Dr. Raija Halonen acts as an Adjunct Professor and University Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Oulu, Finland, in the Research Unit M3S. She is intested in e-Inclusion and how it can be built and supported by ICT-enabled solutions and applications. Before her academic career she worked on information systems both in the public sector and in private IT enterprises. She has contacts with health sector and several private companies. Her research topics include serious games, gamification and human approach in relation to information processing science.

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.

Projects

Simulation for sustainability education (SISU-EDU)

I am a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, UEF. I am have a Masters in economics and a BSc in Computer Science. My research interests: Serious Games in the educational context, economics of innovation and public (health) policy. I have substantial experience in the private sector (systems analyst, financial economics, data analysis and policy analysis).