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Jim McDonald (electrical engineer)

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British engineer and educator

ProfessorSir Jim McDonaldGBE FRSE FREng FInstP FIET FIEEE
McDonald in 2020
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 2009
Preceded byAndrew Hamnett
Personal details
BornJames Rufus McDonald
Alma materUniversity of Strathclyde (BSc), (MSc), (PhD)
Salary£389,000 (2021–22)

Sir James Rufus McDonald is a British engineer and educator, serving as principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde since 2009. He served as the president of the Royal Academy of Engineering between 2019-2024, and is also a visiting professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Career

After seven years of work within the UK electricity supply industry, McDonald joined Strathclyde University in 1984 and became professor of electrical power systems in 1993. In 2001 he was invited to deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. He chose the subject "Electric Propulsion in Marine Applications: An Electrical Engineer's Viewpoint". In 2006, he was appointed deputy principal responsible for research. He has co-authored over 600 papers and three books.

On 15 February 2019, the Royal Academy of Engineering announced that its Trustee Board had nominated McDonald as its presidential candidate for election by Fellows at the September 2019 AGM. Following his election, McDonald will serve a term of five years and has become the Academy's first Scottish president.

McDonald delivered an TEDx talk at the 2021 Annual Ideas Conference organised by TEDxUniversity of Strathclyde under the theme "Resilience Reignited". During his TED talk, McDonald discussed a systems engineering approach to achieving net zero by 2050 which includes the use of steam reforming. "Net Zero" means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - achieving this means reducing emissions as much as possible as well as balancing out those that remain by an equivalent amount

He highlighted the factors in energy which need to be taken in consideration if we are to achieve a decarbonised future - factors such as affordability, reliability, economic opportunity and public engagement. He spoke about the importance of leadership, policy making and resilient infrastructure in the goal towards creating a sustainable future.

Honours and fellowships

McDonald is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Academy of Engineering, Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 

He was knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to education, engineering and the economy. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to engineering, education and energy. He was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2024.

References

  1. "Financial Statements 2021-22" (PDF). Strathclyde University. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. "Sir Jim McDonald confirmed as President of the Royal Academy of Engineering". Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  3. "Sir Jim McDonald, BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, CEng | NYU Tandon School of Engineering". Engineering.nyu.edu. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  4. "Hugh Miller Macmillan". Macmillan Memorial Lectures. Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. ^ University of Strathclyde. "Principal and Vice Chancellor". University website. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  6. "Royal Academy of Engineering set to elect its first Scottish President - Royal Academy of Engineering". Royal Academy of Engineering set to elect its first Scottish President (Press release).
  7. "What is net zero and how are the UK and other countries doing?". BBC News. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  8. A systems engineering approach to Net Zero by 2050, retrieved 14 March 2022
  9. IEEE. "IEEE Fellow Class of 2025" (PDF). Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  10. "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 1.
  11. Cabinet Office (15 June 2012). "The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2012". Cabinet Office press releases. HM Government. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  12. "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N9.
  13. "New Year Honours 2024: Full UK list of those recognised". The Herald. 29 December 2023.
  14. "Scottish Engineering – Hall of Fame – Sir Jim McDonald". The Institution of Engineers in Scotland. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
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