She is a professor of physics at Sam Houston State University.
Her research publications include spectroscopy of stars in the galactic halo of the Milky Way and in the Carina Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, and work on astronomy education.
She is also the author of several books popularizing astronomy.
[1] Her 2000 doctoral dissertation, Chemical and kinematic correlations in the galactic halo, was supervised by Christopher Sneden.
[2] In 2021, James was recognized by the Texas State University System Board of Regents as a Regents' Teacher.