Dr Richard James is Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. He holds a BSc in Psychology, MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, and PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham. Prior to joining Loughborough in April 2026, he was Research Fellow, and Assistant Professor in Psychology, at the University of Nottingham.
Richard has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers, mainly focused on gambling and addictive behaviours, and has recently co-authored a book (Critical Perspectives on Smartphone Addiction, with Lucy Hitcham) analysing the use of addiction models in how we use technology.
At Loughborough, Richard contributes to BSc Psychology teaching, including supervision of dissertation students. He has previously led modules on the history of psychology, and social psychology.
Richard’s research focuses on gambling behaviour, gambling-related harm, and other potentially addictive behaviours. Richard has recently contributed to several major projects, including a landmark psychological autopsy into gambling and suicide, the suitability of routine gambling screening in secondary health provision, and an examination of the evidence base on digital media use in children aged under two.
Richard’s research on gambling has focused on a wide range of topics, primarily the interplay between gambling and technology (e.g., mobile gambling, online interactions about gambling and with operators), evaluating the measurement of gambling disorder and gambling harm, individual differences in gambling behaviour, and methods for cross-cultural comparisons of gambling behaviour. His research on behavioural addictions has focused on the methods and approaches used to determining whether a behaviour is potentially addictive, with a particular focus on smartphone addiction.
Richard is currently a UKRI Policy Fellow, seconded to the Gambling Commission from 2026 to 2027 to undertake secondary analysis on the Gambling Survey for Great Britain.
Richard is an editorial board member for International Gambling Studies, Journal of Gambling Studies, and BMC Psychiatry.