James has been a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry since 1999 and was awarded his PhD in psychology as applied to medicine in 2003 for his work on psychological factors affecting recovery from surgery. His research interests have since expanded to encompass the causes and treatment of the various modern illnesses that afflict Western societies, such electrosensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity, and the psychological impact of terrorism.
James is in charge of the day to day running of the Mobile Phone Research Unit at Kings College London and is also the co-ordinator for a large programme of research into potential public reactions to chemical, biological or radiological terrorism. As part of this work, he has published research on the short and medium term psychological impact of the 7 July London bombings and the role of information in reassuring members of the public potentially exposed to Polonium-210 following the death of Alexander Litvinenko.
James recently won the Kings College London Young Researcher of the Year award for his work in these areas and was a finalist for the Times Higher Young Researcher of the Year Award .
