Australia is mourning the loss of Professor Emma Johnston AO, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and world-renowned marine ecologist, who died on Friday night at the age of just 52
Emma took the helm of the University of Melbourne in February and released her resilience strategy for the university just weeks ago.
Writing for The Conversation, Kylie Walker and Rob Brooks described their friend Emma as “a visionary leader in science and research, a passionate champion of the environment, a brilliant and engaging communicator, and a caring mentor.”
Emma was born in Melbourne and achieved early academic success, becoming the Dux of University High School, which now has a house named after her. Emma completed a PhD in marine ecology at the University of Melbourne. She went on to lecture at the University of NSW and create a research group studying the impacts of climate change and pollution on marine and coastal ecosystems.
Walker and Brooks write that Emma believed research should be about teamwork, rather than personal accolades. She supervised 33 PhD students, as well as honours students and postdoctoral researchers. Emma mentored countless colleagues. “Busy but never hurried, Emma was generous with her time and attention. She loved meeting bright and curious people.”
Still, Emma received an extensive list of awards, including the NSW Premier’s Award for Biological Sciences, the Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science Research, and the Australian Academy of Science’s Nancy Mills Medal for Women in Science. She was named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2018.
Emma served as president of Science & Technology Australia from 2017, where she established the Superstars of STEM program, which has significantly raised the profile of women and non-binary scientists. She was appointed Dean of Science at UNSW, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research at the University of Sydney and then most recently as Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
“Only 52 years old when she died from complications associated with cancer, she still wasn’t done with parenting. with saving the oceans and the planet, with nurturing and uplifting the next generation, or with remaking the Australian research and higher education landscape.”
Emma finalised a resilience strategy for Melbourne University in the weeks before her death, offering a refreshed roadmap for the second half of the decade to position the university “to grow, adapt and succeed in increasingly complex circumstances, to protect our academic mission and integrity while seizing new opportunities and addressing emerging challenges.”
Sharing the strategy on her LinkedIn, Emma wrote, “I’ve seen first-hand through the leadership and research roles I’ve held through my career how connections and partnerships build resiliency. Like natural ecosystems, institutions draw strength from the links they forge within and beyond.”
Vicki Thomson, the CEO of The Group of Eight, described Emmas as “simply amazing”.
“Brilliant in her science, principled in her leadership, and unfailingly generous as a colleague and mentor,” she said in a statement published by Go8 on Monday morning.
“Our heartfelt grief is shared across the nation’s universities and beyond. We have lost a remarkable leader and friend.”
Lisa Harvey-Smith described Emma as “one of the most impressive, kind and capable people I have ever worked with” and the reason to moved to UNSW in Sydney in 2018, where they worked together in establishing the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador.
Ryan Winn, the CEO of Science & Technology Australia, said that beyond scientific and leadership achievements, Emma’s gift was communication. “The ability to make complex ideas accessible. Her optimism, energy and humanity left an enduring mark on all who knew her, from policymakers to researchers.”
Futurist and academic Dr Catherine Ball described Professor Johnston as being a source of inspiration to her.
“The few times I met her, she was always so positive, strategic, kind and interesting.”
Vicki Manson, Head of the Australian Climate Services, remembered Emma as a “tireless innovator who delivered tangible results and inspired so many — especially women in science and leadership like me.”
Emma died on Boxing Day from complications arising from cancer. She is survived by her husband and two children.