Kristina Leppälä

Kristina Leppälä is a researcher whose current work examines the navigation and enactment of sustainability and the circular economy in organizational and industrial contexts. Her scholarship draws on practice‑theoretical approaches to investigate multi‑actor collaboration, materiality, technology, and transitions toward more sustainable industrial systems. She has published in international peer‑reviewed journals, contributed to scholarly edited volumes, and presented her research at national and international academic conferences.

She has served as a researcher in several major projects funded by the Research Council of Finland (Strategic Research Council), the EU Just Transition Fund (CE4ALL), the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Foundation for Economic Education, and Business Finland.

Leppälä teaches and supervises both Master’s and Bachelor’s students, working as a lecturer, responsible teacher, and thesis advisor. She has also held guest lecturer positions at Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Prior to her academic career, she spent many years in research and development roles within the high‑tech industrial sector.

Her international experience includes visiting researcher appointments at Stanford University (USA) in 2024 and 2025, with the latter supported by a Fulbright Finland grant, and at the University of Exeter (UK) in 2023. She serves on multiple boards and is regularly invited to speak as an expert at academic, professional, and policy‑oriented events.

Originally from the United States, Leppälä has lived in Finland for several decades and maintains strong professional and personal ties across both countries.