Our Faculty
Jim Johnson
BS Chemistry, Indiana University
MS Air Pollution and Industrial Hygiene, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
PhD Chemistry, Duquesne University
Subject taught: Occupational Safety and Health
After high school, Dr. Johnson wanted to be a pharmacist since the local one in his town had always been a good mentor to him. As he started school he decided it seemed "too confining" and switched to major in Chemistry. When he was preparing to graduate from college he saw that the only job available for a general chemist was in the Toledo Morgue. Still, there were plenty of jobs in Industrial Hygiene so a professor recommended he go to the School of Public Health for a Master's degree.
Dr. Johnson got a summer job at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory while in school and "never left." He enjoys his work because "I like the focus on protecting people. And my job is never routine - it's different every day because we need to know about noise, toxic materials, protective clothing. So that keeps it challenging."
The division leader where Dr. Johnson was working was involved with Las Positas College and encouraged him to start teaching. "It's a student-friendly college," he says. "We have a fine campus with great facilities and a great opportunity for students to learn." When not teaching at LPC, he is the Chemical and Biological Safety Section Leader in the Hazards Control Department at LLNL.