Using computational methods and tools i.e. agent based simulations to support situational awareness i.e. planning and control of construction operations and enhancing the flows.

I am a doctoral researcher in media studies at Tampere University, Finland, focusing on disinformation, gamification, hate infrastructures, mediatized memories, and political violence. I lead the social media research team for the Luce Foundation-funded project on Muslims in India under Hindu majoritarianism, alongside professors from Science Po, Princeton, and Columbia University. Previously, I was a fellow at Oxford’s Reuters Institute and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. I have over 20 years of experience as an investigative journalist, covering environmental justice, human rights, and conflicts in the Indian subcontinent, earning multiple awards, including the Kurt Schork Memorial Award. I have taught journalism at various Indian universities, am a certified media literacy trainer, and have conducted over 40 training sessions in India and Bangladesh. My work has been featured in major international media, and I was formerly India editor of AFP's fact-checking division.

(1) South Korea’s official development assistance in East Africa South Korea’s role in its recent development partnership with a focus on the Global Saema?l Undong (New Village Movement, SMU) programme. South Korea's official donor rhetoric points towards more symmetric aid relationships: emphasis on national ownership, request-based approach, notions of self-reliance and non-hierarchical relationships. Tanzania’s experience with the SMU programme has been selected for an in-depth case study. (2) International aid and institutional development in North Korea The interaction between international aid actors, the DPRK government and beneficiaries has resulted in the emergence of – what institutional theorists call – a ‘new field’. Using qualitative research methods, this research project identifies, categorizes and discusses a set of endogenously grown institutions in the DPRK that have emerged as part of the ‘new field’.

Researcher, educator and musician working at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Center for Educational Research and Academic Development (CERADA). My current project on children's singing in culturally diverse Finnish schools is part of the ArtsEqual Research initiative (The Arts as a Public Service: Strategic Steps towards Equality) funded by the Academy of Finland.

Alex is a PhD student in social philosophy at Tampere University and an associate director - social specialist at Wardell Armstrong International. His research involves introducing critical theory approaches (e.g., Recognition theory, decolonial and critical gender theories), to implement novel practices in environmental, social, community health and human rights impact assessment studies. His work in ESG consultancy is largely conducted in the Global South, evaluating impacts from renewable energy, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure projects, with a focus on vulnerable groups.

Hi! I am Marianna Birmoser Ferreira-Aulu, project researcher and doctoral student at the University of Turku (UTU), Finland. My long-term professional goal is to contribute to society by exploring innovative pathways towards just and sustainable futures. I intend to do this by producing high-quality scientific materials, by popularizing science to catalyze positive transformations, and by engaging with the civil society to collaborate with various stakeholders. During the past five years, I have been working as project researcher in two departments in the University of Turku: the Finland Futures Research Centre, and the Centre for Collaborative Research. I have been engaged with various projects in strategic foresight, futures literacy, sustainability and climate action, renewable energy, food research, and international collaboration. In addition to desk research, I enjoy doing workshop facilitation (have experience in Finland, Peru and Colombia). I have also been quite active in public speaking, by giving talks in various seminars and conferences. I also enjoy cooperating to developing the strategy of our own organization. I have represented UTU in international cooperation initiatives through international education services. Since the beginning of 2021, I have also been pursuing my doctoral degree in Futures Studies. The working-title of my dissertation is “Building a Strategic Roadmap for Ecologically Sound and Socio-politically supported Conservation of the Brazilian Amazonia”. The research takes into consideration the local socio-political dynamics, the uniqueness of its peoples and its biodiversity. I look at the conservation of Amazonia as a wicked problem that needs diverse set of actions to attempt to solve it. This research topic is a continuation, and expansion of my Master’s Thesis, where I explored futures scenarios for the Volta Grande do Xingu, the region most affected by the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, in the East of the Brazilian Amazonia.

I am currently writing my doctoral thesis on the motivations of Finnish foreign relations towards Southern African states in the latter part of the 1980s. The primary aim of this research is to examine why the relations towards African states were promoted and what were the reasons for doing so. My previous scientific publications focus on Finnish foreign relations and policies towards Southern African states during the Cold War period, and modern cultural impacts of sports video games. My scientific interests include Nordic historical approaches on development cooperation, Finnish foreign, security, and domestic policy issues during the Cold War, African countries in international forums during the Cold War, and modern cultural impacts of sports in society.

Post-doctoral researcher at LUT-University. MSc degree in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics from Wroclaw University of Technology (2007), MSc in Technomathematics from Lappeenranta University of Technology (2008) and DSc in Applied Mathematics from Lappeenranta University of Technology (2011). Specializes in modeling financial markets, time series analysis, statistical modeling, as well as mathematical epidemiology. 9 years of experience in academic teaching (including an award for the best international teacher), covering mainly scientific computing, statistics and stochastic modeling, and calculus. In years 2013-2015 having coordinated the following capacity building projects between Finland and East Africa: NSS East Africa Technomathematics and HEI ICI Mathematics Education and Working Life Relevance in East Africa. Experienced participant in Modeling Weeks (both as a student, instructor and organiser) and Study Groups. Recently organized a successful ECMI Modeling Week at LUT in July 2017.

Projects

Mathematical modeling

My research contributes towards Development Studies, and focuses on Degrowth. The objective of my research is to explore how degrowth can be promoted at the social level and thus contribute towards the social agenda within degrowth. Primarily I am concerned with the 'decolonisation of the imaginary' which refers to the 'transformation' needed to allow for alternative models of living, such as degrowth, to penetrate the imaginations of society, so that the current model of living is not viewed as the only rational pathway. I will be attempting to create a framework which can be utilized to explore this transformation 'decolonisation of the imaginary' and attempt to use it within a case study, to hopefully gain insight in to how this transformation can occur and be brought about.

Access to water and sanitation services remains low for most sub-Saharan African countries, and the progress towards achievement of this access for all by 2030, as per the SDG targets is stunted. The state of low access to water and sanitation has dire socioeconomic repercussions that scientific research can contribute to untangling. My research aims at providing recommendations for enhanced citizen participation in water and sanitation services as a remedy to accelerate water and sanitation services development, the case of Kenya.