Academic Background

James completed his foundational studies in Canada before moving to the UK for his doctoral research.

• B.Sc. in Mathematics: Carleton University (1983–1987).
• M.Sc. in Mathematics: University of Alberta (1987–1989).
• D.Phil. (Ph.D.) in Mathematics: University of Oxford (1990–1993). His doctoral dissertation focused on Completion of Restricted Lie algebras and Collapsing Groups, supervised by algebraist Dan Segal.

Career History

James balances his knowledge of algebraic mathematics with commercial applications, holding several notable positions. He has authored numerous patents in telecommunications security and applied physics during his periods at Certicom, Qualcomm and Oxford.

2022–Present TenFactorial
Company Director at the technology strategy advisory consultancy.

2018–Present Magdalen College, Oxford
Member of the Senior Common Room at Magdalen College and visitor to Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Oxford

2015–2024 University of Oxford

Industrial Research Partnerships: Facilitated large-scale strategic and research collaborations between the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division and external corporate partners.

2018–2020 Creative Destruction Lab (CDL-Oxford)
Co-Site Lead & Director of Strategic PartnershipsHelp run the Oxford branch of the scalable, science-and-tech-focused seed-stage mentorship program.

2003–2015 Qualcomm
Engineering & Business Development roles, spending  over a decade in various technological and business development capacities at the global telecommunications pioneer.

1989–2002 Early Career
Various  roles  as a mathematician at CSE, senior engineer at ICO Global Communication, and business development lead at Certicom in Europe.