Erik Schoen

Erik Schoen serves as a Research Assistant Professor at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, specializing in fisheries biology and climate change impacts on aquatic ecosystems. His work focuses on Alaskan salmon responses to environmental shifts through the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center and Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies.

Dr. Schoen's research integrates field, laboratory, and quantitative approaches to address natural resource management and conservation challenges. Primary interests include boundary-spanning science co-production, aquatic food web dynamics, and climate adaptation for fishing communities. Recent work investigates salmon productivity under changing thermal regimes, invasive species threats, and food security implications across Arctic and sub-Arctic watersheds.

Analysis of his 2019-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in salmon-climate interactions, with methodological innovation in eDNA sampling and thermal monitoring. His work spans from micro-scale invertebrate drift dynamics to basin-scale climate vulnerability assessments, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Dr. Schoen leads a research group studying Alaska's fish, food webs, and fishing communities through fieldwork, remote sensing, and modeling. The team actively partners with Indigenous communities and resource managers to develop adaptive management strategies for habitat restoration and fisheries conservation in rapidly changing Arctic environments.