Patrick Browne studies active and extinct geothermal systems. His main interests are the way hot water and steam react with rocks and the processes that cause these fluids to deposit secondary (hydrothermal) minerals. By studying these minerals he seeks to learn how geothermal systems change over time, in effect viewing them as large open natural laboratories. Patrick has also studied the genesis of hydrothermal eruptions and the deposits that they produce.

He has held visiting appointments at the Universities of California (Riverside), Utah, Indiana, New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, and the United Nations University in Iceland.