Overview
- The marine ecologist died of cancer less than a year after her February 2025 appointment as the university’s first female vice-chancellor.
- Tributes from university leaders, peak bodies and the education minister praised her leadership, mentorship and national impact.
- She previously held senior roles at UNSW and the University of Sydney and served on the CSIRO board and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
- Her recent work included finalising a Resilience strategy as the first step in her 10‑year plan for the university.
- Johnston’s honours include Officer of the Order of Australia (2018) and election to the Australian Academy of Science (2022), alongside 185 peer‑reviewed papers and more than 35 supervised students.