Jim joined The Dow Chemical Company (TDCC) in 1988. He worked on the development of new products for Dow AgroSciences (DAS) from 1989 until 2001 that included Metosulam, Cloransulam Methyl, Diclosulam, and Glyphosate. He developed technologies that included heteroaromatic cyclization, chlorodehydroxylation, pyrimidine modifications, chloroxidation, sulfonamides, oxidative dehydrogenation, and carbon catalyzed oxidation chemistry.
He became a Technical Leader in 1998 for Technology Development, in 2000 for the DAS New Products Development Group, and in 2002 added New Product Formulations. In 2002, Jim joined TDCC Core R&D organization as the Process Sciences Leader and Senior Technical Leader for Process Sciences in 2004. In 2010, he became Director of Process Chemistry & Development and in 2011 was named Director of Engineering & Process Science.
Jim graduated from Purdue University (B.S. Chemistry) and University of Wisconsin (Ph.D. Organic Chemistry). He holds 11 issued U.S. Patents. He was a recipient of TDCC Michigan Scientists Organization Excellence in Science Award for a novel catalytic sulfonamide coupling technology. Jim has received the DAS “Increase the Slope Award” in 1994 and 1999, a TDCC WRAP award, Technology Center Awards for manufacturing improvements and the 2013 Noland Poffenberger Award from AIChE for leadership of the Chemical Engineering profession.