Professor Lucy Johnston

Governance Representative Board Member

September 2025 - present

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research

University of Canterbury

Biography

Professor Lucy Johnston joined Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury as Tumu Tuarua Rangahau | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research in 2025. Lucy is a highly accomplished university educator, researcher and leader having held leadership roles in tertiary education in New Zealand and Australia. She has served on various boards, including the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) and the University of Oxford Alumni Board.

She is known for innovative and enthusiastic commitment to facilitating and empowering the success of others, both students and academics, through creating a supportive environment and culture and providing development tools and opportunities that allow others to flourish. Lucy is strongly committed to the transformative power of education, for individuals and for society, and as a leader in tertiary education has an obligation to nurture and grow the next generation of scholars and leaders in society. As Te Tumu Tuarua she leads the University’s research efforts toward excellence in research outputs and research outcomes, having a positive social, economic and environmental impact on our local and global society. The unique requirement for Universities in Aotearoa to assume the responsibility to be “critic and conscience of society” is a responsibility, and privilege, that she takes very seriously, and which underpins her commitment to impactful research and to working to reduce disadvantage in access to education and access to research; Lucy is recognised for her long and strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in education

Lucy obtained her BA (Hons) from the University of Oxford and her PhD from the University of Bristol, both in the UK. She is an internationally recognised experimental social psychologist, whose research focused on the non-verbal behaviour of individuals in social interactions, prejudice, bias and discrimination. She has also undertaken research on various aspects of tertiary education. Lucy also has qualifications in sport and exercise psychology.