Dr. Thomas James’ areas of expertise include new product development, global business ventures, and biomedical systems. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a registered professional engineer, and an avid inventor who holds over a dozen patents. Prior to joining Rose-Hulman, he worked in the consumer products industry for 13 years as the director of engineering at Milwaukee Electric Tool. Following an acquisition by Techtronic Industries, he became the senior vice president of global engineering for the power tools division, headquartered in Hong Kong, where he lived and worked. In addition to teaching, Dr. James directs the ESCALATE program, a living-learning community focused on integrating entrepreneurship and technical disciplines.
Academic Degrees
- MBA, Marquette University, 2004
- PhD, Marquette University, Mechanical Engineering, 2002
- MS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Materials Science and Engineering, 1993
- BS, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, 1991
Awards & Honors
- Best Teacher Award, Tufts University, 2015
- Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2014
- Army Achievement Medal, 1992
- National Defense Service Medal, 1991
Research Experiences
- Entrepreneurship
- Biomechanical - tissue engineering
- Machine design
Select Publications & Presentations
- Trofa, D. P., Rogerson, A., Nicholson, L. T., James, T. P., and Smith, E. L., “Analysis of Failed Premium versus Standard Total Knee Arthroplasty Designs,” Journal of Current Orthopaedic Practice, 27(1), pp. 41-45, 2016
- Higer S. B. and James, T. P., “Interface Pressure Mapping Pilot Study to Select Surfaces that Effectively Redistribute Pediatric Occipital Pressure,” Journal of Tissue Viability, 25(1), pp. 41-49, 2016
- James, T. P., Eckman, N. B., Sagar, A., and Saigal A., “Evaluation of Cutting Forces During Single Pass Micro-Trenching of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate),” Transactions of ASME Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing, 2(4), pp. 041003-1 to 041003-8, 2014
- James, T. P., Sheehan, B., and Sagar, A., “Effect of Operating Parameters on the Removal of Bone Cement by a Sawing Process,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 228(3), pp. 272-279, 2014
- James, T. P., Chang, G., Micucci, S., Sagar, A., Smith, E. L., and Cassidy, C., “Effect of Applied Force and Blade Speed on Histopathology of Bone during Resection by Sagittal Saw,” Medical Engineering and Physics, 36(3), pp. 364-370, 2014
Teaching Interests
- Entrepreneurship
- Accounting
- Finance