David Fulton

David Fulton serves as a Professor and Assistant Unit Leader at the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Minnesota, based in Hodson Hall. His research and teaching focus on human dimensions of fish and wildlife management, with a Ph.D. from Colorado State University forming his academic foundation.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. from Colorado State University

Professor Fulton's research program investigates social, political, and cultural factors influencing conservation decision-making, emphasizing human values and attitudes through interdisciplinary methodologies. He integrates theories from sociology and psychology while advocating for combined qualitative and quantitative social research approaches to address complex wildlife management challenges. His work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with practical conservation applications.

Analysis of his 2020-2023 publications reveals persistent themes in trust dynamics with government agencies, landowner disease management preferences, community stewardship identity, and socioecological conflict resolution. His scholarship frequently applies social identity theory and self-determination theory to examine human behavior in natural resource contexts, demonstrating strong alignment with evolving sociocultural conservation paradigms.

David Fulton operates within the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a collaborative entity involving the University of Minnesota, U.S. Geological Survey, and state/federal natural resource agencies. This unit specializes in generating actionable research that integrates social science with ecological data to directly inform fish and wildlife management policies and practices.