Bristol Aerosol Research Centre
Aerosols play important roles in a broad range of disciplines including atmospheric science, disease transmission, the delivery of drugs to the lungs, and the formation of structured micro- and nano-particles. Research at the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre (BARC) is focused on improving our understanding of the physical, chemical and biological properties of aerosols.
We use advanced techniques to manipulate and characterise individual particles to study their optical, chemical and biological properties, through to more conventional tools to study exhaled aerosol that can carry microorganisms or drugs for delivery to the lungs.
Research at BARC
Research underway at BARC includes studies of respiratory aerosol and disease transmission, the physicochemical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosol, the formulation of drugs for inhalation therapeutics, and the fabrication of microparticles by processes such as spray drying.
The BARC Team
BARC researchers come from the UK, Canada, the US, Spain, China,...
Our PhD students and post-doctoral researchers have backgrounds in chemistry, physics, engineering, the life sciences and pharmacy.
Find out about joining BARC.
In News...
June 2025. The PERFORM team (The Investigation of Particulate Respiratory Matter to Inform Guidance for the Safe Distancing of PERFORMers in a COVID-19 Pandemic) have been awarded a Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 Faraday Horizon Prize for advances in understanding the physicochemical properties of exhaled aerosol and their impact on the transmissibility of respiratory pathogens.