He currently hold the Grierson Chair in Communication Studies at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In 2004 he was selected as one of fifteen "Leaders of Tomorrow" by the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering.
In 2010, the CBC Radio "Ideas" series featured Dr. Barney on the topic: "The Origins of the Modern Public".
[3] In 2013, he wrote an article to defend McGill University's decision to award an honorary doctorate to American philosopher Judith Butler.
[5] In terms of activism, Professor Barney is invested in the divestment from fossil fuel campaign at McGill University.