James completed his Bachelor of Psychology (Honours Class I) at UNSW in 2019. His honours thesis explored the effect of attachment priming on social problem solving ability. He also has research experience using big data to investigate domestic violence patterns in the United States.

In 2020, James received a CEPAR Scholarship to undertake a PhD at UNSW and NeuRA. His research aims to explore the impact of childhood adversity on late-life cognition and mental health.