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Erik Hansen ([email protected])

Prof. Dr. Erik G. Hansen is a Visiting Professor of Innovation Management at the Business School of University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and contributes to the Research Centre for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE). He is also a Full Professor and Head of the Institute of Integrated Quality Design (IQD) at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz, Austria and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany and Cambridge University, Institute for Manufacturing (IfM). His research focuses on managing circular, greentech, and sustainability-oriented innovations at the level of products, product-service systems, and business models, including the supporting role of standards and digitalisation.

Esa Hiltunen ([email protected])

I work as a Senior Lecturer in Innovation Management at UEF Business School and I am an expert of organizational change in the health sector. Another research interest focuses on retail sector and participatory innovation. I also supervise theses in master and doctoral programs.
I have a special competence in qualitative research in organizations, particularly observation-based ethnography, which I have applied in research that is based on Bourdieu’s field theory. I have a wide collaboration network in different research fields, both business studies and sociology.

Frank Kiwanuka ([email protected])

I recently completed the Doctoral Programme of Health Sciences – major Nursing from the University of Eastern Finland.  My research interests include family healthcare, nursing in acute care settings, global health nursing, and most recently machine learning in healthcare contexts. I am eager to engage in international interdisciplinary collaborative projects that push the boundaries beyond what is achieved in single local settings. I thrive well in collaborative environments, valuing the exchange of ideas and perspectives that drive innovation in health sciences.

Hanna Lehtimäki ([email protected])

Hanna Lehtimäki (Ph.D., Title of Docent), is a Professor of Innovation Management at the University of Eastern Finland Business School. Her research examines sustainable innovation with theoretical frameworks on strategic management, leadership, ecosystems and entrepreneurship. Her current research focuses on transition to sustainable circular economy. Her articles have appeared in academic journals internationally and she has authored and co-authored books on strategic management and leadership.

Hanna Lehtimäki (Ph.D. Bus Econ) is a professor of Innovation Management in Business School and a Director and Founder of Research Center for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE) since 2023 at the University of Eastern Finland. She and her research team, SunLab, advance transdisciplinary social sciences research and societal impact in sustainable circular economy transition. In her capacity as a Vice Director of UEF strategic research community Sustainable Resource Society: Circular Economy, Energy and Raw Materials (RESOURCE RC), she advances multidisciplinary social sciences research agenda for sustainability transition in business and society.

She is an experienced research project leader. Currently she leads a work package in a research consortium Partnership model – plastic circularity funded by Business Finland, a development project Circular economy microcredentials (CE4ALL) funded by EU Just Transition Fund, Northern Savo and Northern Karjala Regional Funds, and a research project Leading Regenerative Circular Economy (LEADSUS) funded by the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education. She was a a work package leader in Research Council of Finland funded research project Multi-level governance of critical materials for future electric mobility (GOVERMAT) 2022-2025, vicePI and a work package leader in an Academy of Finland Strategic Research Council project Circular Economy Catalysts: From Innovation to Business Ecosystems (CICAT2025) (2019-2023) and a leader in Finnish Indian research consortium Circular Economy Solutions for Microplastics: Indo-Finnish Scientific Collaboration for Innovation (CESMI) (2022-2024).

She is also active in advancing sustainability education in her capacity as a leader of Sustainability leadership international Master’s programme at the UEF Business School. She supervises doctoral researchers and serves as a supervisor in the doctoral education pilot Sustainability Transformations (SusTra) funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.”

Her research has appeared in journals internationally and she has recently co-edited books on art and sustainability and catalyzing sustainable circular economy. The recent edited books are:

Ghosh, Pooja, Carrasco-Navarro, Victor, Lehtimäki, Hanna (Eds.) (2025). Circular Plastics Economy: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Elsevier.

Lehtimäki, Hanna, Taylor, Steve, Galvão-Lyra, Mariana (Eds.) (2024). Art and Sustainability Transitions in Business and Society. Theoretical Insights and Engagement. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-031-44218-6. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-44219-3

Lehtimäki, Hanna, Aarikka-Stenroos, Leena, Jokinen, Ari, & Jokinen, Pekka (Eds.) (2023). The Routledge Handbook of Catalysts for a Sustainable Circular Economy. Routledge. ISBN 9781032212449.

Hannaneh Moradi ([email protected])

I am a doctoral researcher in Innovation Management and a recipient of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. My Ph.D. is part of the Neuro-Innovation Ph.D. program focusing on advancements in innovation and organizational dynamics. I also hold an MA in Business Administration.

My research centers on network identity, exploring its evolution, formation, and dynamics within networks and organizations, particularly in health-related contexts. I am interested in scientific inquiry and qualitative research methodologies.

My research interests include:

  • Innovation Management
  • Network Identity
  • Strategic Management
  • Change Management

Helena Kantanen ([email protected])

I am a former communications professional who currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer in Innovation Management. Additionally, I have been honored with the title of Docent in Organizational Communication by the University of Tampere. My doctoral degree, obtained in 2007, focused on Organizational Communication and Public Relations, and was awarded by the University of Jyväskylä. Following the completion of my PhD, I joined the faculty in 2010.

My research pursuits encompass various areas, including appreciative organizational renewal, the creation of value through communication consultancy, exploration of learning and communication within virtual communities, and innovative pedagogical approaches within business education. Within the realm of teaching, I cover subjects such as introductory marketing, organizational communication, change management (including instruction through Erasmus exchange programs), and qualitative research methods.

I was involved in the Flipped Classroom development project of the UEF since its beginning and I also lead the pedagogical development team at the Business School. My commitment to excellence in teaching was acknowledged in 2017 when I received the Excellent Teaching Practitioner Award from the University of Eastern Finland. Throughout 2021 and 2022, I played an integral role in advancing online and blended learning pedagogy at our university by serving as a member of the digital pedagogy facilitator team.