Carlson's research is focused on the structure and function of fisheries as coupled human and natural systems

Andrew Carlson is a visiting researcher forming part of the collaboration between Stockholm Resilience Centre and Princeton University.

Carlson's research is focused on the structure and function of fisheries as coupled human and natural systems. In particular, he develops interdisciplinary, solutions-oriented approaches for optimizing fisheries management and governance and enhancing global food security using fisheries as an entry point. Carlson has studied social-ecological couplings in diverse fisheries, including Anchoveta in Peru and Chile, Chinook Salmon and Coho Salmon in the Laurentian Great Lakes, and Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout in the Midwestern United States. In addition, he has studied multiple aspects of inland fisheries ecology and management, including natal origins and movement using otolith chemistry, effects of changing climate conditions on coldwater fish growth and survival, and social-ecological impacts of invasive Silver Carp and Bighead Carp in the United States.

After receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees in Minnesota and South Dakota, Andrew was a Distinguished Fellow at Michigan State University, where he received his Ph.D. in Ecology and Fisheries and Wildlife working with Drs. Bill Taylor, Jack Liu, Dana Infante, and Doug Beard. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton advised by Drs. Simon Levin and Dan Rubenstein within the Princeton Environmental Institute.