James joined the University of Manchester after 25 years in Industry where most recently he was Vice-President of Technology Collaboration Programmes and Managing Director of the Advanced Technology Centres for BAE Systems in the UK. As the CEO Graphene@Manchester, he is leading on the creation of the graphene industry ecosystem in Manchester and developing the industrial partnerships and collaborations to accelerate the commercialisation opportunities for graphene and 2D materials. James is a chartered engineer and a Professor of Practice. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a Fellow of Royal Society of Arts.