Sir Jim McDonald made Knight Grand Cross in New Year honours

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRS is the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde.

He has been honoured for his services to engineering, education and energy.

Created in 1917, the Knight and Dame Grand Cross is the most senior rank of the Order of the British Empire.

Fewer than 115 of the awards have been bestowed in the past 60 years, with only 27 awarded this century.

Sir Jim was knighted in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday honours list in June 2012 for services to education, engineering and the economy.

He was elected President of the Royal Academy of Engineering in October 2019, becoming the first Scot to hold the post.

Sir Jim said: “I am deeply honoured to have been recognised by His Majesty in this way.

"It is a huge privilege to be principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde and to hold the presidency of the Royal Academy of Engineering, one of the UK’s National Academies.

"The discipline of engineering – particularly in the field of energy – and the institution of Strathclyde are both very close to my heart and to receive such recognition for my work in these areas is incredibly humbling.

“I lead a fantastic team at Strathclyde and this award also recognises the help I’ve received from a huge number of people who have contributed to my personal development, professional opportunities and career over many years in academia, industry and public service.

"Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of my wife Eileen and that of my children, family and friends.”

A three-time graduate of Strathclyde University, Sir Jim worked in the electrical utility sector for seven years before returning in 1984 as a lecturer in Electrical Engineering.

He was appointed to the Rolls-Royce Chair in Electrical Power Systems in 1993 and became principal and vice-chancellor of Strathclyde in March 2009.

Sir Jim is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and co-chairs, with the First Minister, the Scottish Government’s Energy Advisory Board.

He is chair of the Independent Glasgow Economic Leadership Board, co-chairs the Sino-UK Engineering and Technology Steering Committee and is also a Trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

He is a Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Physics, the Energy Institute, the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow.

He has been inducted as an International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering and as a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Sir Jim currently also holds several senior non-executive business appointments on the boards of ScottishPower, the Weir Group and the UK National Physical Laboratory.

He chairs two of the pan-Scotland University Research Partnerships in Energy and Engineering.