Ayana Elizabeth Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ayana Johnson
Born	1980/1981 (age 45–46)
Education	Harvard University (BA) University of California, San Diego (MS, PhD)
Organization	Urban Ocean Lab
Known for	Marine biology Marine conservation Climate communication Climate policy
Board member of	Patagonia Greenwave
Awards	Time100 NEXT 2021
Scientific career
Thesis	Fish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs (2011)
Doctoral advisor	Jeremy Jackson

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a brilliant scientist who works to protect our oceans. She is a marine biologist, which means she studies ocean life. She is also an expert in creating plans and policies to help save our planet's waters. Ayana is a co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab. This is a special group that thinks about how coastal cities can better protect the ocean and deal with climate change. She is also a distinguished scholar at Bowdoin College. In 2024, she wrote a book called What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. She also helped edit another important book, All We Can Save, and worked on a plan called the Blue New Deal.

She used to teach at New York University. Before that, she worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These are government groups that help protect our environment and study the ocean.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: Protecting Our Oceans

Early Life and Learning

Ayana Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Her mom was a teacher and farmer, and her dad was an architect and potter. When she was in high school, she joined the Student Conservation Association. This group helped her work on the Continental Divide Trail in the San Juan Mountains. This experience showed her the importance of nature.

School Days and Discoveries

In 2002, Ayana earned her first degree from Harvard University. She studied environmental science and public policy. Later, in 2011, she earned her PhD in marine biology. She got this advanced degree from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Her PhD research focused on how to manage coral reefs in a way that helps them stay healthy for a long time. Her big project was called Fish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs.

Ayana received several important awards for her research. These included fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the American Association of University Women. In 2012, she even invented a special fish trap. This trap helps reduce "bycatch," which means catching fish or other sea creatures that you didn't intend to. Her invention won a big contest!

Making a Difference in Ocean Science

Ayana Johnson is very interested in keeping our urban oceans healthy. She also works on sustainable fishing, which means fishing in ways that don't harm fish populations for the future. She studies how to divide ocean areas for different uses, how climate change affects the ocean, and how to make sure everyone has fair access to a healthy environment. She has researched how fishing traps affect Caribbean coral reefs. She also worked with others to help small island countries deal with climate change.

Working for a Healthier Planet

Before her PhD, Ayana worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. After getting her PhD, she worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Then, she became the Director of Science and Solutions at the Waitt Institute. Here, she helped fund projects that protect the ocean. In 2013, she became the executive director of the Waitt Institute. She also helped start the Blue Halo Initiative. This project worked with governments and local communities in places like Barbuda, Montserrat, and Curaçao. Their goal was to create better plans for using and protecting the ocean. Ayana led the first successful "ocean zoning" project in the Caribbean. This project helped Barbuda protect its coastal waters.

Leading New Projects

Today, Ayana works as a consultant, advising on ocean conservation and climate policy. She leads the Urban Ocean Lab, the special group she co-founded. This group focuses on ocean policy for cities near the coast. Until 2021, she was also the founder of Ocean Collectiv. This company helped find ocean conservation solutions that also focused on fairness for all people. She also taught as a professor at New York University.

In 2017, Ayana was a national co-director for the first March For Science. This event brought many people together to support science.

Sharing Ideas and Stories

In August 2020, Ayana started a podcast called "How to Save a Planet." She created and hosted it with Alex Blumberg. In September 2020, her first book, All We Can Save, was published. This book is a collection of writings by women who are leaders in fighting climate change. Ayana edited it with Katharine Wilkinson.

In November 2021, Ayana organized a statement signed by over 100 important people. They asked a company called Edelman to stop working with fossil fuel companies. She used the hashtag #EdelmanDropExxon on social media to spread the word.

She was also the editor for The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022. This book collected the best science and nature articles from 2021.

In July 2023, Ayana became the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College. She will hold this important position for three years.

In September 2024, her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures became a New York Times Bestseller. Publishers Weekly, a book review magazine, called it "a much-needed antidote to 'climate grief.''" In November 2025, the book won the Phi Beta Kappa Award for Science.

Awards and Special Achievements

Ayana Johnson has received many honors. In 2014, she was named a Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Fellow. She was also chosen as an inaugural TED resident in 2016. She was recognized as one of the University of California San Diego's "40 Under 40" outstanding alumni. She helps guide important organizations like Patagonia, Greenwave, and the World Surf League's PURE campaign. She also advises the Environmental Voter Project.

She used to be on the advisory boards for the Simons Foundation's Science Sandbox, Scientific American, and Oceanic Global.

In 2016, Ayana gave a TED talk in New York City. It was called "How to Use the Ocean Without Using it Up." She gave another TED talk in Vancouver, "A Love Story for the Coral Reef Crisis." In 2017, she was a main speaker at the Smithsonian Institution's "Earth Optimism" conference. She also helped organize the first World Ocean Festival in 2017. In February 2018, she appeared on the YouTube series "Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants." In February 2021, Time magazine named her one of the "Time100 Next" leaders.

In June 2022, Ayana was appointed to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken's Foreign Affairs Policy Board. This means she helped advise on important global issues.

Featured in the News

Ayana Johnson's work has been featured in many well-known publications. These include The New York Times, Nature journal, Scientific American, and The Atlantic. Her work in conservation and policy is often highlighted in popular media. This includes The Observer, Atlas of the Future, Outside, and Elle. Elle even named her one of the "27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment."

Ayana writes about how climate change, ocean conservation, and environmental justice are all connected. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and Scientific American. In 2020, she was interviewed by the NPR podcast Short Wave. Since 2013, she has also written for the National Geographic Society and HuffPost blogs.

See also

In Spanish: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson para niños