Johnson is already somewhat known to the Bowdoin community. Students and faculty have so much to learn from her-I can’t wait to begin those conversations.” “She brings a rich interdisciplinary perspective to many environmental issues, especially climate justice, and has a wealth of expertise in conservation policy and science communication. “The Environmental Studies Program is thrilled to have Ayana Elizabeth Johnson join the college faculty as a Roux Scholar,” said program director Connie Chiang, professor of history and ES. “It’s fitting that she joins us as a Roux Scholar at Bowdoin College, where she will find in students a readiness to pursue joy through discovery, passion through purpose, and climate solutions through inclusive, collaborative, hard work.” “Scientist, policy advisor, writer, and truth-teller, Ayana Johnson inspires people around the world to study, advocate for, and love our planet,” said Bowdoin’s Dean for Academic Affairs Jennifer Scanlon. Her writing has been published widely, including in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Scientific American. Previously, she was executive director of the nonprofit Waitt Institute, developed policy at the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and taught as an adjunct professor at New York University. Johnson earned a BA in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University and a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology.

Recently, Johnson coedited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, cocreated the Spotify/Gimlet climate solutions podcast, How to Save a Planet, and coauthored the Blue New Deal, a climate policy roadmap for addressing the challenges facing the ocean. Johnson, a marine biologist, policy expert, and writer, is cofounder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank examining the issues facing coastal cities, particularly the poorer populations of those cities, as they struggle with rising sea levels and more severe weather. In the same spirit, the Roux Distinguished Scholar position enables the College to invite a distinguished outside guest to join the Bowdoin community for a period of time to partner with faculty, staff, and students in the study of the environment through varying and interdisciplinary lenses. The Roux Center brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of scholars and students to work together to further our understanding of the natural world, including its scientific, social, and humanistic dimensions.

She who is elizabeth johnson