Lauri Thurén, born 1961. PhD (theology) 1990 Åbo Akademi, docent 1994 University of Joensuu; 1995 Åbo Akademi University. Studies: Åbo Akademi University, University of Turku, Uppsala Universitet (Sweden), Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, USA). Fulbright-grantee 1987-88. Lecturer in classical languages and biblical studies 2000-2001, professor of Biblical Studies 2002-; project leader in Centre of Excellence, Academy of Finland, 1997-2003. Dean, Faculty of Theology 2003-2009; Philosophical Faculty 2008. Project Parables as Persuasive Devices (RCF, UEF) 2020-2024. Head of FILOTO doctoral programme.
Research interests: Parables of Jesus as argumentation (project: Parables as Persuasive Narratives). Pauline Theology, Catholic epistles, rhetoric, narratology, epistolography, argumentation analysis.
Some academic monographs:
- The Rhetorical Strategy of 1 Peter with Special Regard to Ambiguous Expressions, dissertation, Åbo: Åbo Academy Press 1990.
- Argument and Theology in 1 Peter – The Origins of Christian Paraenesis, JSNTSS 114, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press 1995.
- Derhetorizing Paul – A Dynamic Perspective on Pauline Theology and the Law, WUNT I:124, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2000, reprinted: Harrisburg: Trinity Press 2002.
- Parables Unplugged – Reading the Lukan Parables in Their Rhetorical Context, Minneapolis: Fortress Press 2014.
- Kameli neulansilmästä – Jeesuksen vertaukset puhtaalta pöydältä, Helsinki: Kirjapaja 2015.
- Rhetoric and Scripture – Collected Essays of Thomas H. Olbricht, Emory Studies of Christianity 23, ed. Lauri Thurén, Atlanta: SBL Press 2021.
I obtained my PhD in English Language and Culture at the University of Eastern Finland in 2010. I have worked as a post-doctoral researcher in various research projects examining English language variation and change, and as a senior lecturer in English linguistics and foreign language pedagogy. My research interests cover second language acquisition, learner corpus research, foreign language teaching, English as a foreign/second language and English as a world language.
I have a title of docent in health economics, especially the economics of ageing. I am interested in the use, costs and financing of health and social services among older people. I have studied these mainly using register data, but considering also hidden costs and all the different funding bodies also requires a multi-method approach. My more recent research interests include factors related to the retirement of older workers, as well as the economic evaluation of nutrition interventions. I belong to the Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoE AgeCare).
I coordinate the preparation of the new bachelor’s program in economics. The program will be implemented in cooperation between several departments and will start in autumn 2025. I supervise master’s theses and doctoral dissertations in the field of health economics.
In the Cancer Stress Biology research we study the molecular, cellular and tissue mechanisms that contribute to the increased ability of cancer cells to tolerate stress. We focus on the molecular mechanisms behind the different capacities of cancer and neuronal cells to deal with protein and RNA aggregates, and the ability of cancer cells to form resistance to drugs. We also query the cancer growth patterns in tissue combining this to molecular information in order to better understand the mechanisms behind cancer cells’ ability to survive in the crossfire of different stress types. In our tissue analysis collaboration projects we search for better ways to image, visualise and quantitatively analyse histology with development of digital pathology, machine learning and AI tools.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind detrimental tissue effects in disease are key to find more efficient treatments for patients. Better understanding of cellular stress responses enables identification of novel drug targets. If we can inhibit the increased ability of cancer cells to bypass toxic amounts of stress, we can identify ways to destroy cancer cells. On the other hand, by activating the stress responses in cells that are unable to buffer out toxic effects, we can prevent the damage on cells and tissues in diseases such as neurodegeneration.
Please visit our research group website:
https://sites.uef.fi/cancer-stress-biology-latonen/
My research focuses on autobiographical narratives in a variety of contexts. I also take an interest in medical humanities and popular culture.
I assist researchers in all their queries related to the research funding . My main tasks consist of identifying suitable funding sources matching researchers’ profile. Moreover, I provide my assistance and (technical) guidance in the process of project application writing, including commenting on research proposals during the preparation phase. I also train researchers at different academic career stages in order to bring forward various instruments of external research funding and to enhance the overall quality of research proposals at the Philosophical faculty.
I am a Researcher in Precision Medicine at the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Eastern Finland and a fellow at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. My research focuses on identifying and characterizing metabolites involved in metabolic diseases, particularly on understanding metabolic pathways across different physiological states, including normal glucose tolerance, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes, by leveraging advanced metabolomics and clinical data, aiming to develop personalized approaches for the early detection and treatment of metabolic disorders, contributing to the advancement of precision medicine in metabolic diseases. With a strong background in pharmacy, I combine Biochemical expertise with clinical Insights to translate findings into potential Therapeutic interventions.
Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu. MA attained in Transnational and Comparative History. Studying with a major focus on modern Europe, and hold minors in Public History and Comparative Indigenous History. Currently specializing in modern Finnish and North American Indigenous history, and conducting a research project designed to explore the role of state paternalism within the development of Indigenous boarding school policy.
Of secondary research interest are the concepts of Indigenous American communities intersecting with Finnish immigrants in the Great Lakes Region of the United States during the twentieth century. Doran examines the idea of perception and cultural stereotyping in relation to the Ojibwe and Finnish communities, and how these perceptions may have traveled from the United States to Finland today.
I am currently working on a post-doc project funded by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, In the Footsteps of a Scientific Nomad, where I am researching Lauri Kettunen and his Suomen murteet (‘Finnish Dialects’) series. Lauri Kettunen (1885–1963) was a prolific researcher and field worker and, among others, a professor of Estonian and its related languages at the University of Helsinki. In addition to my research, my goal is to write a non-fiction book about Lauri Kettunen. I work with archival material and literature, but I also gather oral history about Lauri Kettunen from the scientific community and other respondents.
In 2023–2025 I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in a research project “Linguistic variation, social class and experiences on inequality in Eastern Finland” (LINSOC). The project is funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s North Karelia and North Savo funds.
The subject of my dissertation (June 2023, University of Turku) “Dialect and its study: Perspectives on the history and language ideologies of Finnish dialectological research 1871–2017” is dialect and how dialect has been studied in the field of the Finnish language. In addition to the research-historical perspective, I dealt with language ideologies related to dialect research. My dissertation is graded “with commendation”, which requires that the research represents the top ten percent of its field.
