Andrew Dickson is a professor of marine chemistry in the Marine Physical Laboratory division at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Dickson’s research focuses on improving our understanding of the chemistry of carbon dioxide in seawater, with a current emphasis on the effects of ocean acidification. He has played a key role in developing quality control standards for oceanic carbon dioxide measurements and leads a program to prepare, certify, and distribute CO₂ reference materials to the world’s marine scientists.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Dickson received a B.Sc. degree and a Ph.D from the University of Liverpool.

Prior to joining Scripps, Dickson served as a postdoctoral research associate at the Marine Biological Association Laboratory in Plymouth, England and as a postdoctoral associate in the University of Florida, Department of Chemistry. He joined Scripps as an assistant research chemistry, became an associate research chemist, a professor-in-residence of marine chemistry then a professor.

Dickson’s laboratory participates in hydrographic cruises sponsored by the Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) project of the World Climate Research Programme. He is also part of a multi-institutional collaboration to study the implications of ocean acidification on a variety of organisms that are important to US West Coast fisheries.

Dickson is a member of the OceanSITES Data Management Team and the PICES Section on Carbon and Climate. He is also chairman of the steering committee for the California Current Acidification Network. He has served as editor or as an editorial board member of several journals, including most recently Journal of Geophysical Research, Oceans.

Last updated
January 2011