James joined the Cai lab in 2021 as a PhD student with a focus on expanding the genetic code of synthetic yeast. This work aims to leverage the unique design features of Sc2.0 to engineer new strains of yeast that are able to efficiently use amino acids not found in nature. Before joining the lab, James graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Genetics from the University of Glasgow followed by an MRes in Synthetic Biology from the University College London.