I’m doing research on environmental justice, social acceptance and tensions related to Finnish natural resource governance. My aim is to recognize ways for more sustainable and just natural resource decision making. In addition, I’ve done research on the possibilities of co-management arrangements in Finland.
Johanna Uotinen ([email protected])
I work as a senior lecturer in Media Culture Studies at the School of Humanities, Joensuu campus. My research interests are e.g. cultural studies of health and health technologies and autoethnography as a method.
John Pulgarin Diaz ([email protected])
Unlocking Insights from Complex Data. I am a researcher who moves beyond the data, transforming complex information into strategic solutions that drive evidence-based decisions. With a strong background in analytical methods and developing predictive models, I focus on optimizing outcomes and creating impactful, data-driven solutions for real-world challenges.
Joni Jaakola ([email protected])
I work as a post-doctoral researcher in the research consortium CareQuAI (JPI/MYBL, 2025-2028). The project studies AI-driven platform care in Finland, Sweden and the UK. I defended my doctoral dissertation in sociology titled Welfare Technologies in Finland in 2023. The dissertation examined the ethics and politics of emerging care technologies, such as telecare systems and social robots. After that, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher in Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (2024-2025). So far, my research has focused on the relations between older people’s care and technology from different angles. In addition to research activities, I have taught qualitative methods, scientific writing, science and technology studies and candidate seminars in social sciences.
Joni Järvenpää ([email protected])
I study the health effects and movements of nano-sized microplastics in the human body and cells using molecular modeling. I also do modeling for our sirtuin research group.
Joni Virkkunen ([email protected])
Joni Virkkunen (PhD, title of docent) works as a Research Manager at the Karelian Institute. He is also the Director of the VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies, a member of the executive board of the UEF’s top-level research area Borders, Mobilities and Cultural Encounters (BOMOCULT) and of the cross-faculty Doctoral Programme in Social and Cultural Encounters. His research relates to borders, border governance, cross-border cooperation, EU-Russian relations, regional and cross-border cooperation and transnational migration in Russian and post-Soviet contexts. He has been recently studying, for example, the Northern Dimension policy and the regional impacts of EU-Russia relations, local meanings of the border and cross-border cooperation, the 2015-2016 Arctic migration route through/from Russia to Finland and, recently, temporary protection holders from Ukraine. The latter he has been studying through Finnish and Russian migration and border policies, publicity and public debates, migrants’ everyday insecurities, and informal practices.
Jonna Koponen ([email protected])
Leading an international research project on “E-leadership with digital communication” 2021-2016 funded by the Academy of Finland. Decision number 342265.
Research area I: E-leadership and digital communication. Challenges and opportunities in e-leadership, digital communication channels in e-leadership, video communication and social presence.
Research area II: Sales management and digital transformation. Customer relationships, value co-creation, sales communication and digital interaction. Video-based sales interaction, social presence, parasocial relationships.
Research area III: Managerial competence and the role of AI in leadership and sales. AI and managerial competence, AI integration in service and sales teams, AI and ethics in leadership and sales.
Jonna Ojalammi ([email protected])
My research is situated within practical theology and theology of wellbeing, with a particular focus on crises—both individual and collective. In terms of individual crises, my focus is on family relationships. Regarding collective crises, I have explored experiences of meaning during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as older adults’ responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition, I have studied the religious and ideological non-alignment of theological education. My most recent research focuses on religious deidentification—a process in which individuals withdraw from organized religion while retaining personally meaningful elements of religiosity.
Jonne Posti ([email protected])
My doctoral research in Sports and Exercise Medicine deals with the connection between children’s motor and cognitive skills. Keywords: developmental cognitive neuroscience, rapid serial naming, retained primitive reflexes, dyslexia, motor development
Joonas Huuhtanen ([email protected])
Joonas Huuhtanen is a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). His research is focused on consumer protection in Finland and EU. Key areas of his research are consumer contracts for supply of digital content and services and collective redress measures in consumer law.
At the University of Eastern Finland, Joonas lectures on the courses “Basics of Civil Law”, ”Marketing and Consumer Protection” and the bachelor’s thesis and seminar for civil law.