Erik Olsen

Marine Scientist | Global Ocean Leader

Dr. Erik Olsen leads the Sustainable Development Research Group at the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, where he has been advancing marine science and sustainable ocean management since 1999. Born in Sweden to Norwegian and Swedish parents who worked extensively in developing countries, Erik grew up and was educated in Bergen, Norway.

Academic Foundation

Erik’s academic journey at the University of Bergen includes a BSc in biology (1995), MSc in fisheries biology (1997), and PhD in fisheries biology (2002), with his doctoral research focusing on innovative age determination methods for minke whales.

Research Leadership & Global Impact

Since completing his PhD, Erik has become a internationally recognized leader in ecosystem-based marine management. He pioneered the development and implementation of ecosystem surveys in the Barents Sea through groundbreaking collaboration with Russian scientists from PINRO, and has successfully transferred these innovative approaches to developing nations including Mozambique, Sudan, and Kenya, through comprehensive surveys and capacity-building programs.

International Ocean Governance Pioneer

Erik played a pivotal role in developing Norway’s world-renowned Integrated Management plans, beginning with the Barents Sea, followed by the Norwegian Sea and North Sea. This groundbreaking work in ecosystem-based marine spatial planning has garnered worldwide attention, leading to numerous invitations to present Norway’s innovative planning approach at high-level scientific and governmental meetings, including the United Nations.

Scientific Leadership & Global Collaboration

From 2009-2013, Erik served as elected chair of the ICES Science Committee Steering Group on Human Interactions on the Ecosystem, and later co-chaired the ICES Working Group on Integrated Assessment of the North Sea (WGINOSE) from 2017-2021. He has chaired multiple international workshops on Marine Spatial Planning and serves as a trusted reviewer and advisor on ocean governance issues globally.

International Experience & Innovation

During his tenure as visiting scientist at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (2013-2015), Erik advanced the scientific foundation, tools (including the Atlantis ecosystem model), and methodologies for ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning.

From 2015-2020, as Head of the IMR Demersal Fish Research Group, Erik led the strategic initiative on Reduced Uncertainty in Stock Assessment, significantly improving fisheries science methodologies.

Current Global Leadership Role

Since 2020, Erik has led the Sustainable Development Research Group, where he manages 20 international staff and oversees groundbreaking initiatives including:

  • Principal Investigator of the UN Ocean Decade Project “ClimeFOOD” (2023-2030), addressing climate impacts on marine food systems
  • Contributor to the EAF Nansen Programme, advancing ecosystem approaches to fisheries in developing countries
  • Lead for Norway-India marine spatial planning collaboration, fostering South-South knowledge exchange
  • Strategic Partnership Developer with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) for innovative bilateral projects across the Global South

Recognition & Impact

With 46+ peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 31) spanning marine mammal biology to ecosystem modeling and ocean governance, Erik’s research has contributed to shaping international marine policy. He served on the Norwegian National Committee for the UN Ocean Decade (2021-2025) and was a co-chair for the UN Ocean Decade Vision 2030 Working Group on “Sustainably Feed the Global Population” (2023-2024).

Erik’s multidisciplinary expertise and commitment to global sustainable development continue to drive transformative change in how we understand and manage our ocean resources for present and future generations.

Research areas:

Capacity building and providing a science based for marine managment in developing countries

  • The first large-scale mapping of the distribution and diversity fo fish species along the Sudanese Red Sea coast
  • Contributing to the running and dissemination of results from the FAO EAF Nansen programme

    • Future aquatic food systems

  • Charting a science course for the sustainable transformation of aquatic food systems
  • Sustainability challenges and opportunities of three future aquatic food systems (summary outcomes of the UN Ocean Decade Visioning process of WG 3 "How to sustainably nourish the global population")

    • Ecosystem models

  • Exploring Future oceans under ocean acidification, changes in fishing and marine protection
  • "Future oceans" is now also a research topic at Frontiers in Marine Science
  • Evaluting the performance of ecosystem models: Skill assessment of the Northeast US Atlantis model
  • Exploring the use of qualitative ecosystem models in Integrated Ecosystem Assessments

    • Ecosystem-based management (EBM)

  • Developing and revising Norwegian marine ecosystem-based management and MSP
  • Use of risk assessments in ecosystem-based management
  • Importance of culture, leadership and integration in marine governance, management and MSP

    • Distribution, area use and conservation needs of marine mammals

  • Global tracking of marine megafauna space use reveals how to achieve conservation targets

    • Oil spill assessments and risk

  • Effects of spatial variability in survival on oil spill risk assessments
  • Using the Atlantis ecosystem model to explore effects of Mass mortality events (MMEs, e.g. Oil spills) on the Barents sea and Norwegian Sea ecosystem

    • CONTACT INFO

    Erik Olsen
    Head of Sustainable Development Research Group, IMR
    eriko@imr.no
    erik.olsen@protonmail.com encrypted email
    Mobile: +47-934 39 256 (NOR)