Rate My Professor Richard Barker

Professor Richard Barker is a Professor in Corrosion Science and Engineering within the Institute of Functional Surfaces at the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds. He earned his MEng, became a Chartered Engineer (CEng), and obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds in 2013, receiving the ‘Research Excellence’ award for significant industrial impact. With over 13 years of experience in corrosion science and engineering, Barker holds key leadership roles including Director of Research and Innovation, Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, and Lecturer and Module Leader in Thermofluids modules. He leads a substantial research team of 21 PhD students and 5 postdoctoral researchers, serving as Principal Investigator on projects totaling more than £2 million and Co-Investigator on over £10 million in funding from research councils and industry partners. His career emphasizes bridging academic research with industrial applications, particularly in asset integrity for energy sectors.

Barker's research focuses on corrosion in energy systems and carbon abatement technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage; numerical modelling of corrosion processes; selection and optimisation of materials and inhibitors; and corrosion of additively manufactured materials. Key interests include electrochemistry, experimental and predictive studies of erosion-corrosion, design of custom flow cells and electrochemical techniques, in-situ surface characterisation, and corrosion measurements in extreme environments like high-temperature, high-pressure, or strong acid conditions. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal papers in the past six years, nearly half with industrial co-authors, including invited reviews on corrosion product formation and pipeline integrity in CCUS environments. Notable projects under his leadership as Primary Investigator include ENVIRO-COAT for environmentally assisted engineered corrosion products, investigations into CO2 corrosion products in localised corrosion with Shell UK, and a KTP collaboration with Roemex Limited. In 2019, he received £420,000 from EPSRC for research on transition metal doping effects in magnetite corrosion products. Barker is a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion (2020), recipient of the Kurt Schwabe Award from the European Federation of Corrosion (2021) for young scientists' contributions in electrochemistry and oil & gas corrosion, and holds memberships in the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Corrosion, and AMPP. His research drives industrial impacts, including new inhibitor chemistries, dosing strategies, and corrosion management changes for oilfield operators.