Biography and Current Work | Dan Johnson is currently Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Lethbridge, with research in  biogeography, environmentally sustainable agriculture, entomology, biodiversity, rational pest management, biological control, ecology, insect movement, biometeorology, alternatives to chemical pesticides, insects as vectors of plant diseases, methods of forecasting, wildlife ecology, environmental safety, and analysis and modeling of environmental and experimental data.

He is currently Principal Investigator and National Coordinator of the Canadian Zebra Chip and Potato Psyllid Monitoring Network.  He has conducted research and taught short courses in China, Africa, and Southeast Asia.  He currently teaches university courses in biogeography, environmental science, natural resources, and data analysis.  Previously, Dan was Canada Research Chair for Sustainable Grassland Ecosystems (CRC Evolution and Ecology).  He is a member of the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board. Before taking his current academic position, Dan was a Senior Research Scientist with Agriculture Canada and Agri-Food Canada.  He was President of the Entomological Society of Canada (ESC) at the time of the Millenium joint meeting with the Entomological Society of America and Société d'entomologie du Québec . He has served in Africa as a TDY Consultant to USAID, and in SE Asia for the Canadian International Development Agency.  He received the C. Gordon Hewitt medal in entomology from the ESC. He organized and chaired the 2005 world meeting of the Orthopterists' Society, held in Canmore, Alberta.

Dan has published over 100 scientific articles, and an additional 200 other science articles, chapters, books, reports, and maps.  He teaches four or more classes each year at the University of Lethbridge, and feels a strong personal commitment to promoting public understanding of science.  He recently established and co-edited the public outreach column “Public Professor” published in the Lethbridge Herald, 2010-2013.  Dan grew up on grassland in South Dakota, and has lived in Alberta for 30 years.  

Training: Dan attended University in Minnesota initially, and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan (BSc High Hon. in Biology; second concentration in Geography), and University of British Columbia (MSc and PhD in Plant Science, at the Institute of Animal Resource Ecology), where he received  NSERC and Killam Scholarships.