He completed his undergraduate studies in Medical Laboratory Science at the Queensland University of Technology.1)
MacKay is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Queensland.2) He formerly worked with the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases (QPID) Research Group at the Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre (SASVRC), and the Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute (QCMRI).
In 2015, he left research and moved to a Supervising Scientist role in Queensland Health.
MacKay has served as a consultant for Firebrick Pharma.3)