Professor Jay Johnston is Professor in Religion within the School of Humanities at the University of Sydney, in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Discipline of Studies in Religion. She holds the academic qualifications BA, MArtAdmin, MLitt (Dist), MEd (Conservation), MA (Hons), and PhD. Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities (FAHA) in 2022, she is recognized for leadership in conceptual and methodological innovation in religious studies. Johnston's interdisciplinary training includes religious studies, wildlife conservation, cultural heritage of Scotland and Scandinavia, curatorial and museum studies, and art history. Her research specializations encompass theories of human-animal relations, materiality and the role of objects in religious practice, embodiment, perception, esoteric and mystical traditions, wildlife and natural heritage, sacred nature, and multisensory ecology ethics. She also serves as Honorary Professor in Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney.

Throughout her career at the University of Sydney, Johnston advanced from Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor to Professor. She acted as Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP120102952 with Iain Gardner and Julia Kindt. Key publications include co-editing Animal Death (Sydney University Press, 2013) with Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, exploring animal mortality across cultural, ethical, and philosophical dimensions. Other major works are Emplaced Belief: Heritage and Religion Reconsidered (Berghahn Books), Amulets in Magical Practice (Cambridge University Press), and peer-reviewed articles such as 'Animal spirit: other bodies in relation' (Religion, 2023), 'Stone-agency: sense, sight and magical efficacy in traditions of the image made stone' (2017), 'Things That Tell: An Object-Centered Methodology for Restorying Religious Heritage' (2022), and 'Binding Images' (International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2018). Her contributions extend to editorial roles and public engagement, influencing interdisciplinary dialogues in religion, ecology, heritage, and the arts through innovative approaches to subtle bodies, aesthetics of religion, and environmental humanities.

Professional Email: jay.johnston@sydney.edu.au