Johanna Schmitt masanin kimiyyar halittu ce kuma masanin kwayar halitta . Binciken nata sananne ne don mayar da hankali kan asalin halittar halaye a tsirrai masu mahimmancin yanayi da kuma hango yadda irin waɗannan tsirrai zasu amsa da daidaitawa da canjin muhalli kamar dumamar yanayi . Ta wallafa rubuce-rubuce sama da 100 kuma an ambaci ayyukanta sama da ƙididdiga guda 7900. An karrama ta da kasancewa mace ta farko masaniyar kimiyya a jami’ar Brown da aka zaba zuwa Kwalejin Kimiyya ta Kasa. Schmitt ta sami BA tare da bambanci a cikin ilmin halitta daga Kwalejin Swarthmore a cikin shekara ta 1974. An ba Schmitt digirin digirgir. a cikin ilmin halitta daga Jami'ar Stanford a shekara ta 1981. Bayan Stanford, Schmitt ya gudanar da bincike a Jami'ar Duke . Ta shiga Jami'ar Brown a shekara ta 1982 inda daga karshe ta zama Stephen T. Olney Farfesa na Tarihin Halitta. A Brown, ta kuma kasance darakta a shirin Sauyin Muhalli. A halin yanzu, ita Jami'ar Kalifoniya ce a Davis Fitaccen Furofesa a Sashen Juyin Halitta da Ilimin Jiki wanda ta shiga a shekara ta 2012.