Karen Johnson

Professor Karen Johnson is a leading hydrogeologist and environmental engineer at Durham University, where she has worked since 2005. Trained at University College London (MSc 1995) and Newcastle University (PhD 2001), her work focuses on soil rebuilding for climate change mitigation.

• Key Collaborations: Co-leads SMART soils group with Dr Stephen Chivasa (Biosciences) and Prof Tiago Moreira (Sociology)
• Research Themes: Soil microbiome augmentation, carbon sequestration, water treatment residual applications
• Policy Impact: Provided oral evidence to UK Government soil health inquiries (2016, 2023)

Her research spans Environmental Engineering, Soil Science, and Geochemistry, with notable work on:

• Mineral carbon pump mechanisms
• Metal oxyhydroxide soil amendments
• Flood resilience in degraded soils
• Soil-human health linkages

Professor Johnson actively engages with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Terrestrial Ecosystems). She teaches Planning for Net Zero to civil engineering students and advocates for engineers as soil health champions.