James' primary research interest is in understanding how the tumour microenvironment influences response to treatment in kidney cancer. He completed his PhD on the immunology of pancreas cancer, and also worked on melanoma before moving to kidney cancer research. He was an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Medical Oncology with the de la Roche lab before being appointed to his current post in 2023.  

He works on a number of clinical studies in kidney cancer, as translational lead for the NAXIVA and WIRE trials. NAXIVA was a neoadjuvant study investigating the efficacy of axitinib for downstaging kidney cancer with venous tumour thrombus. WIRE is a window of opportunity study for kidney cancer, assessing novel drug combinations in the neoadjuvant setting.  

He is also chief investigator of ARTIST, a translational study aiming to investigate the whole natural history of kidney cancer, from early to incurable disease. James is also interested in integrated cancer medicine, developing a platform based on the ARTIST study in collaboration with other members of the Cancer Centre.  

James sees patients in the kidney cancer clinic at Addenbrookes Hospital, and co-leads the Hospital's immunotherapy toxicity working group. He also teaches undergraduate medical students at Christ’s College Cambridge.