education and training
- B.Sc. in Genetics, University of Sydney , School of Biological Sciences
- Ph.D. in Molecular Evolutionary Genetics, La Trobe University , Department of Genetics and Evolution
Johnson, Rebecca N.
Associate Director of Science and Chief Scientist
Positions
- Chief Scientist and Associate Director of Science, National Museum of Natural History 2020 -
I am a wildlife forensic scientist and conservation geneticist and a senior science leader. I currently hold the role of Chief Scientist and Associate Director of Science at the Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History. My research career has focussed on using genetics and genomics for conservation of wildlife
Geographic Focus
- Australia Country
Background And Education
awards and honors
- Honorary Associate , conferred by Australian Museum, 2020
- Member of the Order of Australia, conferred by Council for the Order of Australia, 2020
- AMRI Medal, conferred by Australian Museum, 2018
- Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales , conferred by Royal Society of New South Wales, 2016
- Alumni Award for Professional Achievement, conferred by University of Sydney, 2016
- Rebecca Kendrew Memorial Award, conferred by Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society, 2012
Publications
selected publications
-
article
- Hogg, Carolyn J., Morrison, Caitlin, Dudley, Jessica S., Alquezar-Planas, David E., Beasley-Hall, Perry G., Magrath, Michael J. L., Ho, Simon Y. W., Lo, Nathan, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Grueber, Catherine E. 2021. "Using phylogenetics to explore interspecies genetic rescue options for a critically endangered parrot." Conservation Science and Practice https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.483 2021
- Lott, Matthew J., Wright, Belinda R., Kemp, Leah F., Johnson, Rebecca N., and Hogg, Carolyn J. 2020. "Genetic Management of Captive and Reintroduced Bilby Populations." The Journal of Wildlife Management 84 (1):20-32. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21777 2020
- Lavery, Tyrone H., Alabai, Masaafi, Esau, Tommy, Fuiberi, Simon, Furina, Di'ifaka, Johnson, Rebecca N., Kekeubata, Esau, MacLaren, David, Waneagea, Jackson, and Flannery, Tim F. 2020. "Integrating traditional knowledge, science and conservation in the search for undescribed mammals on Malaita, Solomon Islands." Pacific Conservation Biology https://doi.org/10.1071/PC19037 2020
- Morrison, Caitlin E., Hogg, Carolyn J., Gales, Rosemary, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Grueber, Catherine E. 2020. "Low innate immune-gene diversity in the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster)." Emu - Austral Ornithology 120 (1):56-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2019.1686994 2020
- Ewart, Kyle M., Lo, Nathan, Ogden, Rob, Joseph, Leo, Ho, Simon Y. W., Frankham, Greta J., Eldridge, Mark D. B., Schodde, Richard, and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2020. "Phylogeography of the iconic Australian red-tailed black-cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus banksii ) and implications for its conservation." Heredity 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-020-0315-y 2020
- Ueland, Maiken, Brown, Amber, Bartos, Cecilia, Frankham, Greta J., Johnson, Rebecca N., and Forbes, Shari L. 2020. "Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items." Separations 7 (1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/separations7010005 2020
- Johnson, Rebecca N. 2020. "Tuatara genome reveals diverse insights into a remarkable reptile." Nature 584:351-352. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02063-4 2020
- Mitchell, Andrew, Rothbart, Anna, Frankham, Greta, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Neaves, Linda E. 2019. "Could do better! A high school market survey of fish labelling in Sydney, Australia, using DNA barcodes." PeerJ 7:https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7138 2019
- Summerell, A. E., Frankham, G. J., Gunn, P., and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2019. "DNA based method for determining source country of the short beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) in the illegal wildlife trade." Forensic science international 295:46-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.11.019 2019
- Ward, Jodie, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Wilson-Wilde, Linzi. 2019. "Gender equity: how do the forensic sciences fare?." Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences 51:S263-S267. https://doi.org/10.1080/00450618.2019.1568556 2019
- Wright, B. R., Grueber, C. E., Lott, M. J., Belov, K., Johnson, Rebecca N., and Hogg, C. J. 2019. "Impact of reduced-representation sequencing protocols on detecting population structure in a threatened marsupial." Molecular biology reports 46 (5):5575-5580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-019-04966-6 2019
- Ewart, Kyle M., Johnson, Rebecca N., Ogden, Rob, Joseph, Leo, Frankham, Greta J., and Lo, Nathan. 2019. "Museum specimens provide reliable SNP data for population genomic analysis of a widely distributed but threatened cockatoo species." Molecular Ecology Resources 19 (6):1578-1592. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13082 2019
- Lo, Nathan, Montagu, Ashley, Noack, Ann, Nahrung, Helen, Wei, Heng, Eldridge, Mark, Gray, Karen-Ann, Rose, Harley A., Cassis, Gerasimos, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Lawson, Simon. 2019. "Population genetics of the Australian eucalypt pest Thaumastocoris peregrinus: evidence for a recent invasion of Sydney." Journal of Pest Science 92 (1):201-212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-018-0995-8 2019
- Jackson, Stephen M., Fleming, Peter Js, Eldridge, Mark Db, Ingleby, Sandy, Flannery, Tim, Johnson, Rebecca N., Cooper, Steven Jb, Mitchell, Kieren J., Souilmi, Yassine, Cooper, Alan, Wilson, Don E., and Helgen, Kristofer M. 2019. "The Dogma of Dingoes-Taxonomic status of the dingo: A reply to Smith et al." Zootaxa 4564 (1):198-212. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4564.1.7 2019
- Ewart, Kyle M., Griffin, Andrea S., Johnson, Rebecca N., Kark, Salit, Cohen, Tali Magory, Lo, Nathan, and Major, Richard E. 2019. "Two speed invasion: assisted and intrinsic dispersal of common mynas over 150 years of colonization." Journal of Biogeography 46 (1):45-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13473 2019
- Ewart, Kyle M., Frankham, Greta J., McEwing, Ross, The, Dang Tat, Hogg, Carolyn J., Wade, Claire, Lo, Nathan, and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2018. "A rapid multiplex PCR assay for presumptive species identification of rhinoceros horns and its implementation in Vietnam." PLOS ONE 13 (6):https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198565 2018
- Johnson, Rebecca N., O'Meally, Denis, Chen, Zhiliang, Etherington, Graham J., Ho, Simon Y. W., Nash, Will J., Grueber, Catherine E., Cheng, Yuanyuan, Whittington, Camilla M., Dennison, Siobhan, Peel, Emma, Haerty, Wilfried, O'Neill, Rachel J., Colgan, Don, Russell, Tonia L., Alquezar-Planas, David, Attenbrow, Val, Bragg, Jason G., Brandies, Parice A., Chong, Amanda Yoon-Yee, Deakin, Janine E., Di Palma, Federica, Duda, Zachary, Eldridge, Mark D. B., Ewart, Kyle M. et al. 2018. "Adaptation and conservation insights from the koala genome." Nature genetics 50 (8):1102-1111. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0153-5 2018
- Ewart, Kyle M., Frankham, Greta J., McEwing, Ross, Webster, Lucy M. I., Ciavaglia, Sherryn A., Linacre, Adrian M. T., The, Dang Tat, Ovouthan, Kanitia, and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2018. "An internationally standardized species identification test for use on suspected seized rhinoceros horn in the illegal wildlife trade." Forensic Science International: Genetics 32:33-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2017.10.003 2018
- Duchêne, David A., Bragg, Jason G., Duchêne, Sebastián, Neaves, Linda E., Potter, Sally, Moritz, Craig, Johnson, Rebecca N., Ho, Simon Y. W., and Eldridge, Mark D. B. 2018. "Analysis of Phylogenomic Tree Space Resolves Relationships Among Marsupial Families." Systematic Biology 67 (3):400-412. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syx076 2018
- Löber, Ulrike, Hobbs, Matthew, Dayaram, Anisha, Tsangaras, Kyriakos, Jones, Kiersten, Alquezar-Planas, David, Ishida, Yasuko, Meers, Joanne, Mayer, Jens, Quedenau, Claudia, Chen, Wei, Johnson, Rebecca N., Timms, Peter, Young, Paul R., Roca, Alfred L., and Greenwood, Alex D. 2018. "Degradation and remobilization of endogenous retroviruses by recombination during the earliest stages of a germ-line invasion." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115 (34):8609-8614. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807598115 2018
- Eldridge, Mark D. B., Potter, Sally, Helgen, Kristofer M., Sinaga, Martua H., Aplin, Ken P., Flannery, Tim F., and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2018. "Phylogenetic analysis of the tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus) reveals multiple divergent lineages within New Guinea." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 127:589-599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.05.030 2018
- Hogg, Carolyn J., Dennison, Siobhan, Frankham, Greta J., Hinds, Meagan, and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2018. "Stopping the spin cycle: genetics and bio-banking as a tool for addressing the laundering of illegally caught wildlife as 'captive-bred'." Conservation Genetics Resources 10 (2):237-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-017-0784-3 2018
- Neaves, Linda E., Danks, Melissa, Lott, Matthew J., Dennison, Siobhan, Frankham, Greta J., King, Andrew, Eldridge, Mark D. B., Johnson, Rebecca N., and Divljan, Anja. 2018. "Unmasking the complexity of species identification in Australasian flying-foxes." PLOS ONE 13 (4):https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194908 2018
- Ahlers, N., Creecy, J., Frankham, G., Johnson, Rebecca N., Kotze, A., Linacre, A., McEwing, R., Mwale, M., Rovie-Ryan, J., Sitam, F., and Webster, L. M. I. 2017. "'ForCyt' DNA database of wildlife species." Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 6:e466-e468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigss.2017.09.195 2017
- Hobbs, Matthew, King, Andrew, Salinas, Ryan, Chen, Zhiliang, Tsangaras, Kyriakos, Greenwood, Alex D., Johnson, Rebecca N., Belov, Katherine, Wilkins, Marc R., and Timms, Peter. 2017. "Long-read genome sequence assembly provides insight into ongoing retroviral invasion of the koala germline." Scientific Reports 7 (1):https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-16171-1 2017
- Dennison, S., Frankham, G. J., Neaves, L. E., Flanagan, C., FitzGibbon, S., Eldridge, M. D. B., and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2017. "Population genetics of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland." Australian Journal of Zoology 64 (6):402-412. https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO16081 2017
- Eldridge, Mark D. B., Divljan, Anja, Ingleby, Sandy, Johnson, Rebecca N., King, Andrew G., Major, Richard E., Parnaby, Harry E., and Tsang, Leah. 2017. "The Australian Museum Lord Howe Island Expedition 2017-birds and mammals." Technical Reports of the Australian Museum (online) 26:25-43. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.1835-4211.26.2017.1704 2017
- Ueland, Maiken, Ewart, Kyle, Troobnikoff, Amanda N., Frankham, Greta, Johnson, Rebecca N., and Forbes, Shari L. 2016. "A rapid chemical odour profiling method for the identification of rhinoceros horns." Forensic science international 266:e99-e102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.05.011 2016
- Cui, Pin, Löber, Ulrike, Alquezar-Planas, David, Ishida, Yasuko, Courtiol, Alexandre, Timms, Peter, Johnson, Rebecca N., Lenz, Dorina, Helgen, Kristofer M., Roca, Alfred L., Hartman, Stefanie, and Greenwood, Alex D. 2016. "Comprehensive profiling of retroviral integration sites using target enrichment methods from historical koala samples without an assembled reference genome." PeerJ 4:e1847. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1847 2016
- Neaves, Linda E., Frankham, Greta J., Dennison, Siobhan, FitzGibbon, Sean, Flannagan, Cheyne, Gillett, Amber, Hynes, Emily, Handasyde, Kathrine, Helgen, Kristofer M., Tsangaras, Kyriakos, Greenwood, Alex D., Eldridge, Mark D. B., and Johnson, Rebecca N. 2016. "Phylogeography of the Koala, (Phascolarctos cinereus), and Harmonising Data to Inform Conservation." PLOS ONE 11 (9):1-22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162207 2016
- Lawniczak, Mara K. N., Durbin, Richard, Flicek, Paul, Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin, Wei, Xiaofeng, Archibald, John M., Baker, William J., Belov, Katherine, Blaxter, Mark L., Bonet, Tomas Marques, Childers, Anna K., Coddington, Jonathan A., Crandall, Keith A., Crawford, Andrew J., Davey, Robert P., Di Palma, Federica, Fang, Qi, Haerty, Wilfried, Hall, Neil, Hoff, Katharina J., Howe, Kerstin, Jarvis, Erich D., Johnson, Warren E., Johnson, Rebecca N., Kersey, Paul J. et al. 2022. "Standards recommendations for the Earth BioGenome Project." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119, (4). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115639118. 2022
Affiliation
member of
- National Museum of Natural History Associate Director of Science and Chief Scientist 2020 -
- Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences 2014 -
- Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales Fellow 2014 -
- Society for Wildlife Forensic Science Director of Membership and Outreach 2009 -
- Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society
- Genetics Society of Australia
- International Society for Animal Genetics
- International Society for Forensic Genetics
- Royal Society of New South Wales
Contact
Location
- National Museum of Natural History Academic Department
