James Barnes

Bio

James Barnes is an Assistant Research Professor in the College of Design, Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, and the Natural Learning Initiative. A landscape ecologist and designer by training, his research explores the intersection of biodiversity, human well-being, and the design of environments. Barnes’s current work focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to integrating ecology into the built environment, particularly in public schools and other learning environments, leveraging these spaces as hubs for community resilience and environmental education through emerging technologies.

James is currently completing his Ph.D. in the Constructed Environment at the University of Virginia (spring 2025), researching “Tactical Growth: Socio-Ecological Investigations of Biophilic Tactical Urbanism in Learning Environments.” He also holds an M.S. in Plant Biology from the University of Vermont. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture, ACADIA (Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture), and Divergence in Architectural Research. He has received national fellowships from The U.S. Geological Survey, The National Audubon Society, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. 

Prior to his doctoral studies, James led landscape-scale biodiversity restoration projects for over a decade with organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Piedmont Environmental Council. In another life, he founded the X-Labs Augmented / Virtual Reality & Spatial Technologies program at James Madison University.