Rate My Professor Ed Johnson

Dr Edwin Johnson, known as Dr Ed Johnson, is a Lecturer in the School of Science at the University of Newcastle. He completed a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Honours), and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Newcastle, with his PhD awarded in 2021. Following his doctorate, he held a 3.5-year postdoctoral position at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom before returning to the University of Newcastle in 2025 in a combined teaching and research role.

Dr Johnson is a synthetic polymer and physical chemist whose research focuses on the design and synthesis of functional interfacial polymeric materials, the behaviour of soft matter in complex environments, and the fundamental forces governing molecular interactions. His work employs techniques including neutron reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, quartz crystal microbalance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, with applications in responsive materials, lubrication, antifouling surfaces, and sensing. He has received the Early Career Researcher Excellence Award from the University of Newcastle in 2025, the Leadership in Research Faculty of Science Award from the University of Sheffield in 2024, and the Australasian Colloid and Interface Society Best PhD Thesis Award in 2021. Dr Johnson has delivered invited plenary talks, including at the SASSY Symposia in 2025, and maintains an active publication record in peer-reviewed journals on topics such as polymer-surfactant complexes and polymer brush behaviour.