James obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of London and his Master of Education majoring in Education Management from Open University Malaysia prior to completing his Doctor of Philosophy and Graduate Certificate of Research and Innovation Management with Swinburne University of Technology Australia. He has experience in paralegal service (i.e. conveyancing, banking, civil litigation, agreements, property, and family matters). He also spent four years working for church-based organisations, providing a range of administrative, community, and religious services. Prior to joining Swinburne Sarawak Campus, James was a program coordinator with SEGi College Sarawak, responsible for the management and the development of courses under the Faculty of Law.
Since joining Swinburne Sarawak, James has been responsible for the development of several law units and served as a Program Coordinator for the Swinburne Foundation Studies for a number of years. Apart from lecturing, James has also undertaken consultation corporate entities. He also actively contributes toward the overall university community, having served on the University’s Behaviour Risk Assessment and Management Committee and Staff Recreation Club, among others.
In term of research, James’s research focuses on the phenomenon of shadow education (private supplementary tutoring) and the effect of the phenomenon on students’ wellbeing. James is also actively pushing for further research to be conducted on the phenomenon, and was part of a UNESCO International Policy Forum on the phenomenon. Additionally, James was a founding member of the Swinburne Sarawak Research Ethics Working Group, which has since been upgraded to a sub-committee of the Swinburne University Human Research Ethics Committee. Apart from his continuing service on the sub-committee, James was also an Ethics Advisor to researchers at Swinburne Sarawak Campus.
James is also an advisor to the Swinburne Debaters’ Club and Swinburne Dragon Boat Club. In his role as the Team Manager of the Swinburne Dragons (the race team of the Swinburne Dragon Boat Club), James has led students to several international competitions with encouraging results. Apart from on campus contribution, James is also actively involved in the University’s outreach programs to schools. He frequently conducts workshops and seminars for secondary schools throughout Malaysia as part of the University’s corporate social responsibility program.
Outside of academia, James has been involved in youth leadership training and motivation locally and aboard since 2002, a passion which has taken him to Singapore, Indonesia and the United States of America. In addition to his position in Swinburne Sarawak Campus, James continues to mentor youths and conduct youth leadership training programs with various non-profit organisations.
