Prior to joining Leeds as a lecturer in 1985, Professor Barton had five years experience as a structural analyst in the nuclear power industry mainly concerned with high temperature and aseismic assessment of reactor structures. His research interests at Leeds have centred around the experimental derivation and numerical implementation of complex models of material and structural behaviour particularly in relation to high strain rate deformation (including crashworthiness of vehicles), tribological interfaces in automotive engineering (brakes, gearbox synchronisers) and biomedical applications (total artificial joints, impact biomechanics). He is currently Professor of Solid Mechanics in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Leeds University, UK.