Prior to joining the Coast Guard, CDR Royce W. James served with AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) as a Team Leader, he then graduated from USCG Boot Camp class Y-149 in 1996. CDR James attended New Mexico State University under the Coast Guard's College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) program and worked as a Project Engineer at the Command and Control Engineering Center (C2CEN) and from there was selected for the Academy Instructor Masters program. CDR James earned a Master's of Science Degree from Columbia University, and began teaching at the Coast Guard Academy in 2004. CDR James completed a Doctorate in Plasma Physics at Columbia's Plasma Physics Lab through Steven's Institute of Technology in December 2008. Since then he has been the PI of the Coast Guard Academy Plasma Lab (CGAPL), Department Equity Officer, Science Lecture Coordinator, Internship Coordinator, Co-founder/Director for CGA's Science Partnership for Innovation in Learning (Project SPIL), Genesis & Spectrum Council (CGA's Black and Gay Student Unions) and the Science Department Diversity & Inclusion Officer. CDR James recently served as the Head of the Physics Section at the Coast Guard Academy, is a co-founder of the New London Freedom School, a Science Technology and Mathematics Magnet School Board Member, and Member of the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council for the state of CT, National Black Engineer of the Year Awardee, and is currently an AFIT Visiting Faculty Fellow in the Engineering Physics Department. CDR James lives with his three daughters, son, and wife who is a recent graduate from Andover Newton Seminary with a Masters of Divinity.
Doctorate, Physics Department; Stevens Institute of Technology
Plasma Physics
MS Applied Physics, Applied Physics Department; Columbia University
Plasma Physics
BS Physics, New Mexico State University; University Honors
Minors -Music and Mathematics
2019 - Air Force Institute of Technology Visiting Faculty Fellow
2019 - Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal
2018 - Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA): Professional Achievement Award
2017 - Unitarian Universalist Association President’s International Award for Volunteer Service
2017 - Special Congressional Recognition for Volunteer Service to Children and Families
2015 - US Coast Guard Academy’s Center for Academic Studies Summer Fellowship Award
2014 - US Coast Guard Academy’s Ms. Frances Neal Humanitarian Award
2011 - Coast Guard Commendation Medal
2008 - Coast Guard Representative for National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astronaut Selection Process
2007 - US Coast Guard Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff (military version of Tenured Professor) sworn in – selected in 2005
2005 - Columbia University Research Fellow
2004 - Alliance for Minority Participation and Alliances for Graduate Education in the Professoriate fellowship
2003 - Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and Alliances for Graduate Education in the Professoriate fellowship 2010 Planning Committee Member.
2003 - Most Outstanding Alumni (RASEM)
2002 - Coast Guard Letter of Commendation
2002 - Coast Guard Academy Instructor (Physics)
2000 - Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal
1999 - Most Outstanding Graduating Senior, New Mexico State University's College of Arts and Sciences
1999 - Crimson Scholar, New Mexico State University
1999 - Society of Physics Students Undergraduate Research Award
1999 - Presenter at the International Conference of Physics Students Helsinki, Finland
1999 - National Society of Black Engineers and Scientists Fellow
Refereed Publications:
Un-Refereed Publications: