Professor James has made seminal contributions to the understanding of insulin action and diabetes. He discovered the insulin regulatable glucose transporter GLUT4, the key molecule which transports sugar from the blood stream into muscle and fat cells and identified the key steps in the insulin regulation of glucose transport which now represent major therapeutic targets in diabetes. He performed pioneering work in fuel metabolism including elucidation of novel mechanisms for regulation of energy expenditure which have become new areas for obesity research. Professor James is an international leader in cell biology research and has contributed in a major way to the development of this discipline in Australia.