Jaana Jarva is a senior scientist in environmental geology at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). She holds a PhD in geology from the University of Turku, Finland. She is specialized in the fields of environmental and urban geology, geochemistry, land use planning, geological risk assessment and climate change adaptation. She has worked as a project manager in several European research and regional development projects, as well as in national and international research and consulting assignments. She is currently acting as a project manager of four international projects on hydrogeology, climate change adaptation and environmental impact assessment. She holds IPMA Level C certificate.

I hold a Master's in Social Science Research, specializing in Public Policy Analysis from Tampere University. My Master's thesis focused on how insights from behavioral economics, namely prospect theory, can guide preventive policy formation in public health, by laying a framework for how policy officials can reduce perceived barriers to the consumption of preventive care, policy thereby reaching vulnerable and high risk groups. Beginning January 2024, I am a doctoral researcher in the Doctoral programme on Inequalities, Interventions and New Welfare State (DPInvest) at the University of Turku. My dissertation will create the first reference budgets for university/university of applied sciences students in Finland, laying out the resources that Finnish and non-EU students in Finland need to participate in current Finnish society.

The Finnish Development Funding Risk Management Policy in Theory and Practice, explores the theoretical, documented, and practical understanding of risk management between Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organisations receiving program-based support.

My research focus is on Ips typographus (European spruce bark beetle) as it could cause severe damage under climate change on Picea abies, one of the two most important commercial forest species in Finland. I aim to assess the risk of forest damage by this insect pest, which is useful to improve the health management of P. abies. A better understanding of the risks of I. typographus damages on P. abies under climate change will support forest managers to improve forest resilience. With these, I aim to assess the risk of distribution shift of I. typographus outbreaks under alternative climate change projections in Finland.

Research work centers around water diplomacy and transboundary water governance, with a particular focus on understanding and strengthening technical-political tracks from a conflict sensitive and positive peace point of view. This includes looking at risk, decision-making and implementation, trust and trustbuilding and institutional resilience as well as multistakeholder and multitrack engagement.

Happy Mathew Tirivangasi is a political and environmental sociologist whose Afrocentric research lens explores how societies perceive, evaluate, and manage risks in the context of climate change and socio-political change. He holds PhD in Development Studies (JYU), Master of Governance and Development (Uantwerpen, IOB), and Master of Arts in Sociology (University of Limpopo, South Africa). His work spans climate adaptation, health, indigenous knowledge systems, decolonizing climate change, gender, mobility, food security, and resilience always centering African experiences while engaging global policy debates. He also conducts research in political sociology, examining violence, protest, migration, xenophobia, transitional justice, and elections. A prolific scholar, Happy has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals including Climate Policy (Taylor & Francis), Sustainable Development (Wiley), International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management (Emerald), Development Southern Africa (Taylor & Francis), Scientific African (Elsevier), Management of Environmental Quality (Emerald), and the International Journal of Heritage Studies (Taylor & Francis). His book chapters appear with major publishers such as Springer Nature, Palgrave Macmillan, and Rowman & Littlefield. Happy thrives in collaborative, interdisciplinary research environments. He is currently editing multiple book projects with Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, and Routledge, bringing together a large network of scholars from Africa and Europe. These projects collectively include more than 100 contributing researchers. As part of his commitment to academic capacity building, he is mentoring a cohort of early-career African scholars who serve as Associate Editors supporting their growth in research leadership, editorial practice, and scholarly development. Across all his work, Happy is committed to bridging academic evidence with actionable policy insights, advancing sustainable development, governance, and resilience within and beyond the African continent.