Johnston, Graham Allen Ross (1939 - )

Summary

Graham Johnston was Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Sydney for 31 years. He trained as an organic chemist and carried out research at the interface between chemistry and pharmacology. Later in his career he served as President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for services to bio-organic chemistry and pharmacology, to scientific organisations and to science policy development. Johnston formally retired in 2011 to become an Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry, continuing research studies on the neurotransmitter GABA.

Details

Graham Johnston published more than 450 research articles in medicinal chemistry, neuroscience and pharmacology. He had more than 33,000 citations in Google Scholar to January 2026, 3 publications are Citation Classics, and 86 have been cited more than 100 times (h-index: 92 publications have been cited at least 92 times). His many excellent students and co-workers have enabled him to participate in such well received studies. The Encyclopedia holds a copy of a list of his scientific publications from 1961 - 2026. This is available on request.

Chronology

1959

Award - Royal Australian Chemical Institute, NSW Branch Student Prize

1959

Education - BSc (1st Class Honours & University Medal in Organic Chemistry), The University of Sydney

1960

Education - MSc, The University of Sydney

1961

Award - Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Overseas Studentship

1964

Education - PhD in Organic Chemistry, University of Cambridge

1964

Career position - Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics, University of California Berkeley

1964

Award - International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, US National Institutes of Health

1965 - 1980

Career position - Research Fellow, Fellow and Senior Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra

1975

Career position - Study leave at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen

1980 - 2011

Career position - Professor of Pharmacology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney

1985

Award - Adrien Albert Award Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Division of Medicinal and Agricultural Chemistry

1985 - 1987

Career position - Chairman RACI Division of Medicinal and Agricultural Chemistry

1988

Award - Liversidge Lecturer at the Centenary ANZAAS Congress in Sydney

1989

Award - Inaugural Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists (ASCEP) Visiting Lecturer to the British Pharmacological Society

1989

Award - H.G. Smith Memorial Medal, awarded by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute for contributions to chemical science in Australia during the previous 10 years

1989 - 1993

Career position - Sub-Dean (Research) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney

1991 - 1994

Career position - Foundation President, Asian Pacific Society for Neurochemistry

1992 - 1993

Career position - President, Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1993 -

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

1993

Award - Inaugural Michael Rand Medal, awarded by The Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists for outstanding contributions to the discipline of clinical and experimental pharmacology and toxicology

1996

Award - Leighton Memorial Medal, the most prestigious award of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in recognition of eminent services to chemistry in Australia

1997

Award - ANZAAS Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science for contributions to science particularly in the area of science policy

1998

Award - Member, Order of Australia, for services to bio-organic chemistry and pharmacology, to scientific organisations and to science policy development

2001

Award - Centenary Medal, Commonwealth of Australia, for service to Australian society in pharmacology

2001 - 2011

Career position - Member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS)

2004 - 2011

Career position - Director (Research Programs), Herbal Medicines Research and Education Centre (HMREC), The University of Sydney

2007

Award - Doctor Pharmaciae honoris causa, University of Copenhagen

2008

Award - Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) Achievement Award for outstanding service to Australasian pharmacology

2010

Award - ASCEPT Life Member

2011 -

Career position - Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry, Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney

2014 -

Award - Royal Australian Chemical Institute Life Member

2014 - 2015

Career position - Historian, International Society of Neurochemistry

2015

Award - Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales

2016

Award - Graham Johnston Best Thesis Award Royal Australian Chemical Institute Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Medical Biology

2020 -

Award - Fellow of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists

2024

Award - Named in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide by ScholarGPS, California as an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar. Ranked 55 in pharmacology and toxicology

Related entries

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Johnston, G. A. R., 'Boden, Alexander (1913 - 1993), manufacturing chemist, author and publisher of science', Chemistry in Australia, 61 (1994), 157. Details
• Johnston, Graham A. R., 'Adrien Albert (1907 - 1989)', Trends in pharmacological sciences, 11 (4) (1990), 142, https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-6147(90)90061-C. Details
• Johnston, Graham A. R., 'Medicinal chemistry in the Royal Australian Chemical Institute: the early years', ChemMedChem, 21 (2026), 6, https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.70178. Details