My tasks include coordinating our development of researcher training, as well as developing the study administration of doctoral education together with the faculties and doctoral programs. I also participate in the activities of the national doctoral education network.
Kaisa Näkki ([email protected])
Kaisa Näkki (LL.D./LL.M., trained on the bench) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Law School. Her current research focuses on the rights of older persons.
Näkki’s interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation Assessment of Mental Capacity and the Need for Legal Guardianship in Individuals with Dementia: Legal and Medical Perspectives, integrates socio‑legal studies, guardianship law, and neurology.
Näkki has previously worked as an attorney-at-law and a licensed trial counsel.
Näkki is a member of the European Law and Ageing Network (ELAN) and the Finnish network of experts on elder law (VAASI).
Kaisa Paldanius ([email protected])
Kaisa Paldanius is a Doctor of Philosophy (biochemistry, molecular neurobiology) who is the scientific coordinator of international EU-funded research projects on ageing and dementia risk prevention: AD-RIDDLE, Prominent and 2D-BioPAD. Kaisa has over 20 years of experience in academic research as well as preclinical phase research in a global CRO company. She utilizes these skills in a variety of development and communication tasks at the Brain Research Unit.
Kaisa Pihlainen ([email protected])
I work as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education, and I lead the Support for Lifelong Learning research group, where we study learning, participation, and well-being from a lifelong learning perspective. I utilize diverse research methods, with an emphasis on visual and participatory approaches. I have participated in numerous transdisciplinary research projects both nationally and internationally. Currently I coordinate a Horizon Europe project called Supporting the mental health of youth in education, training and work – SUPPORT-Y (2026-2031). I have worked as a visiting scholar at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Karlstad University in Sweden, and the University of Siegen in Germany. In addition to research, I teach and supervise master’s and doctoral students. I hold the title of Docent in Lifelong Learning at the University of Lapland.
Kaisa Raninen ([email protected])
Coordinating and tutoring teacher in the Bachelor´s degree programme in Human and Planetary Health.
Researcher in the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the Food and Health research group.
I have knowhow in food analysis, microbiology, microplastics, clinical nutrition interventions and biorefining, and special expertise in analysis of volatile compounds (GC-MS).
I am also a contact person of Food Valley network, which is promoting the local food sector.
Kaisa Viinikka ([email protected])
Kaisa Viinikka (PhD, ThM, M.Soc.Sc) is a teacher of Evangelical Lutheran religion, psychology, history and social studies. In addition, she has the qualifications of principal and priest. Viinika’s teaching is especially related to pedagogy of religion. Her research interests focus on religious education pre- and in-service teachers, religious education, professional development and teacher education.
Kaj Ahlsved ([email protected])
I am a music researcher, ethnomusicologist and music educator. Since January 2025 I work as a senior researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in the “SOMECO – Sonic Mediations and Ecocritical Listening” project, funded by the Research Council of Finland. My earlier research, especially my doctoral research (Åbo Akademi university 2017), has focused on the ubiquitous music of everyday life, explicitly on practices related to the use of recorded music during team sporting events in Finland. I am a founding member of the Research Association Suoni and 2021–2024 I was a part of the association’s research project “Music Researchers in Society: Advancing Social Justice through Activist Music Research”. In the project I focused on musical practices of the sports movement (c.1875–1939).
In the spring of 2021, I received the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy’s Bernadotte Scholarship and served as a visiting researcher at Umeå University (ethnology) 2021-2023. In 2024 I was appointed as corresponding member of the Academy. Earlier in my career I have had various roles as a teacher and an administrator in both basic arts and vocational education in Finland. I also work as a freelance music critic for the Swedish language press in Finland.
Kajar Köster ([email protected])
Ecosystem services—the benefits that nature provides—are essential for human well-being and climate resilience.
At the University of Eastern Finland, the UEF//ECOSERV Research Group explores how ecosystem structures, functions, and services respond to natural and anthropogenic disturbances under changing climatic conditions. Our work connects ecological research with practical solutions, addressing pressing environmental and societal challenges.
Core Research Themes
- Ecosystem Structure
Species composition, biomass dynamics, and the structural integrity of ecosystems. - Ecological Disturbances
Effects of fire, windthrow, and human-induced stressors on ecosystem resilience and restoration. - Carbon Sequestration
Soil carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sink functions in forests and wetlands. - Water Quality
Impacts of land use and disturbances on nutrient runoff and aquatic ecosystems. - Biodiversity and Microbiomes
Biodiversity responses to disturbance, emphasising soil microbial communities and ecosystem functioning. - Cultural and Social Dimensions
Recreational, traditional, and cultural values of ecosystems, and community involvement in restoration efforts.
Kalle Kemppainen ([email protected])
The main objective of my doctoral research is to examine the mechanized planting of tree seedlings from the perspective of productivity, cost and the quality of work.
Kalle Kärhä ([email protected])
Since 2021, Kalle Kärhä has been a Professor of Forest Technology, especially Digitalization of Forest Operations and Logistics at the University of Eastern Finland. Currently, he also holds a Docent professorship in Forest Technology at the University of Helsinki and a Docent professorship in Forest Technology, especially Forest Energy Supply Systems at the University of Eastern Finland. Previously, he worked in several operational and RDI roles at Stora Enso Wood Supply Finland in 2011–2021.
The total number of his publications is more than 400 consisting of the peer-reviewed scientific articles, non-refereed scientific articles and books, as well as publications intended for professional communities and the general public. His research interests include driver and operator assistant systems, studies on the utilization of novel sensor technologies in forest machines and timber trucks, and energy efficiency and GHG emissions in the value chain of forest industry.