Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Vice-Chancellor and President

Professor Lucy Johnston, Interim Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra

BA (Hons), MA Oxon, MSc Staffs, PhD Bristol

Professor Lucy Johnston is the current Interim Vice-Chancellor at the University of Canberra (UC). She was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise at UC in July 2022. In that role, she oversaw an extensive portfolio including Research Institutes and Centres, Research and Innovation Services, Enterprise Development and Partnerships, Graduate Research, Adjunct Engagement and Advancement.

Prior to joining UC, Professor Johnston was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) at Murdoch University, Dean of Graduate Research at the University of Newcastle, and Dean of Postgraduate Research at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. In 2004, she was a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Connecticut.

Professor Johnston completed her BA (Hons) in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Bristol and is a qualified sport psychologist. She is an internationally recognised experimental social psychologist, whose research focuses on the non-verbal behaviour of individuals in social interactions. She has also undertaken research on various aspects of tertiary education.

Professor Johnston was a member of the inaugural management team of the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour; and following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011, was appointed to the Psychosocial Recovery Advisory Group for the Joint Centre for Disaster Research.

She was Chair of the New Zealand Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies and a member of the Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR), and was involved in the development of the Australian Best Practice Guidelines for Higher Degrees by Research. She was also Convenor of the Universities New Zealand Scholarship Committee.

Professor Johnston currently serves on the Board of Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) and Intersect Australia and is an appointed member of the University of Oxford Alumni Board.

Awarded Oxford Blues and Colours at the University of Bristol for basketball, she also played for the British Universities. She rowed for her Oxford College and the City of Bristol and played soccer for the University of Bristol. She has now retired from over ten seasons competing in road cycling, ocean swimming and triathlons.