Penny J. Johnes

Penny Johnes is a British environmental scientist who is a professor of biogeochemistry at the University of Bristol. Her work focuses on the biogeochemistry of aquatic systems and the effects of food production and environmental change on inland and coastal water quality. She has advised the UK Government and intergovernmental organisations on nutrient enrichment in aquatic environments and its ecological consequences. She served as Chair of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Water Expert Advisory Group.

Early life and education Johnes earned a BSc in Environmental Science at the University of Plymouth in 1986. She completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford in 1990, where she studied the effects of land use on water quality. Her doctoral research, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, examined the effects of agricultural practices on water quality in lowland catchments.

Research and career Johnes was appointed to the University of Reading in 1993, where she was made a Reader in Freshwater Science in 1997, and full Professor of Freshwater Science in 2002. in biodiversity loss within freshwater ecosystems, the development of integrated management approaches to address multiple environmental stressors, and the use of robust scientific evidence to inform environmental policy.

Johnes' research has explained the significance of organic and particulate nitrogen and phosphorus in total nutrient loads delivered to freshwaters from sources in their catchments,

Selected publications