James Mckay is the new centre manager for UNRISK, starting March 2025. James has over 15 years of experience managing 3 EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (Low Carbon Technologies EP/G036608/1, Bioenergy EP/L014912/1 and Water-WISER EP/S022066/1), as well as an EU Marie Curie Training Network.
James is also an artist and science communicator. He has illustrated both scientific papers and popular books about ancient life, including Dinosaurs of the British Isles (with Dean Lomax); Trilobites, Dinosaurs and Mammoths (Palaeontological Association); and most recently Yorkshire’s Amazing Dinosaur Coast, with Roger Osborne. His art depicting a Mesozoic forest from Antarctica featured on the cover of the journal Nature.
Described by author Rob Hopkins as ‘the man who draws the future’, James uses art to inspire climate action. His visions of a positive future where people adapt to and mitigate climate change have been informed by research projects within the CDTs. He has led collaborative public engagement projects including Dreams of a Low Carbon Future. His work has been featured on BBC radio, and was shortlisted for both the NCCPE Engage Awards (2014); and the IIASA international prize for visioning positive futures (2022).
