Craig Johnson

Professor Craig Johnson is Head of the Ecology & Biodiversity Centre at the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (IMAS), and associate Director of IMAS. He completed his PhD in Nova Scotia in Canada and subsequently worked at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Canada, University of Cape Town, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Griffith University, and University of Queensland before moving to take up the Chair in Zoology at the University of Tasmania in 1997.

His research is broadly concerned with the space-time dynamics of marine ecosystems, encompassing interactions among suites of organisms spanning bacteria, algae, invertebrates and fish. Most of his work has focused on temperate and tropical reefs, but is now expanding to include ecological dynamics of the Southern Ocean. The unifying theme of his recent work is to discern ‘tipping points’ in marine systems and identify management options to avoid them. His research activity is equally divided between field work, largely focused on conducting in situ experiments underwater, and building computer models of marine system dynamics. His research is published in over 130 peer-reviewed publications including several edited books, and he maintains a productive lab of post doctoral researchers and graduate students.