I am a doctoral candidate in the Political, Societal and Regional Change programme experienced in qualitative research and implementation of development cooperation projects in Finland and Latin America. My doctoral research focuses on how the focus of women’s empowerment shifts when Finland’s development aid has been increasingly transferred from traditional development cooperation to the private sector through cross-sectoral partnerships with Kenya. My professional work has been focused on using research to inform project design and implementation in development cooperation initiatives for gender-based violence, gender equality, peacebuilding, psychosocial support, and migration. Previously I have conducted research on Women, Peace and Security, and feminism in Colombia, and refugees, agency, and gender-based violence in Norway.

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.

Projects

CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY AND WATER RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN: ALTO MAYO BASIN, PERU AND ORITO, MOCOA, GUINEO AND ORTEGUÁZA BASINS, COLOMBIA

I am a Doctoral student at the University of Eastern Finland. My research focuses on studying the spatio-temporal patterns of dengue fever in Medellin, Colombia (South America). Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted to humans. Dengue fever is present in more than 100 countries. The disease is now endemic in regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South East Asia, and the Western Pacific. The control of dengue has been a challenge, as these difficulties emerge from several aspects of different natures (political, ecological, socio-economical, behavioural). There is an increasing call to change how surveillance and control of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases are currently performed since classical control has proven ineffective in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by these infections. My research proposal attempts to add relevant knowledge that will contribute to a more integrated approach to dengue fever surveillance and control in developing countries.

Ph.D. student of Technical Sciences at the University of Vaasa - Finland. Master of Science in Engineering, Environmental and Energy Engineering, the University of Sheffield - UK. Industrial Engineer, Universidad Santiago de Cali - Colombia. Currently working as a project researcher at VEBIC@University of Vaasa. Work experience in several electricity companies in Colombia.

Processes of peacebuilding promoted by local agents Female activism in Colombian peacebuilding process.

My research focuses on market-based conservation instruments, mainly biodiversity offsetting and their role in sustainability transformations. I study the diverse socio-ecological contexts in which these instruments are implemented and how the contexts influence their acceptance and uptake, both in the Global North and South. Currently my interest in is biodiversity offsetting in Colombia and Finland, which are the cases of my PhD research. I have also studied the science-policy-society interfaces related to European biodiversity policy and innovations related to forest ecosystem services.