Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, and conservation strategist. She was born on August 23, 1980. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and holds a PhD in marine biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She is the founder and president of Ocean Collectiv,[1] a consulting firm that helps find ocean "conservation solutions grounded in social justice,"[2][3] and the founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for climate change and ocean conservation policy in coastal cities.[4]

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Ayana Johnson profiled as a marine biologist by the National Science Foundation
Alma materScripps Institution of Oceanography
Harvard University
Known forMarine biology
Marine Conservation
Science policy
Scientific career
InstitutionsOcean Collectiv
Urban Ocean Lab
Environmental Protection Agency
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
ThesisFish, fishing, diving and the management of coral reefs (2011)
Doctoral advisorJeremy Jackson
Websitehttps://www.ayanaelizabeth.com/

https://www.oceancollectiv.co/

https://www.urbanoceanlab.org

She is a former adjunct professor at New York University in the Department of Environmental Studies and previously worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Johnson was a national co-director of partnerships for the inaugural March For Science in 2017.[5][6] Johnson has increasingly built a public profile for representing climate change, hosting a podcast with Alex Blumberg and publishing a collection of essay and writing from women climate activists with Katharine Wilkinson.

Education

Johnson earned an Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science and public policy at Harvard University. In 2011, she earned a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.[5] Her PhD research focused on understanding multi-disciplinary sustainable management approaches for coral reef resources, and her dissertation was entitled "Fish, fishing, diving and the management of coral reefs."[7]

For her research, Johnson was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, an NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellowship, a Switzer Environmental Fellowship, and was a 2010-11 American Association of University Women fellow.[2][6] In 2012, the fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solutions Search contest.[8]

Career

Johnson's research interests focus on urban ocean conservation, sustainable fishing, ocean zoning, climate change, and social justice. Johnson has conducted research on the bycatch impacts in Caribbean coral reef trap fisheries[9] and has also collaborated on research related to international collaboration for reducing the impacts of climate change on small island states.[10]

Prior to graduate school, Johnson worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After completing her PhD, Johnson worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and then went on to work as the Director of Science and Solutions at the Waitt Foundation in Washington, D.C. to fund ocean conservation projects.[11] In 2013, she became executive director of the Waitt Institute and co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative to partner with governments and local communities in Barbuda, Montserrat, and Curaçao to enact more sustainable plans for ocean use and conservation. With the Blue Halo Initiative, Johnson led the Caribbean's first successful ocean zoning project, providing maps, communications, policy support, and scientific assistance to the island Barbuda as it began to regulate and protect its coastal waters. With the Blue Halo Initiative, Johnson led the Caribbean's first successful ocean zoning project.[6][12][13] [14]

Currently, Johnson works as a consultant for ocean conservation and climate policy issues. She is the founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm designed to advance ocean sustainability and conservation solutions that are grounded in social justice, and the founder of Urban Ocean Lab, an ocean policy think tank.[3][4] She is also a former Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University.[5][6]

In August 2020, Johnson launched the How to Save a Planet podcast with co-creator and co-host Alex Blumberg. In September 2020 One World/Penguin Random House published Johnson's first book All We Can Save, which is an anthology of writing by women climate leaders edited by Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson.[15][16]

Honors and recognition

Johnson was selected as an inaugural TED resident in Spring 2016 and was a 2016 Aspen Institute Fellow.[6][17] She was named a University of California San Diego "40 Under 40" outstanding alumni.[18] She serves on the board of directors for the Billion Oyster Project and World Surf League's PURE campaign[19][20] as well as on the advisory boards for the Environmental Voter Project,[21] the Simons Foundation's Science Sandbox,[22] Scientific American,[23] and Oceanic Global.[24]

In 2016, Johnson delivered a TED talk in New York City, "How to Use the Ocean Without Using it Up".[25] She delivered a second TED talk in Vancouver, "A Love Story for the Coral Reef Crisis."[26] In 2017, she was a keynote speaker at the Smithsonian Institution "Earth Optimism" conference.[27] She advised and moderated the inaugural World Ocean Festival in 2017.[28] In February 2018, she took part in the YouTube series "Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants".[29]

Media coverage

Johnson's work has been featured in The New York Times,[30] Nature magazine,[31] Scientific American,[32] and The Atlantic.[33] Since 2013, she has contributed to the National Geographic Society[34] and HuffPost blogs.[35] She is frequently profiled in popular media for her conservation and policy work, including:

Johnson's writing about climate change, ocean conservation, and environmental justice has been featured in numerous outlets, including The New York Times, TIME, The Washington Post, and Scientific American. Her recent writing includes:

References
  1. "Ocean Collectiv". Ocean Collectiv. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  2. "American Fellows Through History". American Association for University Women. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  3. "Home". Ocean Collectiv. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  4. "Urban Ocean Lab". Urban Ocean Lab. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  5. "Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". New York University. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  6. "Ghedin Lab: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". New York University. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  7. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth (2011). Fish, fishing, diving and the management of coral reefs (PhD thesis). UC San Diego.
  8. "WCS's Marine Program Wins Grand Prize for Work in Curacao and Kenya > Newsroom". newsroom.wcs.org. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  9. Johnson AE (2010) Reducing bycatch in coral reef trap fisheries: escape gaps as a step towards sustainability. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 415:201-209. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08762
  10. Hind EJ, Alexander SM, Green SJ, Kritzer JP, Sweet MJ, Johnson AE, Amargós FP, Smith NS and Peterson AM. 2015. Fostering effective international collaboration for marine science in small island states. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2: 86.
  11. "Navigating Ocean Conservation as a Woman of Color". AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. Archived from the original on 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  12. "Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Ayana Elizabeth Consulting LLC". Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  13. Waitt Institute (October 9, 2013). "Barbuda Blue Halo - Live Radio Interview (October 2013)". Vimeo. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  14. Koll, Chad (5 Jun 2015). "From the Field: Bringing a Blue Halo to Barbuda". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  15. Kaplan, Sarah. "They edited a book about the climate crisis. Here's what they learned about hope". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  16. Martinko, Katherine (2020-11-17). "'All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis' (Book Review)". Treehugger. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  17. "Meet our first class of TED Residents". TED Blog. 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  18. "UC San Diego 40 Under 40: All Honorees". www.alumni.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  19. "Billion Oyster Project | BOARD". Billion Oyster Project. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  20. "WSL PURE - Our commitment to ocean health". World Surf League. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  21. "Leadership". Environmental Voter Project. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  22. "Advisory". Simons Foundation. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  23. "Scientific American: Board of Advisers". Pressroom. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  24. "Who We Are". Oceanic Global. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  25. TED Residency (2016-11-21), Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: How to use the ocean without using it up, retrieved 2018-02-22
  26. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth, A love story for the coral reef crisis, retrieved 2020-09-13
  27. Commons, Smithsonian Conservation. "| Earth Optimism Summit | Smithsonian Conservation Commons". earthoptimism.si.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  28. "World Ocean Festival and National Geographic Host Ocean Experts on Governors Island on June 4". Business Wire. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  29. Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants (2018-02-21), Dr. Ayana Johnson | Marine Biologist and Conservation Strategist, retrieved 2018-02-23
  30. Revkin, Andrew C. "A Small Island Takes a Big Step on Ocean Conservation". The New York Times: Dot Earth Blog. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  31. "From despair to repair: Empowering communities to restore their oceans : Soapbox Science". blogs.nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  32. Mulrennan M, Johnson AE. "7 Award-Winning Apps Launch a Mobile Age for the Ocean Economy". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  33. Narula, Svati Kirsten. "How the Famous Marshmallow Study Explains Environmental Conservation". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  34. "Ayana Elizabeth Johnson – National Geographic Blog". blog.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  35. "Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  36. Granada, Stephanie (2017-08-29). "Meet the Most Influential Marine Biologist of Our Time". Outside Online. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  37. Hyl, Véronique; Rougeau, Naomi; Vadnal, Julie (2019-06-06). "These 27 Women Are Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment". Elle. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
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