Joseph Andrew James received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2017 from Clemson University, and at Virginia Tech, he earned his master’s degree in 2021 in civil engineering construction engineering and management and is pursuing his PhD in the same field. Before entering graduate school, he worked as a customer solution engineer, and in his first year, developed a new prototype for a commercial air purification system that outperformed the original model. In his current work, he promotes societal change by conducting research in marginalized communities. He utilizes data visualization strategies with the goal of bridging the gap between residents and their understanding of how energy is consumed throughout their homes. He likens his approach to looking through a VR headset and seeing energy flow through wires to various home appliances. In partnership with a local high school, James created a VR learning platform for computer science skill development and followed it up with a three-part workshop to inform students about IT careers in VR. In the future, he hopes to work with the DoE and utility companies on a policy to change the face and utilization of utility bills. Once a professor, he plans to develop new classes and workshops centered around diversity and interdisciplinary work with other departments.

Research Interests

Improve Residential Energy Awareness Data Visualization