On September 1, 1993, Blaes became an assistant professor in the department of physics at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He became an associate professor in 1998 and a professor at UCSB on July 1, 2004. Blaes served as chair of the UCSB physics department from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2013. His research focuses on theoretical astrophysics (X- and gamma-ray astronomy) and compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes). Much of his work in astrophysics focuses on the physics of accretion on black holes. He has looked at magneto rotational instability (MRI) and MRI turbulence in the innermost parts of accretion disks.