Who is Emma Johnston? Melbourne University vice chancellor dead at 52 after brief cancer battle

Melbourne University vice chancellor Professor Emma Johnston has died at the age of 52 after a brief battle with cancer, the university confirmed. Johnston, who became the institution’s 21st vice chancellor earlier this year, was a highly respected marine ecologist and academic leader. She was widely admired for her research on human impacts on marine ecosystems and for her commitment to science, education and public service. A former deputy vice chancellor at the University of Sydney and dean at UNSW, Johnston was an Officer of the Order of Australia. Tributes have poured in from across academia, government and the scientific community.

According to Financial Review, Emma - who died over the weekend - had continued working until Christmas, with few aware that she was unwell. As a result, her death has come as a shock to many across the university community. The Johnston family said they have been deeply moved by the response from the university community and beyond, releasing a statement through the university following her death.

"We have been greatly comforted in our heartbreak by the outpouring of love and respect for Emma and her work," a spokesperson for the family said. "We know she touched so many lives and her legacy will continue through the work of her many students, colleagues and mentees."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma L Johnston (@dremmaljohnston)

WHO IS EMMA JOHNSTON?

Born in 1973 and raised in Melbourne, Emma Johnston showed early leadership through her passion for science and environmental action. According to The Conversation, she led many student initiatives at Dux of University High School including an environment group and a recycling program. After completing a PhD in marine ecology at the University of Melbourne, she joined the University of New South Wales in 2001, where she built a highly regarded research team and founded the Sydney Harbour Research Program to address pollution and climate change.

Johnston later rose to senior leadership roles at UNSW as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Dean of Science, and at the University of Sydney as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). A leading marine ecologist, she specialised in human impacts on marine ecosystems, authored 185 peer-reviewed papers, supervised more than 35 higher degree students, and served in key national roles including Director of CSIRO and President of Science and Technology Australia.

In 2022, Professor Johnston was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and, in 2018, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her outstanding service to higher education, particularly in marine ecology, ecotoxicology and research leadership.

University of Melbourne Chancellor Jane Hansen AO paid tribute to Professor Johnston.

"Professor Johnston made a significant and meaningful contribution during her all too-brief time as our vice-chancellor," Hansen said. "Her extensive experience as a leader in education and research, her understanding of the increasingly complex university environment and her care for our entire community leaves an imprint that belies her short tenure."

"In 11 short months, she helped our University focus its collective intelligence on how best to advance its crucial academic mission, in which she so strongly believed, through a new strategy called Resilience.

"This is a loss not only to our University, the higher education sector, the research and science sectors - but to the nation. It will be felt by all those who had the privilege to know and work with her," Hansen added.

The university added that her significant contributions to the higher education sector would be formally recognised at a later time, in line with her family’s wishes.