James remained at the University of Edinburgh,  where he completed a Masters (by research). During this period James was a full time employee of the University of Edinburgh and a member of the ECOSSE group. In the group, his interests were in reaction engineering and the synthesis of complex reactor-separator systems.

Since 1995,  James has pursued a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He received an additional Masters of Chemical Engineering (by coursework) in 1996. His research interests include the semi-continuous operation of distillation units. Further information can be obtained from the James Phimister home page.  A list of his publications, all of which are downloadable, can be obtained through this link.