Jim McDonald (electrical engineer)

Professor Sir James Rufus McDonald is a British engineer and educator, serving as principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde since 2009. He is the current president of the Royal Academy of Engineering 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 and of the Institute of Physics. 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.