Dr Shelley James

Ambassador

Design in Mental Health

Biography

Dr Shelley James is an international expert on light and health. She advises social housing and residential care providers around the world on evidence-led solutions to support wellbeing, safety, and independence in later life. Her work spans strategy, design guidance, team training, and evaluation of outcomes, with clients including WCS Care, St Monica Trust and Clarion Housing, as well as research institutions and regulators such as Oxford University and UCL Bartlett, the Society of Light and Lighting and the Lighting Industry Association.
A TEDx speaker with over 2 million views, Shelley is a member of the WELL Light Advisory, a Design In Mental Health Network Ambassador and a trained electrician, bringing both scientific insight and practical solutions to care settings.