Dr Scott McGrane
Senior Lecturer
Economics
Personal statement
I am a University of Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow (Society and Policy) since May 2019, having originally joined the Department of Economics (Fraser of Allander Institute) at the University of Strathclyde in September 2017, working on a collaborative project alongside the Department of Physics and the Stanford Photonics Research Center.
My backrgound is in environmental science, though I pride myself in being a truly interdisciplinary researcher. My qualifications include an MA(Hons) in Geography and Environmental Science, and a Master of Research (MRes) in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Dundee. I completed my PhD at the University of Aberdeen in 2013 in catchment hydrology, undertaking research that explored the impacts of environmental perturbations on natural river dynamics in Scottish uplands.
My research interests have continued to address the impacts of environmental change on large river systems. Between 2013 and 2016 I worked as a research fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey, working on a NERC funded project that sought to assess and model the impacts of urbanisation and climate change on water quality in the Thames Basin. In 2016, I moved to the School of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Glasgow, working on an EPSRC project that sought to determine the interlinkages and feedbacks that exist between water, energy and food systems in the UK.
I am the Honorary Treasurer (and executive committee member) for the British Hydrological Society. I also serve as an expert reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the upcoming Sixth Assessment Report, and I am part of the Position Statement authorship team for the American Geophysical Union, where I was recently involved in the determination of a climate change position statement for 2019.
My research investigates the role natural resources play in economic systems, and identifying the impacts of environmental change on economic sectors at a regional, national and international scale. Through my involvement with the Global Environmental Measurement and Monitoring (GEMM) Network at Strathclyde, I seek to explore how advances in earth observational technologies can better inform us on the likely impacts of climate change at a sub-national level, helping to drive the development of relative climate and environmental policies.
I am open to supporting PhD students that are interested in the role of the natural environment in economic systems, and undertaking transdisciplinary approaches to understanding the likely impacts of environmental change on human-environment systems (including economic impacts, health impacts, environmental system impacts and natural hazards).
Prize And Awards
- Research Excellence Award: Assessing the Economic Impacts of Environmental Extremes on Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Resources in California
- Recipient
- 25/11/2021
- Hydro Nations PhD Scholarship
- Recipient
- 24/11/2021
- Honorary Treasurer: British Hydrological Society
- Recipient
- 5/9/2018
Publications
- Development of an interdisciplinary conceptual framework to understand marine energy transitions in North Sea coastal communities
- Gormley Kate, Burdon Daryl, Atkinson David, Bevan Anne, Harland Jennifer, Jæger Sofie Illemann, Kerr Sandy, Lee Daniel HJ, McCarron Amy, McGrane Scott, McWhinnie Lauren H, Potts T, Shapovalova Daria, Sheehy Jack, Thomas Antonia, Alexander Karen
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition Vol 9 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2026.100143
- Understanding patterns and drivers of changing sectoral economic water use in Scotland
- Clemens Maria, McGrane Scott, White Christopher J
- Water Resources Management Vol 40 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-026-04574-7
- Lessons learned in institutional preparedness and response during the 2022 European drought
- Biella Riccardo, Shyrokaya Anastasiya, Pechlivanidis Ilias, Cid Daniela, Llasat Maria Carmen, Tootoonchi Faranak, Wens Marthe, Lam Marleen, Stenfors Elin, Sutanto Samuel, Ridolfi Elena, Ceola Serena, Alencar Pedro, Baldassarre Giuliano Di, Ionita Monica, de Brito Mariana Madruga, McGrane Scott J, Moccia Benedetta, Nagavciuc Viorica, Russo Fabio, Krakovska Svitlana, Todorovic Andrijana, Trambauer Patricia, Vignola Raffaele, Teutschbein Claudia
- Natural Hazards and Earth System Science Vol 26, pp. 955-979 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-955-2026
- Water in computable general equilibrium models : review, synthesis and avenues for future research
- Al Hosni Saba, McGrane Scott J, Figus Gioele, Tortajada Cecilia
- Environmental Modelling and Software Vol 197 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2025.106839
- A systematic review of climate change impacts on mine water resources using the UK as a case study
- Gillen Clodagh F, Burnside Neil M, McGrane Scott J, Roberts Jennifer J
- Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology Vol 59 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2025-149
- The 2022 drought needs to be a turning point for European drought risk management
- Biella Riccardo, Shyrokaya Anastasiya, Ionita Monica, Vignola Raffaele, Sutanto Samuel, Todorovic Andrijana, Teutschbein Claudia, Cid Daniela, Llasat Maria Carmen, Alencar Pedro, Matano Alessia, Ridolfi Elena, Moccia Benedetta, Pechlivanidis Ilias G, Van Loon Anne F, Wendt Doris E, Stenfors Elin, Russo Fabio, Vidal Jean-Philippe, Barker Lucy, de Brito Mariana Madruga, Lam Marleen, Bláhová Monika, Trambauer Patricia, Hamed Raed, McGrane Scott, Ceola Serena, Bakke Sigrid J, Krakovska Svitlana, Nagavciuc Viorica, Tootoonchi Faranak, Di Baldassarre Giuliano, Hauswirth Sandra, Maskey Shreedhar, Zubkovych Svitlana, Wens Marthe, Tallaksen Lena M
- Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Vol 25, pp. 4475-4501 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-4475-2025
Professional Activities
- International Gothic Association
- Participant
- 30/7/2026
- Water in the Forth Export Ecosystem: Future Scenarios 2050
- Organiser
- 15/7/2026
- The Role of Governments in Driving Forward Climate Change Ambition
- Chair
- 25/3/2026
- World Water Day 2025
- Chair
- 24/3/2025
- ISPF-SFC funded Workshop
- Participant
- 5/12/2024
- The Impact of Water Quality on Regional Economic Growth
- Speaker
- 11/2022
Projects
- FORTH2O Scenarios 2050: Building resilient water Strategies for Scotland’s Export Ecosystem
- Marin Cadavid, Carolina (Principal Investigator) Macdonald, Emma (Co-investigator) McGrane, Scott (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
- Sustainable Medication or Medicines: A Whole-System Approach to Curbing the Carbon Footprint of Medicines in Community Care for Vulnerable Older Adults
- Connolly, Kevin (Principal Investigator) Hamilton, Kathy (Co-investigator) McGrane, Scott (Co-investigator) Khedmati Morasae, Esmaeil (Co-investigator) Watson, Margaret (Co-investigator) Smart, Bethany (Co-investigator)
- ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Funding
- 01-Jan-2025 - 22-Jan-2025
- TRANSitions in Energy for Coastal communities over Time and Space
- McGrane, Scott (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2028
- Digitising Water Resilience – Krucial Acting on Water Stress in Basins
- White, Chris (Principal Investigator) McGrane, Scott (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2025
- Effects of climate change on minewater geothermal prospects: An assessment of minewater resource climate resilience and implications for decarbonising heating and cooling
- Burnside, Neil (Principal Investigator) McGrane, Scott (Co-investigator) Roberts, Jen (Co-investigator) Gillen, Clodagh (Post Grad Student)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2026
- Assessing the Economic Impacts of Environmental Extremes on Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Resources in California
- McGrane, Scott (Principal Investigator)
- This PhD studentship will address the impacts of environmental extremes on the economy of the US State of California. The research will explore how the structure of the California economy has changed in the past 20 years, and assess how alterations to the natural environment have impacted the way the economy operates. It will specifically address the impacts of drought on water, energy and food systems, seeking to determine where vulnerabilities are within the economy to climatic change.
- 26-Jan-2022 - 25-Jan-2025