Dr Macdonald is a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, his interests focus on four principal themes: (i) flood and drought frequency; (ii) the reconstruction of long hydrological and meteorological series from multiple sources, including proxy datasets; (iii) development of novel approaches and techniques to better understand and manage flood risk; and, (iv) the implementation of strategic drainage approaches, which focus on the practicalities of interdisciplinary collaboration across traditional boundaries (social, physical and environmental sciences). He has worked within the UK and EU. He current sits on the main committee of the British Hydrological Society and the British Institute at Ankara (British Academy) and is the UK representative on the EU eCOST Floodfreq programme.
