Bax works in the field of biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, and has been involved in the development of many of the standard methods in the field. He collaborated extensively with fellow NIH scientists Marius Clore, Angela Gronenborn and Dennis Torchia in the development of multidimensional protein NMR. Bax is a pioneer in the development of triple resonance experiments and technology for resonance assignment of isotopically enriched proteins. He was also heavily involved in the development of using residual dipolar couplings and chemical shifts for determining RNA and protein structures.
Much of his recent work focuses on the roles of proteins in membranes.
He was the world's most cited chemist over two decades (1981-1997).