My research focuses on emerging markets and the evolving regulatory framework for commerce. I concentrate on the role of law and trade in shaping the global economy, which directly impacts national and regional economies. My research targets regulation that may enable growth and remove barriers to trade and commercial development. Global transactions impact the regulator’s ability to control actors and digital content as well as reducing risks and preventing harm to consumers. Hybrid governance models and institutions are necessary to govern international distribution chains to detect fraudulent activity and promote innovative entrepreneurship.
Technological development surpasses regulation that is mainly geared towards real world commerce. Digitalization does not replace, but transforms international chains of commerce and creates opportunities for new business innovations. Trade in physical goods remains relevant, yet now trade revolves around digital content and the service economy. My research focuses on grey areas or gaps in commercial regulation. Thematically I focus on the areas of internet, IPRs and food law.
The focus on IPRs relates to policing criminal activity and utilizing protection schemes to further entrepreneurship, especially protecting innovative SMEs in global markets and developing countries and capitalizing on the potential in food innovation to enhance food security and sustainable business models in food development.
Katri Rusanen ([email protected])
Master of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (University of Helsinki 2019).
Sustainable economy, sustainable forest bioeconomy networks, sustainable value creation and innovation.
Mari Argillander ([email protected])
M. Sc. Econ.
Primary responsibilities revolve around managing international relations and partnerships for the University’s global educational services. Focus on international multicultural initiatives and business operations, particularly in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Gulf countries.
Principal areas of focus in international cooperation have encompassed projects related to higher education development, curriculum design, university-based entrepreneurship and innovation, teacher education in diverse formats, and the cultivation of 21st century skills.
Marta Choroszewicz ([email protected])
I am Marta Choroszewicz (DSocSci, the title of docent in sociology) and I work at the Department of Sociology at the University of Eastern Finland. My work as a sociologist concentrates on the intersection between research on professional work, feminist theories, and science and technology studies. In my research, I have broadly investigated social inequalities in the professions, organizations and working life in general. More recently, I have studied development and implementation of data-driven practices and technologies in the Finnish health care and social services, public sector (AI) innovation and engaged with the issues of building a digital welfare state via the use of new data technologies such as automated decision-making systems. Besides my own research projects, I worked in ProPSI, DaDSoc, DataLit and DEQUAL projects.
In 2024-2025, I work on a personal grant received from the Finnish Cultural Foundation for my project “Perpetual Piloting and Invisible Work of Automating Public Services in Finland”, in which I study Artificial Intelligence (AI) based innovation processes and (in)visible work associated with them in Finnish public administration. As a part of this project, I am also tackling the meaning of ‘social sustainability’ in the context of digitalizing welfare state. The research data I collected over two years is a unique and extensive ethnographic data set of innovation activities (100+ interviews and 400+ hours of observation) across public administration sectors from two public administration organisations. The data covers various stages of design, development and experimentation of AI tools, including decision support tools, AI assistants, Microsoft 365 Copilot and predictive algorithm systems.
In 2026-2027, I will be working as a grant researcher on my project “Navigating experimental AI tools within technology-enthusiastic context of Finnish public administration” funded by the North Karelia Regional Fund (Eini ja Jorma Veikkolainen Fund) and the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation on the impact of increasing uptake of experimental AI tools and systems on the public servants’ work and expertise as well as the Finnish public administration more broadly. The project is based on extensive ethnographic data to ensure a long-term perspective on ongoing – and accelerated by AI tools – digital transformation of Finnish public administration.
SocioCast episode on my research available at:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xD3xZ0gRIcPg37jGYloVB?si=260c321758144368
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sociocast-uef/generative-ai-tools-in-the-public-sector-in-finland
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/marta-choroszewicz-generative-ai-tools-in-the-public/id1665562756?i=1000790347084
Press releases about my research:
Researchers develop new model for ethical AI governance: https://www.kul.pl/researchers-develop-new-model-for-ethical-ai-governance,art_114343.html https://www.uef.fi/en/article/researchers-develop-new-model-for-ethical-ai-governance
Generative AI projects persist in public administration, even when AI tools fail to perform as promised: https://www.uef.fi/en/article/generative-ai-projects-persist-in-public-administration-even-when-ai-tools-fail-to-perform-as
More information from my personal website: https://research.choroszewicz.eu
Melika Azim Zadegan ([email protected])
I am a PhD student in Innovation Management (UEF Business School) and Doctoral Researcher in Neuro-Innovation Ph.D. Programme (MSCA Cofund). My PhD project is a qualitative study focuses on remote monitoring of patients from organizational, management, and innovation perspectives in the context of specific neurodegenerative disease areas, such as idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) which is among the brain health research areas in the MSCA Neuro-Innovation Doctoral Programme.
Mikko Laitinen ([email protected])
I am Professor of English Language at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu and an elected member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. My research focuses on the social network theory in language variation and change in English and on the study of world Englishes in Finland and in the Nordic region. I am interested in computational and data intensive digital methods in the humanities. As empirical material, my research uses both traditional text corpora and born-digital societal big data. As for administrative duties, I was elected as the chair of the University Collegiate Body for 2022–2025.
I started my university studies in a college in Texas in the 1990s after which I have been a student and post doc researcher at the universities of Helsinki and Jyväskylä. In 2012, I was appointed as Professor of English at Linnaeus University in Sweden where I helped establish an interdisciplinary research unit of Center for Data Intensive Sciences and Applications (DISA). This interdisciplinary unit brings together computer scientists, visualization experts, social scientists and linguists for data intensive research.
Currently, I am PI of two large externally funded projects. The first one is FIN-CLARIAH (2022–25), which is funded by the Research Council of Finland and its Research Infrastructure program. This national consortium develops tools and datasets for digital humanities research (https://www.kielipankki.fi/organization/fin-clariah/). The work of the UEF group focuses on collecting, preprocessing and analyzing extremely large-scale born-digital social media data and metadata for research. We are particularly interested in human-centered AI and concentrate on using societal big data in ethically sustainable ways (see www.dariah.fi).
The second is a Research Council project funding for 2024–2028. This research project Weak-tie hypothesis in complex digital networks (COMET) tests the validity of the weak-tie hypothesis in sociolinguistics by examining how linguistic innovations spread in extremely large social media networks (https://research.fi/en/results/funding/81344). It brings together leading experts from social network theory, data-intensive sociolinguistics and computer sciences.
In addition, during 2022 and 2023, I run a project funded by the Prime Minister’s Office and its joint analysis, assessment and research funding scheme. This project provided research-based information for decision makers on the role of English in Finland today. It investigated the scope of using English in civil administration, in business life and in higher education in Finland. As empirical material, we used large-scale survey data and data collected from social media. The project report is available (in Finnish) at https://tietokayttoon.fi/-/englanti-suomen-kansalliskielten-rinnalla.
Together with Dr. Martin Schweinberger (University of Queensland), I am the general editor of a new book series (Bloomsbury Academic). This series (Language, Data Science and Digital Humanities) sets out from the assumption that language use is at the heart of the ongoing digital revolution, and that more interdisciplinary collaboration is need to understand both digitalization and language in use in the digital era. The series specifically invites proposals that seek to utilize computational and data intensive methods and explore novel digital solutions to analyze digital data of various sizes and forms.
Mikko Lampinen ([email protected])
I act as a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland’s Business School, and I am a member of the Research Centre for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE), the Sustainable Innovation Lab (SUNLAB), and the Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot (SUSTRA).
My research examines sustainability transitions and the role of ecosystem governance in advancing the circular economy. Focusing on the transition of critical materials, I investigate how businesses, public organizations, and other stakeholders coordinate resources, build collaborative relationships, and govern industrial ecosystems to enable circular economy transition. My work combines perspectives from management studies, sustainability transitions, and ecosystem research to better understand the governance challenges and opportunities associated with systemic change.
Mikko Nissi ([email protected])
Dr. Nissi is a Professor at the Department of Technical Physics at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. Dr. Nissi leads a research group focusing on pre-clinical quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI). In 2021, Dr. Nissi also served as a deputy head of the department. The research topics in the group include relaxometry methods, such as various rotating and laboratory frame relaxation methods and imaging strategies, as well as quantitative susceptibility mapping. While the primary field of target applications for qMRI in Dr. Nissi’s group has been musculoskeletal diseases and their diagnostics, the research interests of his group concern especially methodological development of ultra-short echo time / SWIFT imaging sequences as well as image acquisition and reconstruction strategies for various target applications.
The most recent project fundings granted to Dr. Nissi concern development of AI-assisted virtual histology using magnetic resonance fingerprinting (Research Council of Finland, grant #354693), depelopment of rapid quantitative ultra-short echo time MRI methods using primarily the SWIFT sequence and its variants and iterative compressed sensing reconstruction methods (Research Council of Finland, grant #325146) and developing an innovation and development environment for industrial applications of material research using microMRI, consisting of investment of an 11.74 T microMRI device and of various pilot projects on microMRI of agricultural and industrial products (European Regional Development Fund, grants #A73998 and #A74016).
Mohamed Abdelgalil ([email protected])
Dr. Mohammed Saqr is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), where he leads the Learning Analytics Unit which has established itself as the most productive laboratory in Europe (over the last five years) and ranks second globally as of 2024. His research is globally recognized, with an long record of pioneering contributions to learning analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), precision explainable AI (XAI), network science, and methodological innovations.
Dr. Saqr completed his PhD in Learning Analytics at Stockholm University, Sweden, earning the Best Thesis Award for his groundbreaking work. He further honed his expertise through postdoctoral research positions at esteemed institutions, including Université Paris Cité, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and UEF, where he subsequently became a Senior Researcher. He has also earned the title of Docent in Learning Analytics from the University of Oulu, Finland.
Dr. Saqr’s work is particularly distinguished in the emerging field of Precision AI, where he has developed Precise XAI models tailored to individuals. His methodologies promise significant advancements in equity and personalization in digital education. One of his notable projects includes the development of the `tna` software, a robust and modern analytical tool for dynamic process analytics and learning networks. These innovations align with his vision to create accessible, personalized, and fair AI-driven learning environments.
With over 190 scholarly publications, including books, journal articles, conference proceedings, and editorials, Dr. Saqr is one of the most published authors in learning analytics worldwide. His works are frequently featured in prestigious journals and conferences. He has received multiple accolades, including the Europe’s Emerging Scholar Award from the Society of Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) in 2023 and Best Paper awards at major conferences such as LAK, ICCE, SITE, and TEEM.
Dr. Saqr serves on the editorial boards of leading journals such as the British Journal of Educational Technology and IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies. He is also a Guest Editor for special issues focusing on AI, diversity, and technology. His editorial and leadership roles extend to chairing conference tracks, delivering keynotes, and editing proceedings for prominent academic events.
Dr. Saqr actively collaborates with international researchers, governmental organizations, and industry leaders, contributing to over 200 global research partnerships. His consultations have shaped projects for governmental bodies and evaluated programs under the World Academy of Sciences, a UNESCO organization. You can see more at https://saqr.me/
Mohammad Rezaie ([email protected])
I am a Ph.D. candidate at the esteemed University of Eastern Finland, specializing in biomedical engineering. My academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree from Shahed University and continued with a Master’s degree from Iran University of Science and Technology, where I honed my skills in electronic circuits, signal processing, and artificial intelligence for medical data analysis.
Currently, my research focus lies in the development of sophisticated software solutions for Multi-Electrode Array (MEA) data analysis. Leveraging my advanced programming proficiency in Python and MATLAB, complemented by experience in Biomedical signal processing, I strive to create user-friendly yet robust software platforms. My objective is to integrate cutting-edge methodologies with standardized protocols, facilitating seamless adoption and enhancing efficiency in biomedical research endeavors.
Driven by a passion for innovation and a dedication to advancing healthcare technology, I approach challenges with a blend of expertise and enthusiasm. I am committed to delivering impactful solutions at the forefront of technology and biomedicine. I look forward to contributing to the advancement of knowledge and collaboration within the scientific community.