Justin N. Carlson

Justin N. Carlson is a Lecturer & Research Associate in Archaeology at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and serves as Co-Director of the Cultural Resources Facility (CRF). His work focuses on archaeological investigations in California, collaboration with government agencies for cultural resource management, and training students in field methods. He previously held roles at Western Kentucky University's Kentucky Archaeological Survey, leading archaeological investigations across Kentucky.

His research examines human and ecosystem responses to climatic shifts during the Middle Holocene (8,000–5,000 years ago) and the role of Archaic hunter-gatherers in shaping anthropogenic environments via fire use (5,000–3,000 years ago). Methodologically, he employs geoarchaeological techniques like magnetic susceptibility and micromorphology to study landform histories and Native lifeways.

• Key Achievements:
• 2021 Dissertation Prize from the Midwest Archaeological Conference
• Co-editor of Falls of the Ohio River: Archaeology of Native American Settlement (2021, University of Florida Press)

Teaching & Outreach: Specializes in Field Archaeology and Environmental Archaeology, emphasizing hands-on training and interdisciplinary approaches to cultural resource management.