James comlpeted his undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, which included conducting a research project using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). After graduating he joined King’s College London as a research technician, generating iPSCs from patient tissue samples, before moving to the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, where he worked as part of the HipSci consortium phenotyping iPSCs from a range of donor cohorts. He then conducted his PhD in the same centre under the supervision of Prof Fiona Watt, using iPSCs derived from Bardet-Biedl Syndrome patients to investigate the developmental kidney defects which often manifest in patients.
James’ main research interests revolve around cell fate decision making and plasticity. His work in the lab will focus on understanding the different mechanisms of gene repression at Cis Regulatory Elements and how these provide the framework through which changes in cell fate during development can occur.