Jim McDonald (electrical engineer)

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 and 2024,^[2] and is also a visiting professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.^[3]

Professor Sir Jim McDonald GBE FRSE FREng FInstP FIET FIEEE
McDonald in 2020
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde
Incumbent
Assumed office March 2009
Preceded by	Andrew Hamnett
Personal details
Born	James Rufus McDonald
Alma mater	University of Strathclyde (BSc), (MSc), (PhD)
Salary	£417,000 (2023–24)[1]

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 2006, he was appointed deputy principal responsible for research and was appointed as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde in March 2009. He has co-authored over 600 papers and three books.^[4]

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.^[5] McDonald served a full five-year term, stepping down in 2024.

In October 2024, McDonald announced that he would retire from his role at Strathclyde in August 2025 after 16 years.^[6] He will be succeeded by Professor Stephen McArthur.

In December 2024, the Scottish Government appointed McDonald as Chair of Scottish Enterprise^[7] for a period of 3 years.

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".^[8]

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^[9]

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.^[10]

Honours and fellowships

He was knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to education, engineering and the economy.^[11][12] 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.^[13][14] McDonald is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Academy of Engineering, Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Physics, the Energy Institute,^[4] and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.^[15]

He has also been honoured by overseas institutions as an Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering,^[16] Foreign Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering and as International Member of the US-based National Academy of Engineering.^[17]

He was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2024.^[18]