Rate My Professor Sönke Johnsen

Sönke Johnsen is the Ida Stephens Owens Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biology at Duke University. He has held the position of Professor of Biology since 2012 and Professor in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation since 2022. Earlier in his career, Johnsen served as an Assistant Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution following postdoctoral fellowships at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution with Edie Widder and at Woods Hole with Larry Madin. He joined Duke University as an Assistant Professor after earning his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under William Kier and his B.A. in Mathematics from Swarthmore College in 1988. Johnsen is also a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences since 2008 and an Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society since 2017.

Johnsen's research in visual ecology centers on the optical and visual adaptations of marine organisms, particularly transparency, camouflage, bioluminescence, and perception in UV and polarized light in the open ocean. His studies integrate mathematical modeling, behavioral experiments, morphological analyses, and fieldwork involving blue-water diving, research vessel cruises such as in the Gulf Stream, and deep-sea submersibles. Notable contributions include highly cited works like "The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature" (Princeton University Press, 2012), "Visual Ecology" (Princeton University Press, 2014, co-authored with Thomas W. Cronin, Justin Marshall, and Eric J. Warrant), "The Physics and Neurobiology of Magnetoreception" (Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2005, with Kenneth J. Lohmann), and "Polarized Light as a Butterfly Mating Signal" (Nature, 2003). With over 11,900 citations, his scholarship has shaped fields including biophysics and deep-sea biology. Johnsen has been recognized with the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring from Duke's Graduate School (2016), the PROSE Award for "Visual Ecology" (2015), and the Best Publication in 2020 award from the International Deep-Sea Biological Society for research on ultra-black camouflage. He has also contributed to public outreach, including consulting for the film Finding Nemo.