• Institution University of Helsinki
  • Department/faculty Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Reasearch Programme (OEB)

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3385-972X. University Lecturer in Physiological Plant Ecology, Principal Investigator, Sensory and Physiological Ecology of Plants Research group (University of Helsinki), Docent in Plant Physiological Ecology (University of Eastern Finland), Information Officer (UV4Plants International Scientific Association), Editor-in-Chief (UV4Plants Bulletin). Ingeniero Agrónomo, especialidad Fitotecnia (Universidad de Buenos Aires), MSc en Producción Vegetal (Universidad de Buenos Aires), PhD in Science (University of Edinburgh). Teaching: Sensory and physiological ecology of plants, Ecosystems ecology, Statistics and design of experiments, Plant Photobiology.

Projects

Sensory and physiological ecology of plants. Bridge the gap between laboratory-based research and field applications.

Antti Autio

Doctoral Candidate

  • Institution University of Helsinki
  • Department/faculty Department of Geosciences and Geography/Faculty of Science

Antti Autio is a Ph.D. student in the Doctoral Programme in Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences (DENVI) at the University of Helsinki. He holds a master’s degree in Development Geography and his dissertation research focuses on smallholder farmer’s adaptation to climate change in East Africa from the perspective of political ecology.

Niti Bhan

Doctoral Student

  • Institution Aalto University School of Engineering
  • Department/faculty Interdisciplinary Innovation and Development

Niti's research interests lie in the intersection between design methods, knowledge systems particularly local, traditional and indigenous knowledges, and participatory social design-driven transformation. She is currently exploring the relationship between post-colonial indigenous research paradigms (Chilisa 2019) and integrated product development strategies for holistic knowledge production that implements cognitive justice (Visvanathan 1997; 2021) for research at the Cultural Interface (Nakata 1997, 2007; Durie 2005). Over 30 years of professional creative practice in design and innovation. This includes 15 years of leading interdisciplinary teams for fieldwork using design anthropology methodologies (rapid ethnography, indepth interviews, day in the life, observations and shadowing in markets, farms, villages, borderlands and more). Fieldwork personally completed in South Africa, The Philippines, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and with local assistance in Benin and Malawi. Networks span the African continent. Public recognition of original knowledge production includes Invitation to mainstage of TED Global 2017 in Arusha Tanzania TEDTalk video https://www.ted.com/talks/niti_bhan_the_hidden_opportunities_of_the_informal_economy

Alex Cisneros

PhD student / Social Specialist

  • Institution Tampere University / Wardell Armstrong International
  • Department/faculty Philosophy

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.

Teppo Eskelinen

Senior Lecturer

  • Institution University of Jyväskylä
  • Department/faculty Department of social sciences and philosophy

Multidisciplinary social scientist working on global political economy, development theory, development policy, political philosophy, economic alternatives, development ethics, social movements.

  • Institution Åbo Akademi
  • Department/faculty Institute for Human Rights

Lisa Grans holds a PhD in Public International Law from Åbo Akademi University (2018) and has published extensively on the issue of women’s rights, with a particular focus on violence against women. Her expertise also includes the prohibition of discrimination, the prohibition of torture and linguistic rights. Grans has worked practically for over 20 years with promoting the human rights of women and other disadvantaged groups in cooperation with the relevant governmental bodies in countries such as Georgia, Kosovo and Turkey, having been based in the latter two.

Projects

Prevention of honour-related violence through the lens of the right to physical and psychological integrity

Ghadeer Hamed

Doctoral Researcher

  • Institution University of Eastern Finland
  • Department/faculty School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education

A doctoral researcher and staff member at the University of Eastern Finland. My professional background includes working as a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Education at Birzeit University, Palestine. I also served as a senior instructional designer at the Open Learning Center of Al-Quds Open University, where I specialized in eLearning for higher education—developing online courses, digital content, blended learning environments, and immersive learning technologies such as XR, AR, and VR. My PhD research focuses on immersive learning in higher education, with a particular emphasis on the use of augmented reality (AR) in physics education. Additionally, I'm interested in AI in education, STEM education, and innovative pedagogies.

majid imani

Doctoral researcher

  • Institution Tampere university
  • Department/faculty Social science

I have a bachelor’s degree in English translation and a master’s degree in communication science and journalism and Business Administration both from the University in Iran. After studying in academia, I decided to move to international business projects and consulting. For nearly 10 years, I worked for a Simense project as a commercial expert and for 2 years as a business counsultant in Finland. Then, I returned to academia to pursue a research career. Currently, I am a doctoral researcher in social anthropology at Tampere University. My working and research interest relates to crisis management, social anthropology, ethnography, social media, media management, and online ethnography.

Yusuf Kosar

Doctoral Researcher

  • Institution University of Eastern Finland
  • Department/faculty Department of Historical and Geographical Studies

I am a  PhD student in Human Geography, in the department of Geographical and Historical Studies at UEF. I am originally a political scientist and I do my research on Geopolitics and International Relations. However my PhD dissertation is The Finnish Influence on International Peacebuilding, where I will be focusing on two cases of conflicts "Russo-Ukrainian War and Palestinian Crisis" 

Päivi Lujala

Professor

  • Institution University of Oulu
  • Department/faculty Geography

I am Professor in Geography and Academy of Finland Research Fellow, with a background from both human geography and economics, at the Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland. My research focuses on two broad topics: i) management of valuable natural resources in the Global South and ii) adaption to climate change related natural hazards. For more information, see www.paivilujala.com