Julian Olden

Julian Olden is a freshwater ecologist who left the University of Washington to join the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship and Faculty of Science in Vancouver, Canada, as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Freshwater Ecosystem Sustainability.

The appointment was announced August 27, 2026 as part of UBC's first cohort of nine Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs, with his move set to begin in summer 2027.

Olden's research addresses ecologically sustainable water management amid climate change, including whether nature-based solutions can benefit both people and ecosystems, how dam management can balance hydropower with ecological and cultural river values, and how rapid AI infrastructure investment can be reconciled with long-term freshwater sustainability. His program combines interdisciplinary science with knowledge mobilization that bridges academia, policy, industry, and Indigenous knowledge systems, aiming to strengthen Canada's freshwater research ecosystem and support salmon-dependent communities.