Jim currently serves as a semi-retired professor of biology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG). He is also an outside affiliate of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation.
He earned a BS in Forestry at the University of Maine (1982) and an M.S. (1985), M.Phil. (1985) and PhD (1987) from Yale University in what was then the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (now the Yale School of the Environment). He completed postdoctoral research at Stanford and Harvard Universities. He joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 1990 building a career in plant physiological ecology including winning an NSF Young [Presidential] Investigator award and several other grants.
From 1995-1996 he served as the NSF Program Officer for Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology. After returning to Syracuse University, he then moved into the chief research officer positions at the Desert Research Institute, then the University of Missouri and then Rice University. He was then dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU and then served as provost at Northern Arizona University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG).
He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 for his contributions to plant physiological ecology and for building institutional and statewide research infrastructure. He was also appointed by the Director of the National Science Foundation in 2024 to their Congressionally mandated Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, which, surprisingly, still exists. He was recognized as one of two (there are two a year) Distinguished Alumni of Yale University's School of the Environment at the School's 125th reunion in October 2025. You can see his 20 minute presentation to YES alumni, faculty , staff and students on the how his path for finding meaning in academe at Finding meaning in academe: Plant physiological and ecosystem ecology to autism.
Jim has been the principal or co-principal investigator on approximately $260 million dollars of research, education, and research infrastructure [both institutional and statewide] gifts, grants, and contracts. He published over 80 research papers, cited just under 10,000 times focusing on how plants, herbivores, and/or ecosystems respond to environmental stress/change despite spending 25 years as a senior administrator. Graduate students currently in his lab are working on two projects: 1) How microplastics in soil affect the interactions between plants, herbivores, and their parasitoids, and 2) how ecotypic variation in longleaf pine might be used to strengthen restoration efforts of the biodiverse longleaf pine ecosystems. He mentored/is mentoring over 70 undergraduates and 22 graduate students and postdocs.
He also publishes a blog on this website about higher education, being neurodiverse, or other topics that has had approximately 20,000 unique visits since it started in June 2022. In July 2025 he started a Substack page where he has started a writing a book telling a humorous story of navigating academe as an autistic person that he has titled "Pathologically Genuine..
Jim’s passion now is teaching and mentoring undergraduates and graduate students. He has taught approximately 1,000 students since Fall 2021 in courses at every level and can’t help but feel that every one of those students is part of his extended family. He is committed to the mission of public institutions and the role that faculty can play in transforming student lives. UNCG’s student government association made him their sole nominee for the 2024-2025 academic year for the UNC System’s William Friday Lifetime Achievement Award aimed at recognizing extraordinary service to students. He didn’t win. The award usually goes to chancellors, vice chancellor or deans. But, being surprised that he was nominated by students for this honor was like winning the Nobel Prize at this stage of his career. You can see a sample of the over nearly 1,000 comments Jim has received from students here as well as read recent course evaluations.
Jim moved into half-time phased retirement in August 2025 and just stepped down as Graduate Program Director. He is autistic and most always would rather be with a dog. He hopes to focus on writing, speaking, and volunteering (with his therapy dog, Brea) on issues related to navigating academe as a neurodiverse person in this next chapter of his career. He volunteers with Brea and serves on the board of The Lionheart Academy of the Triad- a school for 4-12 grade autism 1 and autism 2 students. They also volunteer at the Noble Academy (a 2-12 grade school for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or ADHD); Sanctuary House (Community Center for people recovering from mental illness); The Sanctuary House Residential Facility; Beacon Place Hospice; and at UNCG Biology in Jim's classes.
He has been married to his wife Adele for 27 years who is retired from her role implementing and supporting electronic medical record systems. Adele now devours books, sings in several choral groups, is a watercolor artist and is an amazingly good and patient person. Jim and has a stepson (Cecil) who is a talented musician. Jim’s interests include playing guitar and piano (he even sang most of his graduation speech in May 2025), bonding with the two dogs that adopted him and Adele, and kayaking on Lake Jeanette while thanking the herons and other birds for sharing their home. He is originally from Pittsburgh and an avid Steelers, Pirates and Penguins fan. In fact, his major claim to fame was being present in the stands at the game where Franco Harris made the "immaculate reception."
He earned a BS in Forestry at the University of Maine (1982) and an M.S. (1985), M.Phil. (1985) and PhD (1987) from Yale University in what was then the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (now the Yale School of the Environment). He completed postdoctoral research at Stanford and Harvard Universities. He joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 1990 building a career in plant physiological ecology including winning an NSF Young [Presidential] Investigator award and several other grants.
From 1995-1996 he served as the NSF Program Officer for Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology. After returning to Syracuse University, he then moved into the chief research officer positions at the Desert Research Institute, then the University of Missouri and then Rice University. He was then dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU and then served as provost at Northern Arizona University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG).
He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 for his contributions to plant physiological ecology and for building institutional and statewide research infrastructure. He was also appointed by the Director of the National Science Foundation in 2024 to their Congressionally mandated Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, which, surprisingly, still exists. He was recognized as one of two (there are two a year) Distinguished Alumni of Yale University's School of the Environment at the School's 125th reunion in October 2025. You can see his 20 minute presentation to YES alumni, faculty , staff and students on the how his path for finding meaning in academe at Finding meaning in academe: Plant physiological and ecosystem ecology to autism.
Jim has been the principal or co-principal investigator on approximately $260 million dollars of research, education, and research infrastructure [both institutional and statewide] gifts, grants, and contracts. He published over 80 research papers, cited just under 10,000 times focusing on how plants, herbivores, and/or ecosystems respond to environmental stress/change despite spending 25 years as a senior administrator. Graduate students currently in his lab are working on two projects: 1) How microplastics in soil affect the interactions between plants, herbivores, and their parasitoids, and 2) how ecotypic variation in longleaf pine might be used to strengthen restoration efforts of the biodiverse longleaf pine ecosystems. He mentored/is mentoring over 70 undergraduates and 22 graduate students and postdocs.
He also publishes a blog on this website about higher education, being neurodiverse, or other topics that has had approximately 20,000 unique visits since it started in June 2022. In July 2025 he started a Substack page where he has started a writing a book telling a humorous story of navigating academe as an autistic person that he has titled "Pathologically Genuine..
Jim’s passion now is teaching and mentoring undergraduates and graduate students. He has taught approximately 1,000 students since Fall 2021 in courses at every level and can’t help but feel that every one of those students is part of his extended family. He is committed to the mission of public institutions and the role that faculty can play in transforming student lives. UNCG’s student government association made him their sole nominee for the 2024-2025 academic year for the UNC System’s William Friday Lifetime Achievement Award aimed at recognizing extraordinary service to students. He didn’t win. The award usually goes to chancellors, vice chancellor or deans. But, being surprised that he was nominated by students for this honor was like winning the Nobel Prize at this stage of his career. You can see a sample of the over nearly 1,000 comments Jim has received from students here as well as read recent course evaluations.
Jim moved into half-time phased retirement in August 2025 and just stepped down as Graduate Program Director. He is autistic and most always would rather be with a dog. He hopes to focus on writing, speaking, and volunteering (with his therapy dog, Brea) on issues related to navigating academe as a neurodiverse person in this next chapter of his career. He volunteers with Brea and serves on the board of The Lionheart Academy of the Triad- a school for 4-12 grade autism 1 and autism 2 students. They also volunteer at the Noble Academy (a 2-12 grade school for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or ADHD); Sanctuary House (Community Center for people recovering from mental illness); The Sanctuary House Residential Facility; Beacon Place Hospice; and at UNCG Biology in Jim's classes.
He has been married to his wife Adele for 27 years who is retired from her role implementing and supporting electronic medical record systems. Adele now devours books, sings in several choral groups, is a watercolor artist and is an amazingly good and patient person. Jim and has a stepson (Cecil) who is a talented musician. Jim’s interests include playing guitar and piano (he even sang most of his graduation speech in May 2025), bonding with the two dogs that adopted him and Adele, and kayaking on Lake Jeanette while thanking the herons and other birds for sharing their home. He is originally from Pittsburgh and an avid Steelers, Pirates and Penguins fan. In fact, his major claim to fame was being present in the stands at the game where Franco Harris made the "immaculate reception."