Anu Liikanen (anu.liikanen@uef.fi)

Director of Research Services of the UEF, research assessment and development, strategy work on research, profile building of research activities (PROFI funding of the Academy of Finland), secretary of UEF’s Research Council.

Blas Mola (blas.mola@uef.fi)

My main research lines focus on all topics related to biomass production for energy, both from forest management and fast-growing plantations. My interests entail the production and economic aspects, policy framework, environmental effects and social consequences of their development. In addition to this, I have interest on the analysis and modelling of risk, especially combined with ecosystem services, either caused by natural disturbances, man-made origins or social conflicts.

Concerning teaching, I am in charge of advanced courses on bioenergy (“Supply and energy use of lignocellulosic biomass”, and “Bioenergy markets and policies”) and methods (“Academic skills” and “Research methods in forest sciences”). In addition, I am supervisor of several MSc and DSc students. I keep close cooperation at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden), the Norwegian Institute of bioeconomy research (Norway), the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Spain) and the Northwest A&F University (China).

Diana Arbelaez Ruiz (diana.arbelaez@uef.fi)

I study the social and political dimensions of resource extraction to inform dialogue, and policy- and decision-making. My interests include the dynamics of raw materials for the energy transition, conflict and peacebuilding in mining regions, and indigenous rights and activism in natural resource extraction contexts. I have more than 20 years’ combined experience in the areas of development, social responsibility, peace and conflict studies, and sustainability, with a strong emphasis on the extractive sector.

At UEF, I am examining the geopolitical and socio-environmental aspects of energy transition minerals from a global perspective. My previous posting was as Senior Research Fellow in the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Development Minerals Program, where I oversaw the establishment of an online knowledge exchange network for ASM miners and quarry workers – the Delve Exchange. My doctoral thesis dealt with Indigenous community participation in post-conflict mineral resource governance in Colombia. As part of this, I was a Visiting Endeavour Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Subsequently, I was a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. I held Research Fellow and Research Manager roles at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, where I worked on a broad suit of topics focusing on Latin American and Australian sites. I have been a consultant to NGOs and mining companies providing specialist knowledge and advisory services in connection to mining and development projects.

 

Henna Nikumaa (henna.nikumaa@uef.fi)

Henna Nikumaa (Master of Social Services) works as a Lecturer in Elder Law and coordinator of the Center of Law and Welfare.

Nikumaa’s research has focused on autonomy and supporting the legal capacity of people with dementia, which also her doctoral thesis scrutinizes. In addition to the subjects of her doctoral thesis, Nikumaa is also interested in the equality of elderly and disabled people as well as challenges of autonomy and protection of people with dementia.

Nikumaa has worked for 20 years in various positions in the field of elder care. Especially she has led projects that developed and strengthened later life legal planning, equality and the rights of people with dementia. She has published, in particular, articles and textbooks for social and health care professionals.

Nikumaa has completed a master’s degree in leadership and management and has many years of experience in management and supervision from different organizations as well as from different research and development projects. She is a member of the European Law and Ageing Network (ELAN) and of an European expert group that works on recommendations for an EU-wide dementia strategy. She is also a co-founder of the Finnish network of Elder Law Experts (VAASI).

Kaija Saranto (kaija.saranto@uef.fi)

Dr Kaija Saranto has acted as a full professor in Health and Human Services Informatics (HHSI), University of Eastern Finland.  She started as he program director for master (first “IMIA accredited”) and doctoral degree programs in HHSI. She is a member in the research groups focusing on health data analytics, shared decision making and  virtual care as well as patient safety in cooperation with national and international colleagues. She is an elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, the American Academy of Nursing and an Inaugural Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics. At present Saranto acts as the President of the International Association of Health  Sciences Informatics (IAHSI) under IMIA.

She is the past president of the Finnish Health Informatics Association under IMIA and has served as the International Taskforce Liaison for HIMSS TIGER Committee.  Currently, she is the chair of the WG Education of EFMI, and is actively engaged with the international curriculum development of health informatics for the digital society.

Karelian Wellness – increasing wellness tourism in Finnish and Russian Karelia.

The project aims to increased business and interaction in wellness service sector in Finnish and Russian Karelia. The project will offer new approach to wellness tourism service development, design and services selection and thus help the entrepreneurs to better reach their potential customers on the both sides of the border.

Project goals:
1. Identification and analysis of wellness services consumption in the region
2. Training on service design and individual pilots
3. Cross-border networking and peer-to-peer learning
4. Development of service and marketing skills

The most important target groups are various sized entrepreneurs working with wellness services.

Katja Mielonen (katja.mielonen@uef.fi)

I am in charge of leading the development of UEF’s key web services: uef.fi -websites, student knowledge base Kamu, UEF Connect ja Heimo. I am the head of communications unit’s webservice team.

Katri Hämeen-Anttila (katri.hameen-anttila@uef.fi)

I have a special focus on pharmaceutical policy both in research and teaching. Topics of my interest include pharmacy services, medication counseling, rational pharmacotherapy and patient participation in the pharmacotherapy process. I am always ready to discuss multiprofessional collaboration on these topics.

I have more than eleven years of practical experience on pharmaceutical policy matters from the Finnish Medicines Agency. My contribution at the Agency centered on patient and public participation, strategic development of medicines information practices and developing pharmacy services, including research on these topics. I have wide and active networks both in academia and regulatory affairs, a strong expertise in qualitative research methodology and wide experience in conducting population surveys.

My passion is to emphasize the importance of patient participation in health care and pharmaceutical policy research. There is an expert patient in my research group to guide me on this path.

Laura Tomppo (laura.tomppo@uef.fi)

I manage the SIB Labs services. We offer versatile imaging and characterisation services for both companies and research groups. In addition to service activities, we implement research and development projects in cooperation with educational institutions, research organisations and industry.

I am involved in a number of projects that focus on material technology, material characterization and continuous monitoring, the use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of continuous measurements, biorefining and microplastics. My background is in research on natural materials such wood and natural fibers, like hemp, and composites produced from these. I am involved in the implementation and development of education in materials technology and bioeconomy.