Marc Johnson

Background

About Marc Johnson

Prof. Johnson is a scientist, educator, science communicator, administrator and engaged member of the community. As a scientist, he is passionate about studying ecology and evolution to understand the diversity of life on Earth. His approach to science bridges traditionally disparate disciplines to answer novel questions using cutting edge tools. Most of his work integrates genetics/genomics, chemistry, statistics/bioinformatics and large experiments, including coordinating interdisciplinary collaborations of diverse teams working across the globe. He has published >100 peer-reviewed papers in leading scientific journals (e.g, Science, Nature, PNAS, Proceedings B) on diverse topics, such as the ecological and evolutionary responses of species to climate change, the biology of cities, the evolution of invasive species, plant reproduction, plant-herbivore, plant-pollinator, and plant-microbe interactions, and socio-eco-evolutionary dynamics. As an educator, Prof. Johnson enjoys training early career researchers to be great scientists, as well as introducing kids to the beauty and the importance of nature. He frequently speaks at public and private events, and he has extensive experience speaking with the media. As an administrator, he focuses on inclusive transciplinary leadership while working with academics, government, NGOs and the public. Together, they work to find solutions to some of the greatest socio-environmental problems facing our society. Prof. Johnson has received multiple awards for his work, including the NSERC EWR Steacie Fellowship, Canada Research Chair, CSEE Early Career Award, Ontario Early Researcher Award, the American Naturalist Young Investigator Award, the Governor General's Gold Medal, and >$5M in competitively awarded funding.