Conrad James facts for kids

Conrad D. James, born in 1974, is a politician and scientist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early Life and Education

Conrad James was born in Columbus, Ohio. He went to Walnut Ridge High School there. In 1996, he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He graduated with very high honors.

Later, he continued his studies at Cornell University. He earned a master's degree in 1999 and a Ph.D. in 2002. His advanced degrees were in applied and engineering physics. For his Ph.D., he studied how to create tiny devices. These devices could watch the electrical signals of brain cells grown in a lab.

Career Highlights

Working at Sandia National Labs

Since 2002, James has worked as a researcher. He works at the Sandia National Laboratories. There, he helps create biosensors. These are devices that can detect biological things.

His work has included studying how immune cells react to germs. He also looked at how engineered brain cell networks perform. James has published his research in many science journals. He also holds several patents for his inventions.

Serving in the New Mexico Legislature

In 2010, Conrad James ran for office. He became a representative for District 24. This district is in the New Mexico House of Representatives. He ran without anyone opposing him.

While in the legislature, he worked on important committees. These included the appropriations committee, which deals with money. He also served on the elections committee. He received an award for working well with both political parties. This award came from a group called New Mexico First.

In 2012, he received another award. It was called the "Soaring Eagle Award." He got it for helping pass laws that supported counties in New Mexico.

In 2012, he lost his re-election bid. He was defeated by Elizabeth Thomson. However, James ran again in 2014 and won. He defeated Elizabeth Thomson by about 400 votes. In 2015, James announced he would not run for re-election again.

Joining the University of New Mexico Board

In 2013, James was chosen to join a special board. This board oversees the University of New Mexico. He was appointed for a five-year term.

As a board member, he focused on important goals. He wanted to check how well minority students were doing at the university. He also looked at whether science and technology graduates were finding good jobs or going to graduate school. He also worked to create partnerships. These partnerships would help improve the university's science and technology programs.

On the board, Conrad James was the vice-chair of a finance committee. He also served on the board for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. This center includes the university's medical school and other health programs.

Political Views

Education

Conrad James supports charter schools. He believes that school lessons should focus on basic subjects. These include reading, writing, and math. He also thinks vocational subjects, like learning a trade, are important.

Public Employees

James believes that pay raises for government workers should match inflation. Inflation is when prices go up. He also supports increasing the retirement age for future public workers. He thinks it should be similar to other states. He does not support increasing pension benefits for government employees.

While in the legislature, James voted for a law. This law would stop government workers convicted of serious crimes from becoming lobbyists. It would also allow them to lose their pensions. The law also increased the jail time for bribery.

Tax Policy

James believes that taxes should be "low, simple, broad, and predictable." He thinks that any increase in government spending should match inflation and population growth. In the legislature, he supported a bill to lower corporate tax rates. This bill did not pass. James also opposes increasing the personal income tax rate.

Personal Life

Conrad James is married to Natasha James. They have one son and two daughters.