James Williams is a software engineer and data scientist with over a decade of experience building data-driven systems that improve efficiency, safety, and decision-making. His recent work has focused on infrastructure asset management, predictive maintenance, risk modelling, and inspection, where he has delivered solutions that create measurable operational and commercial impact for clients.
He completed his PhD in Applied Mathematics as a Fulbright Scholar at Yale Graduate School, after studying mathematics at the University of Canterbury. He has worked on advanced technology development at ESPN and developed scalable data platforms and machine learning systems for e-commerce companies throughout the US, and has founded two successful data science and software engineering companies in New Zealand.
James is also a Senior Lecturer in Data Science at the University of Canterbury, where he specialises in translating research into practical, real-world applications. He is the responsible for developing industry partnerships with the university, and works closely with staff, students, and industry partners to create opportunities for research collaborations. James has supervised 150 masters students and coordinated projects for 615 masters students since the programme was founded in 2017.