James has a background in artificial intelligence, complex systems and Earth system and climate science. His approach of using systems thinking to evaluate climate change risks is grounded on his research using mathematical and computational methods to explore co-evolutionary systems. This has led him to pioneer the development of practical workshops that allow a wide range of stakeholders to explore how climate and ecological change affects them. James has conducted research with non-academic organisations such as Carnegie Europe, Austrian Centre for Peace, the Institute for Public Policy Research, and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.
Since 2018, James has been an expert for Horizon Europe which is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation on climate change and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He has reviewed multi-million Euro project proposals and conducted mid and end of project reviews. James was an academic expert contributor to the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill.
Academic Positions
- 2018-current, Associate Professor in Earth System Science, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter.
- 2011-2018, Lecturer in Complex Systems Simulation, then Associate Professor of Sustainability Science, University of Southampton.
- 2009-2011, Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany.
- 2006-2009 Doctoral research conducted in the Centre for Computational Neuroscience & Robotics at the University of Sussex, UK.
- 2017, Visiting Researcher at the Earth-Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Academic Qualifications
- 2009 DPhil, Computer Science and Artificial Itelligence (Informatics), Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, University of Sussex. Thesis title The Daisyworld Control System.
- 2005 MSc (distinction), Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems, EASy Group, University of Sussex.
- 1995 BA (Hons), Philosophy, University of North London.