James Johnson

Dr. Jim Johnson, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, and the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In 2016, he co-founded the Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition based in Vancouver. Johnson took sabbatical leave in 2017 to take on the position as inaugural site head of the Novo Nordisk Research Centre in Oxford, England, a new hybrid academic-industry institute focused on the fundamental biology of type 2 diabetes and target discovery. While in Oxford, he is visiting professor of Integrated Physiology in the Radcliff Department of Medicine, and senior fellow at Harris-Manchester College.

A world leader in the fundamental biology of pancreatic islets, insulin action, diabetes and related conditions, Johnson has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed articles since 2000, with his research published in a number of international journals. Johnson is editor-in-chief of the journal Islets and has served on the editorial boards of Diabetes and Endocrinology. In 2016, Johnson was named the top Canadian researcher under 45 by the Canadian Diabetes Association.