James is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University. His research group is broadly interested in leveraging synthetic organic chemistry to address problems at the interface of chemistry, biology, and medicine. His research focuses on the chemical synthesis of biologically active natural products, which may hold promise for the design of new medicines. He also leads Lento Bio’s collaboration/novel compound design and research on presbyopia. 

Frederich received his B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Oregon, earned his doctorate from University of California, Irvine in 2011 and joined FSU's faculty in 2014 after completing an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. Most recently, Frederich was among eight faculty members to earn a 2024 Developing Scholar Award from FSU.