As Operations Director of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS), Dr James is responsible, together with the MASTS Directorate, for the day to day delivery of a Scottish Funding Council Research Pool with an initial investment of £75m involving the majority of Scotland's marine science capacity. Our role is to facilitate and improve the co-ordination of marine science across 17 Scottish Universities, a Government laboratory and a non-departmental public body. Dr James, through the MASTS Directorate, can provide links to the MASTS research network which engages ~700 researchers active in all areas of marine science. He is a former Vice Chair of the European Marine Board, a current Non-Executive member of the UK Marine Science Co-ordination Committee and a member of the Scottish Marine Strategy Forum. His own research interests include fisheries, aquaculture, marine renewables and biogenic reefs. In 2020 he was appointed by UKRI as a Champion for the Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources Programme - 2020-2014. This £12.4m SPF programme will bring marine scientists together with social and economic researchers to address strategic policy priorities in the management of UK marine resources and foster stronger working relationships between science and policy. He also co-leads the NERC - Scottish Universities Partnership for Environmental Research, Doctoral Training Partnership.