Dr Paul James

Associate Professor

School: Geography and Natural Sciences

I am interested in combining biochemistry, structural biology, metabolic engineering and structural biology to develop bacteria into programmable cell factories that will act as the buildings metabolism with the HBBE. Much of my research to date has focused on the structural and biochemical characterisation of enzymes from thermophilic sources and has been done in collaboration with industry to help provide better biocatalysts for a range of different processes. In 2013 i was introduced to synthetic biology through the iGEM competition (iGEM) and after moving to the Exeter Microbial Biofuel Group my research focus shifted to look at the domestication of industrially relevant bacteria. This researched relied on strong industrial collaboration and i believe that strong stakeholder engagement is vital and something i hope to continue with the HBBE. My research aims to use a multi 'omic' approach to increase the number of tools we have available for novel industrially relevant bacteria so that we can increase their role as hosts for biotechnological applications. In the HBBE we want to be able to use these bacteria within the 'Living' house to metabolise waste and generate energy and other high value products. One of the elements of the HBBE I am most looking forward to is working with an interdisciplinary team of highly skilled researchers and bringing together a wide range of different technologies to create a new generation of living buildings.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Exploring the lipoproteome of Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius, Jackson, M., Palmowski, P., Porter, A., James, P., Sutcliffe, I. 4 Mar 2026, In: Access Microbiology
Environmentally Conscious Hydrophobic Spray Coatings on Bacterial Cellulose for Sustainable and Reusable Textiles, Gilmour, K., Dell’Agnese, B., Bonney, G., Unthank, M., White, N., Scott, J., Sherry, A., James, P., Jiang, Y., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 10 Jul 2025, In: Journal of Cleaner Production
Hydroxylation mechanism of lignin-derived aromatic substrates catalyzed by plant P450 cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, Santos, S., James, P., Bommareddy, R., Jiang, Y., Li, J., Li, C., Singh, W., Huang, M. 7 Dec 2025, In: Catalysis Science and Technology
Living Assembly: Building with Biology, Dade-Robertson, M., Becket, R., Arnardottir, T., Ozkan, D., Birch, E., Hoenerloh, A., Tsim, L., Gilmour, K., Poma, M., James, P., Nair, S., Dominguez, A., Wei, H., Scott, W., Whiteside, C., Zhang, M. 2025
SubtiToolKit: a bioengineering kit for Bacillus subtilis and Gram-positive bacteria, Caro-Astorga, J., Rogan, M., Malcı, K., Ming, H., Debenedictis, E., James, P., Ellis, T. 1 Jun 2025, In: Trends in Biotechnology
Bio-futures for transplanetary habitats: a summary and key outcomes from the 2022 symposium, Van Ellen, L., Belling, A., Lipińska, M., Nerlich, P., Azzopardi, H., Ciardullo, C., Dade-Robertson, M., Holt, A., James, P., Roberts, A., Vermeulen, A., Zhang, M. 19 Sep 2024, In: Research Directions: Biotechnology Design
Biogenic Construction, Gilmour, K., Haystead, J., Karimian, A., Moreland, P., Wang, J., Arnandottin, T., Christgen, B., Rodrigues Corral, J., Guyet, A., Zhang, M., Wipat, A., Mitrani, H., Dade-Robertson, M., Sharma Ghimire, P., Wright, J., James, P., Mwebaza, D., Theodoridoua, M., Bruno, A., Bridgens, B., Sherry, A., Ozkan, D., Agraviador, A., Perry, O., Bagga, M., Alex, A., Hamley-Bennett, C., Justo-Reinoso, I., Gebhard, S., Paine, K., Masoero, E., Ofiteru, I., Wang, C., Eiriksdottir, S., Savas, E., Jones, E., De Nardi, C., Harbottle , M., Reitzer, P., New, R., Bryan, S., Mol, L., Campbell, O., Gilbert, O., Gudnadottir, B., Cuzman, O., Peritto, B. 20 Mar 2024
Electrospinning of Bacterial Cellulose Fibres: Challenges for an Innovative Bioengineered Fibre Production Technique, Paul, S., Gusain, R., Jiang, Y., James, P., Zhang, M. 7 Jun 2024, In: Trends in Textile Engineering and Fashion Technology
Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation through CO2 sequestration via an engineered bacillus subtilis, Zhang, M., Gilmour, K., Sharma Ghimire, P., Wright, J., Haystead, J., Dade-Robertson, M., James, P. 10 Jun 2024, In: Microbial Cell Factories
Biofilm inspired fabrication of functional bacterial cellulose through ex-situ and in-situ approaches, Gilmour, K., Aljannat, M., Markwell, C., James, P., Scott, J., Jiang, Y., Torun, H., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 15 Mar 2023, In: Carbohydrate Polymers

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Oral presentation: Demonstrating the potential of biological self-healing for conservation through the healing masonry prototype. Presenter: Magdalini Theodoridou. 2023

PGR Supervision

Madeline Sanderson Engineering Microorganisms with Fluorescent Protein Reporters for Rapid Viability Assessment. Start Date: 01/10/2025
Ellie Ashcroft Enzyme innovation in fabric care to drive superior cleaning performance under challenging conditions Start Date: 19/02/2026
Madeline Sanderson Engineering Microorganisms with Fluorescent Protein Reporters for Rapid Viability Assessment. Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Alice Stephen Identification and mechanistic understanding of enzymes optimised for high pH detergent environments Start Date: 26/02/2026
Rosanna Rostron Start Date: 27/10/2025
Molly Hall Start Date: 27/10/2025
Benjamin Gardner Novel biotechnology approaches for grass stain removal Start Date: 01/10/2024
Katie Wood Novel approaches for grease/sebum cleaning in cold water Start Date: 01/10/2024
Matthew Rogan A Toolkit for Engineering Geobacillus and Parageobacillus as a Chassis for Bio-valorisation of Waste Produced in the Built Environment and Production of Industrially Relevant Chemicals Start Date: 01/10/2020 End Date: 23/05/2025
Katie Wood Novel approaches for grease/sebum cleaning in cold water Start Date: 01/10/2024 End Date: 17/10/2025
Benjamin Gardner Novel biotechnology approaches for grass stain removal Start Date: 01/10/2024 End Date: 17/10/2025