2002 President Anthony M. Johnson is a Professor of Physics, and a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), U.S. He is also the Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research (CASPR).

After receiving a B.S. in Physics from Polytechnic Institute of New York, U.S. in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Physics in 1981 from the City College of New York, Johnson spent 14 years conducting research at AT&T Bell Laboratories. His research has been in the general area of ultrafast optics and optoelectronics.

He has published nearly 60 refereed papers, two book chapters and holds four U.S. patents.

He has provided unceasing service to the optics community as an active member of several professional organizations and scientific commissions. His roles have included:  Editor-in-Chief of Optics Letters and Editor; member of OSA's Board of Directors and Board of Editors; member of the National Research Council's Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Science and the Board on Assessment of NIST Programs; member of the governing boards of the American Institute of Physics and IEEE LEOS and the Executive Board of American Physical Society and a member of the U.S. Department of Energy's Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. He has also served on the program committees for CLEO and the LEOS Annual Meeting and co-chaired CLEO in 1996.

Johnson is the recipient of APS's 1996 Edward A. Bouchet Award. He is a fellow of OSA, APS, IEEE, AAAS, and the National Society of Black Physicists. In 2021, he received the Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award "for decades of principled leadership and steadfast service to The Optical Society and to the optics community, and especially for serving as a tireless ambassador for OSA."

Johnson served as a Director-at-Large on OSA's Board from 1993-1996. He has also served as chair of the Women & Minorities Committee (1994-1995), chair of Awards Council in 2000, and chair of Optics Letters Editors from 1995-2001.  In 2000, he was elected Vice President of OSA and served consecutively as President-Elect, President in 2002, and Past President the following year.   He remains active with the Society and sits on the Presidential Advisory Committee and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Rapid Action Committee.