Sir Jim McDonald

Professor Sir Jim McDonald joined the University of Strathclyde in 1984 following seven years in the electric utility industry and was appointed to the Rolls-Royce Chair in Electrical Power Systems in 1993.

He became Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde in March 2009.

He Co-chairs, with the First Minister, the Scottish Government’s Energy Advisory Board. He is Chairman of the Independent Glasgow Economic Leadership Board and the Board of the Glasgow Science Centre.

He currently holds several senior business appointments: Independent Director of Scottish Power Energy Networks Holdings; Non-executive Director of the Weir Group; Non-executive Director of the UK Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult Board; and, Non-executive Director of the UK National Physical Laboratory.

He chairs two of the pan-Scotland university research pools in Energy and Engineering.

Previously he has been a Board Member of: Scottish Enterprise; UKTI Energy Excellence Board; and, Scottish Science Advisory Committee. He has held other company positions with ASCADA (acquired by GE) and Axeda Systems, a NASDAQ quoted company.

In the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List on 16 June 2012, Professor McDonald was awarded a Knighthood for services to education, engineering and the economy. In September 2013 Professor McDonald received the “Outstanding Contribution as a Business Leader” recognition at The Herald’s inaugural Inspiring City Awards event.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Institute of Physics.