Vale Professor Emma Johnston AO
The Melbourne Business School Director and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne will be remembered for her significant impact on higher-education, science and research.
Melbourne Business School was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emma Johnston AO, due to complications associated with cancer.
Professor Johnston commenced as the University of Melbourne’s 21st Vice-Chancellor in February 2025, returning to the University where she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, ultimately achieving a Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Ecology.
In her capacity as Vice-Chancellor, she also assumed a role as Director of the School.
Dean of Melbourne Business School, Professor Jenny George expressed her profound grief upon hearing the news.
“I am personally so sad. Emma was a wonderful, positive person with a razor-sharp mind. It is rare to meet and have the privilege to work with someone who combines all the best intellectual skills with a truly great heart and warm style,” she said.
“In her role as a Director of the School, she made a significant impact on the direction of the School and her contributions will continue to leave a lasting legacy.
“I know the entire School community will join me in mourning Emma’s loss and we extend our greatest sympathy to her family, friends and loved ones.”
Professor Johnston established her academic career at the University of New South Wales, where she rose to the positions of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Dean of Science, and at the University of Sydney, where she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).
She had a prominent research profile, specialising in the ecological impacts of human activities in marine ecosystems. She was a chief author of the current State of Environment Report for Australia and has authored 185 peer-reviewed journal articles and supervised more than 35 Higher Degree students.
She was a Director of the CSIRO and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a Governor of the Ian Potter Foundation, and former President of Science and Technology Australia.
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,” Ms 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.
“She had an unwavering commitment to our students. Be it cost-of-living pressures, to scholarships, to teaching, to their research – she did everything she could to ensure our students were best equipped to achieve their goals. Most of all, she just liked spending time with them to hear their stories. They were her inspiration.
“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.”
In 2022, Professor Johnston was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2018 for her distinguished service to higher education, particularly to marine ecology, ecotoxicology and research institutes.
You can view the University of Melbourne’s full statement on their website.
