Dr. James Fraser serves as an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator at Virginia State University. His areas of focus include processes of urban development and locality building, and how individuals, groups, and communities experience environments which are produced. Specifically, his work on housing, urban development, and environmental risk have produced reports, policy briefs, and public presentations, in addition to scholarly publications.

Fraser and his colleagues provide project development, design, and evaluation services, and he has held the position of research principal for various projects involving public, nonprofit/philanthropic, and private clients. His scholarly articles and reports have been utilized to guide the development of programs and policies, such as providing testimony to the U.S. Congress regarding housing and urban development, as well as contributing to rule-making processes for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Prior to his tenure at Virginia State, Fraser served in various academic roles across different fields, such as Public Policy at Duke University, American Studies and Community Development at Vanderbilt University, Geography and City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina. In addition, he served as a founding director of the Center for Applied Social Research (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga).