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 starting the Doctorate Program at Aalto University in 2021. My research project aims at investigating how frugal social innovations from the Global South might create alternative concepts and appropriated meanings of quality, well-being, social change, consequently, development. This proposal is aligned with contemporary efforts to link management research to Grand Challenges such as poverty alleviation (Kistruck & Shulist, 2020), positioned at the emergent and interdisciplinary field of Business and Development (Lund-Thomsen et al., 2020). I believe that being part of the UniPID DocNet will be an excellent opportunity to expand my training opportunities, exchange and partnerships, while also collaborating with the network, bringing a different background and commitment to discuss the grand societal challenges and development issues in the world. To embark on such an endeavor, I bring an interdisciplinary and multifaceted background, as a researcher and educator from Latin America, working with topics related to social innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development, including significant experience in international collaborations in Brazil, the USA, Uganda, India, and other countries in Latin America and Europe.

Danielle Treacy's doctoral research aims to examine how the process of co-constructing visions with musician-teachers in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal could contribute to the development of ethically engaged music teacher education and music education research.

I have both work and research experience in cross-cultural and indigenous communities work in the Latin American region. I have also worked at the Finnish Embassy in Peru and gotten to know the types of projects our ministry funds as cooperation for development and I have also worked in a collaborative project in Nicaragua with local communities and environmental education. Experience in funding applications and reporting.