diff --git a/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Schema.java b/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Schema.java
index c8571dd841c..43603386649 100644
--- a/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Schema.java
+++ b/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Schema.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 /**
  * The schema of data to be read in.
@@ -221,6 +222,13 @@ public DType[] getChildTypes() {
     return ret;
   }
 
+  public int getNumChildren() {
+    if (childSchemas == null) {
+      return 0;
+    }
+    return childSchemas.size();
+  }
+
   int[] getFlattenedNumChildren() {
     flattenIfNeeded();
     return flattenedCounts;
@@ -243,7 +251,25 @@ public boolean isStructOrHasStructDescendant() {
     return false;
   }
 
-  public static class Builder {
+  public HostColumnVector.DataType asHostDataType() {
+    if (topLevelType == DType.LIST) {
+      assert(childSchemas != null && childSchemas.size() == 1);
+      HostColumnVector.DataType element = childSchemas.get(0).asHostDataType();
+      return new HostColumnVector.ListType(true, element);
+    } else if (topLevelType == DType.STRUCT) {
+      if (childSchemas == null) {
+        return new HostColumnVector.StructType(true);
+      } else {
+        List<HostColumnVector.DataType> childTypes =
+                childSchemas.stream().map(Schema::asHostDataType).collect(Collectors.toList());
+        return new HostColumnVector.StructType(true, childTypes);
+      }
+    } else {
+      return new HostColumnVector.BasicType(true, topLevelType);
+    }
+  }
+
+    public static class Builder {
     private final DType topLevelType;
     private final List<String> names;
     private final List<Builder> types;
diff --git a/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Table.java b/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Table.java
index 4038b3a40b8..4e737451ed6 100644
--- a/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Table.java
+++ b/java/src/main/java/ai/rapids/cudf/Table.java
@@ -1220,8 +1220,26 @@ private static Table gatherJSONColumns(Schema schema, TableWithMeta twm, int emp
               columns[i] = tbl.getColumn(index).incRefCount();
             }
           } else {
-            try (Scalar s = Scalar.fromNull(types[i])) {
-              columns[i] = ColumnVector.fromScalar(s, rowCount);
+            if (types[i] == DType.LIST) {
+              Schema listSchema = schema.getChild(i);
+              Schema elementSchema = listSchema.getChild(0);
+              try (Scalar s = Scalar.listFromNull(elementSchema.asHostDataType())) {
+                columns[i] = ColumnVector.fromScalar(s, rowCount);
+              }
+            } else if (types[i] == DType.STRUCT) {
+              Schema structSchema = schema.getChild(i);
+              int numStructChildren = structSchema.getNumChildren();
+              DataType[] structChildrenTypes = new DataType[numStructChildren];
+              for (int j = 0; j < numStructChildren; j++) {
+                structChildrenTypes[j] = structSchema.getChild(j).asHostDataType();
+              }
+              try (Scalar s = Scalar.structFromNull(structChildrenTypes)) {
+                columns[i] = ColumnVector.fromScalar(s, rowCount);
+              }
+            } else {
+              try (Scalar s = Scalar.fromNull(types[i])) {
+                columns[i] = ColumnVector.fromScalar(s, rowCount);
+              }
             }
           }
         }