Jussi Karkkulainen holds a Doctor of Laws degree and works as a University Lecturer in the disciplines of criminal law and procedural law. In addition, he has teaching responsibilities in forensic psychology and on courses focusing on the general professional skills required of lawyers. He supervises doctoral dissertations in criminal law and procedural law and serves as a member of the UEF Law School’s research management group.
In his doctoral thesis, Target intent – A railway journey to volition in the circumstance elements of a criminal offence, Karkkulainen focused on the assessment of intent on the basis of the offender’s formation of will. In addition to the general doctrines of criminal law, he has conducted research on, among other things, sexual offences, property offences and hate crimes, legal issues related to sport, decision-making concerning the release of life prisoners, and the significance of creativity in legal research.
Karkkulainen’s research is characterised by critical engagement, creativity, and a future-oriented approach. Through legal research, he seeks to identify solutions to various national and global threats, such as hate speech, inequality, and organised crime. He also conducts research in university pedagogy. For this reason, his research is both multi-method and interdisciplinary: in addition to different strands of doctrinal legal research, he employs empirical methods such as qualitative content analysis, autoethnography, and critical discourse analysis.
In the academic year 2026–2027, Karkkulainen works as a teacher in the following courses:
- European Criminal and Procedural Law 3 ECTS
- International and Transnational Criminal Law 5 ECTS
- Seminar on Criminal Law and Criminal Procedural Law 5 ECTS
- Master’s Thesis and Seminar, Criminal and Procedural Law 40 ECTS
- Introduction to Criminal Law 5 ECTS
- Assessment of evidence in criminal and civil cases 9 ECTS
- Legal Communication, Creativity and Influencing 5 ECTS
Research on public and global health. Epidemiologic, registry-based, and in part qualitative research methods. Scientific and popular presentations and publications. International academic collaboration and networking.
Dr Jussi P. Laine is a professor of multidisciplinary border studies at the Karelian Institute of the University of Eastern Finland, holding the title of Docent of Human Geography at the University of Oulu, Finland. From 2013 to 2021 he led the Association for Borderlands Studies, the leading international scholarly association dedicated exclusively to the systematic interchange of ideas and information relating to international border areas. By background, Dr. Laine is a human geographer, yet in his approach to borders, he combines influences from international relations and geopolitics, political sociology, history, anthropology, and psychology. His research explores the multiscalar production of borders and critically examines the relationship between state, territory, citizenship, and identity construction. His work extends to borderland resilience and comprehensive security, addressing the vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of border regions in the face of geopolitical shifts, migration dynamics, and hybrid security threats. Most recently, Dr. Laine has published works on border mobility, migration, the ethics of borders, and ontological (in)security.
My work revolves around teaching experimentation and practical work methods in physics education to subject teachers students and researching and developing the educational use of digital technologies.
My research focuses on osteoarthritis. Currently, I am using cartilage biomechanical modeling to determine which cartilage biomechanical properties can be determined from contrast enhanced computed tomography images. My goal is to improve the diagnosis of osteoarthritis by developing a method to reliably assess cartilage condition and also make cartilage models more patient-specific.
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I am responsible for the operation and development of the University of Eastern Finland Teacher Training School (e.g. general, human resources and financial management, stakeholder cooperation and international affairs).
Research interests
My main research interests are related to hospital school pedagogy, intensive multidisciplinary support, teacher cooperation, well-being at work, school culture and the development of learning environments.
I am a nutrition researcher, an adjunct professor of nutritional epidemiology and a licensed nutritionist. My main topics of interest include the role of dietary factors in development of chronic diseases, mainly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and memory disorders. The study methods include both observational cohort studies and clinical trials.
I am involved in several research groups that study interaction between people, multi-professional teaching and collaboration. Multidisciplinary teaching and research offer me a possibility to develop my own perspectives beyond my own area of science. Dialogue is a central concept that has directed my research ever since my own doctoral dissertation. Dialogue also offers an important tool for understanding social and health care work and multiprofessional work. Another central concept that directs my work is impactful interaction. This implies that it is not enough that we collaborate, but that our collaboration has results. I have also researched people’s experiences of value and meaning, which we have also published on in 2023 in a book ‘Arvoa ja arvottomuuta’ loosely translated ‘Value and Valuelessness’ (Mönkkönen, Tapani & Kokkonen). We also published a book ‘Työyhteisötaidot digiajassa’ loosely translated ‘Work Community Skills in the Digital Age’ (Mönkkönen & Roos), where we contemplate what work community skills mean in the changed world of work. I
In collaboration with the University of Namibia we have released an educational video on early intervention in family violence. The video was launched in Namibia on 14 August 2024. UEF and the University of Namibia launch an educational video on early intervention in family violence | University of Eastern Finland The video highlights Finnish and Namibian approaches to addressing family violence and is intended for social workers, social work students and other professionals involved in family violence intervention. https://youtu.be/TRkKnNCT_w8
I mainly teach in multidisciplinary courses, where students from different fields study multi-professional collaboration. I also lead theses seminars and supervise doctoral dissertations.
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.
I’m working in the Law School and in the research group Neuroethics and Law in UEF Neuroscience Community. I have make studies of court system, conflict resolution, mediation and quality of law drafting. I’m currently researching access to justice and realization of rights of vulnerable groups in society. I’m leading research project Shadows in paradise? The rights of people living with dementia in a welfare state (VAPA; 2022-2025) funded by Kone Foundation and UEF subproject of the project Overcoming Barriers to Democratic Participation with Minoritized and Marginalized Groups (OBAMA 2025 – 2027), funded by Strategic Research Council. I’m also leading research project Access to justice for marginalized groups of older people in ageing society (AMIS; 2023-2027) and project Realization of rights of people with epilepsy in welfare state (VAHVA; 2023-).
