Craig Douglas was born on 2 April 1944, Dundee [Scotland]. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, 1949--1952, then Perth Academy, 1952--1962, before taking his B.Sc. at the University of Edinburgh, 1966, then moving to Cambridge for a PhD, 1969, where his Supervisor was Professor Sir Martin Ryle, and his thesis was on `The Evolution of Extragalactic Radio Sources'.

Mackay's career has included the following: SRC Research Fellowship 1969--1972, Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, Cambridge; Senior Assistant in Research 1972--1977, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge; Assistant Director of Research 1977--1998, Institute of Astronomy; Lecturer, 1998-2001, Institute of Astronomy; Senior Lecturer, 2001-04, Institute of Astronomy; Reader in Image Science, 2004-09, Institute of Astronomy; Professor of Image Science, 2009 - , Institute of Astronomy.