James joined the group in 2010 to do a Masters project developing a novel method of deep drawing cans, as part of his Engineering undergraduate studies at Cambridge. He then stayed at the group to pursue a PhD in 2011, study the mechanics and automation of the flexible asymmetric spinning machine, designed and built by Omer Music, a previous member of the group. James added a laser line scanner to the machine to measure the shape of the product being manufactured in real time, and programmed the controller to use this information to adapt the motion of the tools and improve product quality and accuracy.
James graduated in 2015 and joined McKinsey & Company as a management consultant.