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The University of Melbourne’s first female vice chancellor has died from cancer, less than 12 months after taking the role.
Described as a talented marine ecologist and “visionary leader in science and research”, 52-year-old Professor Emma Johnston was appointed to the position in February 2025, replacing Duncan Maskell, who had faced a turbulent period when he took the role in 2018, marred by COVID-19, pro-Palestinian protests and debate over international caps.
Late University of Melbourne VC Emma Johnston was described as a “visionary leader in science and research”.Credit: Peter Casamento
Johnston, survived by her husband and two children, has been described as an “optimist to the end”, finalising her resilience strategy for the university just a few weeks before her death, the first step in her 10-year plan.
A spokesperson for the family said they had been greatly comforted in their heartbreak by the outpouring of love and respect for Johnston and her work.
“We know she touched so many lives and her legacy will continue through the work of her many students, colleagues, and mentees.”
She was a director of the CSIRO and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a chief author of the current State of Environment Report, authored 185 peer-reviewed journal articles, and supervised more than 35 higher degree students.
She was previously pro vice-chancellor (research) and dean of science at the University of New South Wales, and deputy vice-chancellor (research) at the University of Sydney from 2022 to 2024.
University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Professor Mark Scott said those who worked closely with her at the university would be grieving her loss.
“Emma’s career was marked by brilliant achievements, but her family was her greatest joy. Our hearts go out to her husband and children,” Scott said.
Johnston was made an officer of the Order of Australia in 2018 for her services to higher education, particularly to marine ecology, eco-toxicology and research institutes. In 2022, she was elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
University of Melbourne VC Emma Johnston has died from cancer.Credit: Peter Casamento/Casamento Photography
University of Melbourne Chancellor Jane Hansen said Johnston had an “unwavering commitment” to students, whether it be through tackling cost-of-living pressures, scholarships, teaching, or supporting their research.
“She did everything she could to ensure they 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,” Hansen said.
She also promoted the capacity of women and girls to study science, “helping us to better understand and protect our marine communities and coastal waterways”.
The Group of Eight universities called her death an “unfathomable loss for Australia’s higher education and research community”.
Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson said they had lost a remarkable leader and friend.
“Emma was simply amazing – brilliant in her science, principled in her leadership, and unfailingly generous as a colleague and mentor. Our heartfelt grief is shared across the nation’s universities and beyond. ”
In a written obituary, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering CEO Kylie Walker and UNSW Professor Rob Brooks said that “Emma wanted nothing less than to save the world – but like the ocean – in the end she could only do so much”.
“Emma’s final months were marked by a fierce doubling-down on this mission – she understood that she was running out of time. Only 52 years old when she left us after a brief and brutal illness, she still wasn’t done with parenting, with saving the oceans and the planet, with nurturing and uplifting the next generation, or with remaking the Australian research and higher education landscape into something magnificent,” they wrote.
“She truly was a leader for our age.”
Professor Michael Wesley will continue in the role of acting vice chancellor.
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