James is the Principal Investigator of the By-Band-Sleeve study in Southampton and undertakes in the surgical procedures in the study. Mr Byrne strives to provide a very high quality service together with the rest of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). James created a multidisciplinary bariatric surgical research group in Southampton with experts in Public Health, Health Economics, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Primary Care and user involvement. He was awarded an NHS RFPB grant for £220K (2009) to evaluate role of bariatric surgery amongst diabetics with a BMI of 30-40.