Dr. Jim MacKenzie, since 1986, has been a Senior Associate in WRI's Program in Climate, Energy and Pollution. He is author or co-author of numerous books and studies on transportation (including climate impacts, financial subsidies, electric cars, and impacts on US culture), climate change, energy security, acid rain and its impacts on trees, and global oil resources. MacKenzie is a Professorial Lecturer in the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University and a Visiting Fellow in the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Program.

Prior to joining WRI, Dr. MacKenzie was a Senior Staff Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) from 1981 through May 1986. At UCS MacKenzie authored numerous articles and papers on various aspects of the energy issue including nuclear power safety, conservation, solar energy, and global oil resources. From 1977 to 1981 Dr. MacKenzie was Senior Staff Member for Energy at the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). At CEQ he co-authored reports on solar energy, conservation, and the "greenhouse" problem. While at CEQ he co-chaired the Impacts Panel of the Domestic Policy Review leading to President Carter's Solar Message of 1979. Between 1970 and 1977 MacKenzie was a member of the Joint Scientific Staff of the Massachusetts and National Audubon Societies where he wrote and lectured extensively on energy issues.

Dr. MacKenzie received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Minnesota and completed post graduate work at Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories and MIT before joining the Audubon Society.