James is Professor of Planning and Urban Design in Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow. He studied City and Regional Planning (BSc) and Urban Design (MA) at Cardiff University before completing his doctoral studies in Planning at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. James joined the University of Glasgow in 2012.James teaches urban design and planning to post-graduate students of City Planning, City Planning and Real Estate Development and Housing in the Urban Studies subject area. He is a Co-Investigator and Deputy Director of the ESRC-funded Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence and a Co-Investigator on an ESRC UK-South Korea Connections Grant project called "Creating Prosperous City Centres Post-Pandemic Through Repurposing Retail Space". James was recently a Co-Investigator on the ESRC-funded REPAIR project (Real Estate Adaptation and Innovation within an Integrated Retailing System) which concluded in 2022.James is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Town Planner and a Member of the Urban Design Group. He sits on the Glasgow Urban Design Panel. James is an External Examiner at the University of Sheffield and University College London and serves as Chair of the University of Newcastle Partnership Board on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He is the current chair of the 2023 UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference being held at the University of Glasgow in September 2023.