James Pierce's research uses design to understand and address challenging social issues through the production of critical insights and forward-looking alternatives. His current research focuses on privacy, security, and ethical challenges connected to the rise of interactive, networked, and data-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. As a design researcher, he practices and reflects upon design as a mode of inquiry, participatory engagement, and speculative exploration.

Pierce has published over 50 peer-reviewed and edited articles in journals and conference proceedings spanning the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, and Design Research. His work has been awarded multiple Best Paper awards and nominations at conferences including ACM Human Factors in Computing Systems (SIGCHI), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), and Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp).

He became a member of the University of Washington faculty in September 2020.