Rate My Professor Martin Johnston

Professor Martin Johnston is Professor of Chemistry at Flinders University in the College of Science and Engineering and currently serves as Dean (People and Resources). He completed his BSc (Hons I) in 1987 and PhD in 1994 at the University of New England, where his doctoral research under Professor Max Gunter focused on porphyrin supramolecular organic chemistry. During his PhD studies, he worked in the laboratories of Sir Fraser Stoddart in the United Kingdom, supported by a Laporte Centenary Scholarship. Following his doctorate, he held positions at the Centre for Molecular Architecture at Central Queensland University, advancing from Postdoctoral Fellow to Laboratory Manager and Research Fellow, with research centred on the synthesis and characterisation of supramolecular constructs.

Since joining Flinders University in 2002, Professor Johnston has contributed significantly to chemical education and research, supervising numerous honours, master’s, and PhD students. He received the Executive Dean’s Teaching Award in 2009 and has implemented initiatives such as lightboard technology for enhanced lecturing and online learning. He manages the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility and has secured ARC LIEF grants to support advanced NMR infrastructure. His research interests include forensic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and NMR spectroscopy, with extensive industry collaborations involving Forensic Science SA, Defence Science and Technology Group, CSIRO, and international partners. He has served on the Organic Section Editorial Board for the journal Molecules since 2019. Recent research highlights include co-authorship on publications in Nature Chemistry and Nature Communications in 2026.