Dr Chris Macdonald is a behavioural scientist, founder, and author. At Lucy Cavendish College, Chris is a Lab Director and a Fellow. Chris is also a Fellow at the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, a Public Engagement Fellow at Cambridge Zero, and he supervises research at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Chris has a diverse portfolio of professional experience including working as a consultant, technical director, and manager for leading-edge tech companies in North America. When he returned to the UK, Chris established the multi-award-winning tech start-up Cambridge VR which builds best-in-class digital tools for education and healthcare. Chris is also the Founder and Director of the Better Protein Institute which is accelerating the transition to sustainable sources of protein. Dr Macdonald is the author of Operation Sustainable Human, a book which reveals the most impactful climate solutions.
Chris has received multiple awards for his pioneering research—including Cambridge University’s Excellence Award for improving the efficacy of interventions that increase sustainable food consumption; the National Innovation Award for a project that uses virtual reality to better translate and visualise emissions data; and the Digital Health Award for using virtual reality to create the most effective treatment for speech anxiety.
Dr Chris Macdonald was recently crowned the winner of the 40 Under 40 Award in the highly competitive Science and Innovation category. This prestigious award scheme identifies and celebrates the nation’s most influential and outstanding leaders. Chris is also the recipient of the Global EdTech Award for Best Start-up and he is currently a finalist for the Education Innovator of the Year Award, and the Times Higher Education, Digital Innovation of the Year Award.
Chris's research has been widely covered by mainstream media: The Guardian, The Times, BBC Science, ITV News, and many others.
• To read Chris's latest research paper on sustainable food, click here.
• To read Chris's latest research paper on VR health tech, click here.
• To contact Chris, click here.