in Classics in 1983 and her PhD in 1987, where she studied ancient Greek myths and religions.

[1] Johnston began her teaching career proper when she accepted the post of lecturer in Classics at Princeton University, where she worked from 1987 to 1988.

[2] She was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Ohio State (2006–2010).

[3] Her scholarly books include The Story of Myth (2018), Ancient Greek Divination (2008), Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets (2007, with Fritz Graf), Restless Dead: Encounters Between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece (1999) and Hekate Soteira (1990).

[4] In 2023, her first book for the general public, Gods and Mortals: Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers, was published.