Ayana Elizabeth Johnson


Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, and conservation strategist. 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, a consulting firm that helps find ocean "conservation solutions grounded in social justice," and the founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for climate change and ocean conservation policy in coastal cities. She is an 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. Johnson was a national co-director of partnerships for the inaugural March For Science in 2017.

Education

Johnson earned an AB in environmental science and public policy at Harvard University. In 2011, she earned a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her PhD research focused on understanding multi-disciplinary sustainable management approaches for coral reef resources, and dissertation was entitled "Fish, fishing, diving and the management of coral reefs."
For her research, Johnson was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Fellowship, a Switzer Environmental Fellowship, and was a 2010-11 American Association of University Women fellow. In 2012, the fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solutions Search contest.

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 and has also collaborated on research related to international collaboration for reducing the impacts of climate change on small island states.
After completing her PhD, Johnson worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, before working with the Waitt Institute in Washington, D.C. to fund ocean conservation projects. During this time, she provided maps, communications, policy support, and scientific assistance to the island Barbuda as it began to regulate and protect its coastal waters.
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. The Blue Halo Initiative worked with the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation in efforts to conserve Caribbean coral reefs.
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. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University.

Honors and recognition

Johnson was selected as an inaugural TED resident in Spring 2016 and was a 2016 Aspen Institute Fellow. She was named a University of California San Diego "40 Under 40" outstanding alumni. She serves on the board of directors for the Billion Oyster Project and World Surf League's PURE campaign as well as on the advisory boards for the Environmental Voter Project, the Simons Foundation's Science Sandbox, Scientific American, and Oceanic Global.
In 2016, Johnson delivered a TED talk in New York City, "How to Use the Ocean Without Using it Up". In 2017, she was a keynote speaker at the Smithsonian Institution "Earth Optimism" conference. She advised and moderated the inaugural World Ocean Festival in 2017. In February 2018, she took part in the YouTube series "Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants".

Media coverage

Johnson's work has been featured in The New York Times, Nature magazine, Scientific American, and The Atlantic. Since 2013, she has contributed to the National Geographic Society and Huffington Post blogs. Johnson has published articles and op-eds in the New York Times, Scientific American, the Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian. She is frequently profiled in popular media for her conservation and policy work, including: