Born in Adelaide, Australia, James Tanton received his PhD from Princeton University in 1994 and worked at the college level a number of years before developing a deep interest in secondary mathematics education. He is committed to sharing the beauty of the subject to all, especially at the formative teenage years. James is the founding director of the St. Mark's Institute of Mathematics, an outreach program designed to promote joyful and effective mathematics education. He is a full-time high school teacher at St. Mark's School, Southborough, MA, and he conducts mathematics graduate courses for teachers through Northeastern University's School of Education.

James is the author of SOLVE THIS:MATH ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS AND CLUBS (MAA, 2001), THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MATHEMATICS (Facts on File, 2005), and ten self-published texts. He is the 2001 and the 2002 recipient of the Trevor Evans Award, the 2005 recipient of the Beckenbach Book Prize, the 2006 recipient of the Kidder Faculty Prize at St. Mark's School and a 2010 recipient of the Raytheon Math Hero Award for excellence in school teaching. He was also just nominated for a Presidential Teaching Award. James continues to publish research and expository articles, and through his St. Mark's Institute of Mathematics research classes has helped high-school students pursue research projects and publish their results too.