Trent University Saddened to Learn of the Passing of Professor Emeritus Donald Mackay

The University community is saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emeritus Donald Mackay, who made an indelible mark in the field of environmental chemistry and chemical modelling. Dr. Mackay dedicated seven years of his career to Trent before his retirement in 2002.

Dr. Mackay was first appointed NSERC Industrial Chair in 1995 and became the first and founding director of the Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre at Trent. He was also a professor in the Environmental & Resource Studies program and a fellow of Champlain College. His impact extended beyond the walls of his classroom as a dedicated supporter of Trent, including ongoing support for Champlain College and the establishment of graduate bursaries for students.

In 2019, Trent University dedicated the Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre to Don Mackay’s legacy, as well as the space located on the fourth floor of Bata Library named the “Don Mackay Environmental Modelling Room”.

A legendary figure in environmental chemistry circles, Dr. Mackay both literally and figurately wrote the book on multimedia fugacity models, which allow researchers and regulators to calculate how chemicals behave in the environment, where they accumulate, how they persist, and how they make their way into the food webs of wildlife and humans. He also authored many other books and over 650 scientific research papers. For many years Dr. Mackay had been keenly aware of the need to put advanced quantum-mechanical methods to the task of estimating key properties of chemicals that are needed for environmental fate modelling. Over the last decade, he worked collaboratively with his departmental colleague Dr. Mark Parnis to develop skills in this area, resulting in new capacity at Trent for this type of work and a significant number of joint publications on chemical property estimation. He also worked with Dr. Parnis to update and expand the third edition of his classic book Multimedia Environmental Modelling: The Fugacity Approach, published in 2020.

For his outstanding contributions to science, Dr. Mackay was recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee award, and the Order of Canada, along with many other international and national awards. He was also the first Canadian to receive the prestigious Honda Prize for his work on eco-technology.

Beyond academia, Prof. Mackay is remembered as a people person, known for his approachability and genuine nature. He fostered strong bonds with his students, many of whom became a part of his “academic family.”

As stated in his obituary, “Throughout his life Don was relentlessly curious and always considered himself to have the inquisitive nature of a scientist, but with the practical approach of an engineer in the finest Scottish tradition.”

The University extends its heartfelt sympathies to Dr. Mackay's family, friends, and all who knew him at Trent.