Kati Saurula (Bachelor of Social Services, MA, Ed.) is interested in interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of well-beeing. She is especially interested in the service coordination of children with behavioral problems and their families. Her fields of interest are health care, social welfare services and educational services and their overlapping, complex service needs. Saurula is conducting legal dogmatic, socio-legal research and program evaluation research.
Kati Tervo-Niemelä ([email protected])
Kati Tervo-Niemelä (former Niemelä; born 1972 in Seinäjoki) is a professor in practical theology at the University of Eastern Finland. Her contact email is: [email protected]
She has previously worked as a senior lecturer in Church and Social Studies/Practical Theology (2012-2018) and as professor in Church and Social Studies (fixed term 4/2015-3/2017 at the University of Helsinki. Tervo-Niemelä holds a title of Docent in Religious Education (2002). Her research covers many areas of practical theology, religious education and church and social studies. Tervo-Niemelä has previously worked as a Senior Researcher at Church Research Institute (2000-2012).
Her main research interests have been (1) the clergy career and ministry formation; the work orientation and well-being; (2) religion and the lifespan; (3) religious affiliation and disaffiliation, (4) the youth and religion, (5) religious rituals and (6) religion and the media.
She has published actively both in international and national settings in the abovementioned areas, including seven monographs (e.g. Does Confirmation Training Really Matter?; Vieraantunut vai pettynyt? Kirkosta eroamisen syyt Suomen evankelis-luterilaisessa kirkossa; Teologiksi? and Uskonko niin kuin opetan? Seurakuntatyöntekijä uskon ja elämän ristipaineessa) and six co-authored monographs (including Questioning Mind and Religion in Finland), six edited or co-edited volumes.
Katja Kanninen ([email protected])
I lead the Cellular Neurobiology research group at the A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences where I work as a professor. Our research interest is centered on how environmental factors and agents such as air pollutants and viral infections affect brain health. We also study Alzheimer’s disease with patient-derived cells.
More information on the research group found at: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/cellular-neurobiology/#information
Katja Laakkonen ([email protected])
I am currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher in the project Menopausing: Exploring diversity, awareness and activism (2024–2028), hosted by the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies at the University of Eastern Finland. Within this project, my research aims to advance understanding of how highly educated Finnish nurses who commute to Norway construct and maintain transnational networks. A central question guiding my work is: How does mobility shape the professional trajectories and personal lives of middle-aged nurses?
This inquiry builds upon my doctoral dissertation (2025), which explored the multilocal everyday practices of Finnish nurses residing in Finland while engaging in long-distance commuting to Norway. The dissertation, an ethnographic monograph, contributes to scholarly debates on the mobility of highly skilled healthcare professionals, gendered everyday life, and transformations in labor markets. It demonstrates how nurses actively negotiate routines and responsibilities, reconfiguring the reconciliation of work and private life across two welfare-state contexts.
Katja Lötjönen ([email protected])
I work as a researcher in the research project Intergroup relations and local encounters – Immigrant and Finnish young people’s perceptions of each other, their lives and future in multicultural Savo. In addition, I am working on my doctoral dissertation on young people’s lay perceptions related to social classes and their agency. I also teach part-time in the subject of social psychology.
My research interests are related to themes of inequality and young people, viewed from the young people’s own point of view, in the way how they themselves perceive society and what kind of connection these lay perceptions have on how they perceive their opportunities and alternatives in their own lives. Methodologically, I am interested in mixed method research and especially its integrative approach.
Pedagogically, I am interested in developing multi-modal teaching, especially in an online environment, in the way that it supports meaningful learning for students from different backgrounds. Also developing more diverse evaluation methods in online teaching is one of my core interests.
Katja Pasanen ([email protected])
I work as a research manager at the Business School at the University of Eastern Finland. I have wide experience in tourism research and development including sustainable tourism, nature-based tourism, e-tourism and cultural and event tourism. I have experience in multiple tourism projects funded for example by EU Regional Development Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, European Commission, and the Finnish ministries. My goal is to work in the interface of the tourism business and research and develop the tourism business by offering them insights from the latest research. I am especially interested in responsible tourism and sustainability marketing, as well as opportunities offered by technology for improving the customer experience and making tourism more sustainable.
Specialities:
Sustainable and responsible tourism
Sustainability marketing
Nature-based tourism
Event & cultural tourism
Customer research and knowledge
Katja Weckström ([email protected])
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 Antin ([email protected])
- Study administrative support in Researcher Training Services
- Kamu Handbook of Doctoral Studies, Doctoral Education web pages, doctoralcourses.fi etc.
- Administrative support in Doctoral Education Pilots
I have earned my ThD degree from the University of Helsinki (2019) and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. I’m a Fulbright alumna (Emory University, 2012-2013). Currently, I work also as a professional supervisor.
Katri Hämeen-Anttila ([email protected])
I have a special focus on pharmaceutical policy both in research and teaching. Topics of my interest include pharmacy services, medication counseling, automatic substitution of biological medicines in pharmacies, rational pharmacotherapy and patient participation in the pharmacotherapy process. I am always ready to discuss multiprofessional collaboration on these topics.
I have more than eleven years of practical experience on pharmaceutical policy matters from the Finnish Medicines Agency. My contribution at the Agency centered on patient and public participation, strategic development of medicines information practices and developing pharmacy services, including research on these topics. I have wide and active networks both in academia and regulatory affairs, a strong expertise in qualitative research methodology and wide experience in conducting population surveys.
My passion is to emphasize the importance of patient participation in health care and pharmaceutical policy research. There is an expert patient in my research group to guide me on this path.
Katri Kostiainen ([email protected])
I assist researchers of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies in applying for research funding by:
- Identifying potential research funding instruments & their key requirements
- Supporting proposal preparation & providing feedback on proposals
- Offering information & training related to research funding & funders