My name is Þuríður Jóna Jóhannsdóttir and I was born in Dalvík, North Iceland in 1952. I passed my matriculation examination (A-level) at the Akureyri Gymnasium in 1972. I completed a B.A. in Icelandic language and literature, and sociology in 1978 at the University of Iceland and an M.Ed. in educational studies in 2001 at the Iceland University of Education. I obtained a Ph.D. from University of Iceland in 2010.

I was a teacher of Icelandic language and literature at Hamrahlíð College from 1979-1998 and a research fellow at the Research Centre of Iceland University of Education from 2002-2005 where my research field was the use of information and communication technology in learning and teachnig. In 2006 I became  a lecturer at Iceland University of Education, which became the University of Iceland School of Education in 2008. From 2019 I have been full professor. From 2014–2021 I have been programme coordinator of Pedagogy for upper secondary teachers.

My husband is  Þórólfur H. Hafstað a geologist at Iceland GeoSurvey – ÍSOR. We have two daughters, Hrafnhildur and Ásdís, and the four grandchildrens are Ronja, Hugi, Embla Rebekka and Þórólfur Magni.