Clifford V. Johnson

Clifford Victor Johnson is a British theoretical physicist and Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. He researches superstring theory and particle physics, specifically related to strongly coupled phenomena.

Johnson was born in London, and lived on the island of Montserrat for ten years. From an early age, he was interested in electronics; he would read on the subject, and design small machinery like radios. He later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Imperial College London in 1989, and completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Southampton in 1992.

Johnson worked at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara; the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton; Durham University; and Princeton University as a postdoctoral fellow. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky from 1997 to 1999, and has been a Professor at USC since.

Johnson received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 1997, and the 2005 James Clerk Maxwell Medal and Prize from the American Institute of Physics (AIP). In 2005, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education also listed Clifford Johnson as the most highly cited Black professor of mathematics or a related field at an American university or college. In 2021, he was named Fellow of the American Physical Society, and in 2022 was awarded the AIP Andrew Gemant award for his artistic and creative approach to physics outreach and education.

Johnson also works in physics outreach. He regularly appears on the History Channel series The Universe and is a science consultant for the Discovery Channel. Johnson also founded the African Summer Theory Institute, “which brings teachers, researchers, and students of all levels together for a month-long conference on a science topic—a different one every year—to discuss, to network, and, of course, to learn.” Johnson also published an introductory scientific graphic novel, The Dialogues, a discussion on how to talk about scientific topics and exchange scientific ideas.

Finally, Johnson has also served as a science consultant for science fiction films and television shows including Avengers: Endgame and Star Trek: Discovery. He made a brief cameo appearance in the 2020 film Palm Springs. In 2023, he was a guest on “The Life Scientific” on BBC Radio 4.