Professor Carter, a registered architect, worked in practice with Arup in London. A designer of award-winning buildings in Europe and North America, he has also taught internationally. After serving as Chair of Architecture at the University of Michigan, he was appointed Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo in 2003.

A contributor to international journals and author of several books on modern architecture Brian Carter is a peer reviewer for the GSA Design Excellence Program in the USA and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 2017. Together with Dr. S. Marshall, he received the RAIC Award for Journalism & Media on behalf of Dalhousie Architecture Press in 2023.