Meldola Medal, and the first Welch Foundation Norman Hackerman Award. In 2009 Barron was appointed as the Prince of Wales Visiting Innovator and in 2011, he won the World Technology Award (in Materials).