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Professor

Christopher Johnson

Professor

Biological Sciences

Orcid identifier0000-0002-9719-3771
  • Professor
    Biological Sciences
  • +61 3 6226 2745 (Fax)
  • +61 3 6226 6634 (Work)
  • School of Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, 342 Life Sciences Building, Sandy Bay Campus, TAS

BIO

Professor Chris Johnson is an ecologist and conservation biologist. His research investigates many problems that are relevant to the conservation of biodiversity, in four main themes: (i) the causes of extinction of species in prehistory and the recent past; (ii) the effects on ecosystems of top predators and large herbivores, and the ecological consequences of loss of such species; (iii) the environmental history of Australia; and (iv) the management of threatened and invasive species of wildlife. Professor Johnson has written more than 230 scientific papers and a book, on many aspects of the ecology and conservation of wildlife, and received awards including the Eureka Prize for Environmental Research and the Australian Ecology Research Award.

Biography

Chris Johnson studied for his Bachelor and Doctoral degrees at the University of New England in Armidale, where he did research on the behaviour and ecology of kangaroos and wallabies. After graduation he worked for the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory in Alice Springs and the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife in Rockhampton, studying endangered species such as the bilby and northern hairy-nosed wombat, and the Australian National University where he did research on the evolution of sex ratios in mammals. He also worked at the University of Cambridge as a visitor with the Large Animal Research Group. He then took up an ARC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, where he studied complex interactions between marsupials, fire and fungi in Tasmanian forests. At the end of this fellowship he moved from Hobart to a lecturing position at James Cook University in Townsville, where he remained for 18 years and became a Professor. During this period he also held visiting positions at the Australian National University and the University of Sydney. He returned to the University of Tasmania in 2011 as Professor of Wildlife Conservation.


Qualifications
PhD Ecology, Social Behaviour and Reproductive Success in a Population of Red-necked Wallabies University of New England Australia 1986
B. Natural Resources (2.1 Class honours) University of New England Australia 1980

SCHOOL AND PORTFOLIO

  • School of Natural Sciences

FIELD OF RESEARCH