Jim joined Griffith University in January 2021 as Professor and Head of School, Allied Health Sciences. Jim was trained in podiatry, biomechanics and arthritis in Edinburgh, Leeds and the National Institutes of Health and University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He is a podiatrist and clinician scientist with a major interest in diabetes and rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. He is a past recipient of highly prestigious UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Training (1997-2000) and Clinician Scientist Fellowships (2000-2005). 

Jim has led on several award-winning European Commission (EU) funded projects and innovative training networks in arthritis and orthotics. His work, as coordinator of the flagship A-FOOTPRINT project, pioneered the development of additive manufacturing (3D printing) for custom orthoses and led to two European-based spin-out companies. More recently he has returned to focus his work on diabetic foot disease, exploiting data science techniques (linkage and geospatial mapping) to identify novel risk factors and the contribution of multiple deprivation to foot ulceration, lower extremity amputation and premature mortality. This work extends into better understanding of the biomechanical basis of ulcer development and off-loading using novel precision-healthcare paradigms. He has attracted over $AUD 24M in external grant funding, successfully supervised 17 PhD students and published over 150 papers. 

Jim was past president of the British Health Professionals in Rheumatology. He was the 2009 British Health Professionals in Rheumatology Droitwich Lecturer in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rheumatology and health professional working. He has held several Arthritis Research UK project, equipment and fellowship awards and was a member of the Research and Academic Capacity Committee, an invitee to the Academic Leaders Forum and past member of the Fellowship Implementation Committee and the Musculoskeletal Pain Clinical Study Group. 

Jim is a Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. in 2019, he was the first podiatrist to become an elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.