Barnes began his career as a spatial scientist, but in recent years his interest has moved to the history of economic geography.

His current projects concern the history of geography's quantitative revolution; epistemological pluralism in economic geography; the institutional analysis of forestry with Roger Hayter; and creative industries.

[2] In 2019, Barnes was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Founder’s Medal for his "sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography".

[3] Barnes is considered by notable geographers as a "Key Thinker on Space and Place"[4] and in 2011 was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

[5] In 2012, he was given the Ellen Churchill Semple award at the Department of Geography, University of Kentucky.