Microeconomic theory, industrial organization, public economics, environmental economics, health economics, sustainability, R&D and translational research

Current Role & Background

Stuart McDonald is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), where he serves as Deputy Head of the School of Economics and Director of the Smart Medicine Laboratory. He previously held positions at Renmin University of China and the University of Queensland, and was an early-career Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology.

Research Programme: From Theory to Translation

McDonald's research investigates how cooperation and information-sharing emerge in decentralized systems. His early-career work, published in journals including Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of Public Economics, Economic Inquiry, and Public Choice, examined network formation, public goods, and strategic interaction under imperfect information. This theoretical framework—centered on collective-action problems and network dynamics—provides the intellectual foundation for his subsequent work.

Since joining UNNC, McDonald has extended this framework to applied and translational research. His work on network dynamics and collective-action problems informs his contributions to COVID-19 transmission modelling (Journal of Medical Virology) and longitudinal studies on adolescent health outcomes (BMC Public Health, Frontiers in Public Health, Nutrients). He contributes quantitative modelling and economic-analysis expertise to these multidisciplinary clinical collaborations.

The unifying objective across this progression is the design of systems that optimize information flows—a problem that spans theoretical economics, health-policy analysis, and clinical technology translation. His work embeds social-science insights into technical innovation, ensuring that incentives, institutions, and collective behaviour inform the development of health technologies. This work has accumulated approximately 300 citations with an h-index of 8 (Google Scholar, June 2026).

Technology Translation & Clinical Partnerships

McDonald's research has generated a portfolio of patent applications in health monitoring and data security, reflecting the translational orientation of the Smart Medicine Laboratory:

• A utility patent application for a sleep apnea detection system (CN202610564061.3) – published and under substantive examination, with feasibility studies ongoing in partnership with Ningbo No. 2 Hospital.
• Three design patents for wearable heart-rate monitor cases (wL01–wL03); wL02 has been published. A separate utility patent application for the core detection algorithm is in preparation.
• An invention application for a blockchain-based health data-sharing framework (CN202510160506.7).

The laboratory is developing prototypes and assessing commercial feasibility, supported by a Proof of Concept Centre Start-Up Grant (¥50,000). Student co-inventors are named on several patents, integrating research training with technology development.

Grants & Research Income

McDonald has been PI or Co-I on several municipal and institutional grants, totalling approximately ¥1.2M RMB, supporting early-stage feasibility studies and prototype development. Current projects include a Ningbo Municipal Higher Education Research project (as PI) and a China Beacons Grant (as Co-I, ¥153,200) supporting a cross-disciplinary summer school.

Teaching & Doctoral Supervision

McDonald teaches Health Economics and Policy (ECON4044) and Industrial Organization (ECON3078). 

He has supervised eleven PhD completions to date (including the majority as primary supervisor) and currently supervises six doctoral students as primary supervisor. UNNC completions have averaged 3.5 years, in line with UK doctoral norms. He received the Ningbo Municipal Award for Outstanding PhD Supervision in 2023.

External Engagement & Recognition

McDonald has acted as a media commentator on economic policy and health technology. He was co-recipient of the UNNC RKE Impact Award for Policy Engagement (2024) for research on air pollution and public health that informed Ningbo Health Guidelines. He has received institutional commendations, including an Outstanding Contribution Award from the UNNC Association of Science and Technology (2023) and nominations for the Lord Dearing Teaching Award (2019, 2024). He serves as a manuscript referee for several economics and operations-research journals