Doug May joined the Economics Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1978 after holding appointments at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Saskatchewan, and Acadia University. He is the former head of the Department of Economics at Memorial and past president of the Atlantic Canada Economics Association. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of York in England. He is a member of the National Accounts Advisory Committee of Statistics Canada and the national working group of the Canadian Index of Well-being (Atkinson Foundation).
The author of numerous research reports and articles, he co-authored with Morley Gunderson the AIMS Research Report, "Towards Sustainable Development in Atlantic Canada: A Case for UI Reform," and, with Alton Hollett, co-wrote the C. D. Howe book, The Rock in a Hard Place. His current research interests range from understanding labour market dynamics to social accounting indicators of the determinations of well-being. In support of a more informed citizenry he has overseen the development of www.communityaccounts.ca with the Newfoundland and Labour Statistics Agency.