Strathclyde University

Strathclyde University, where Sir Jim has served as Principal and Vice Chancellor for 16 years

Sir Jim McDonald

Born 1957

Sir Jim McDonald

Electrical engineer, educator and government adviser. President of Royal Academy of Engineering 2019-24

Engineering Achievements

Jim was born in Glasgow and studied electrical engineering at Strathclyde University spending 7 years in the electric utility sector before returning to Strathclyde in 1984 as lecturer in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. He was appointed to the Rolls-Royce Chair of Electrical Power Systems in 1993 and became Principal and Vice-Chancellor in 2009. In 2012 he was knighted for services to education, engineering and the economy, and Knight Grand Cross in 2023 for services to engineering, education and energy. In 2019 he was the first Scottish engineer to become President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Sir Jim co-chairs, with the First Minister, the Scottish Government’s Energy Advisory Board. He is Chairman of the Independent Glasgow Economic Leadership Board and is a past-Chair of the Board of the Glasgow Science Centre.

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