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The neighboring networks of the older city dwellers

The aims of this project are to:

(a) find solutions to combat the loneliness and social isolation of older urban dwellers and to promote the well-being of local communities.

(b) identify the conditions and opportunities for older adults to act as a resource in their neighborhood. Our guiding principle is that the social networks of the neighborhood and the intergenerational interaction enable, under certain conditions, well-being based on reciprocity.

We are looking for answers to three research questions:

1 What is the neighborhood of the aging population like? We investigate relevant social relationships in the neighborhood of older adults, the nature of neighborhood interaction, and the quality and extent of neighborhood networks.

2 How can the neighborhood respond to the needs of older adults and promote their well-being and quality of life? We identify critical factors that strengthen and weaken the well-being of older people and neighboring networks.

3 In what different ways can older people act as a resource in their neighborhood? We are looking for conditions for that.

Thomas Viik ([email protected])

I am a doctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu, at the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education. My work involves advancing my doctoral research and studies, as well as teaching. I also provide professional development for teaching staff on the pedagogical possibilities of artificial intelligence, AI chatbots, and learning technology.

In my dissertation, I examine the role of learning analytics and artificial intelligence in teaching and learning from multiple perspectives. I study teachers’ acceptance and use of learning analytics, and how AI-based chatbots can support learning. My goal is to deepen understanding of how data and AI can be used in pedagogically meaningful and responsible ways—supporting teachers’ work, learning guidance, and learner support.

Thuy Lai ([email protected])

I obtained my PhD in Systems Neuroscience at the Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany, where I studied the interplay of α-synuclein (aSyn) pathology and neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. My research interests center on investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, identifying potential biomarkers, and developing therapeutic strategies. Currently, my research focus on exploring the impact of environmental factors, such as air pollution and noise, on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Tiago Cunha Oliveira ([email protected])

I am a Doctoral Researcher in Drug Research, specializing in the development of universal computational methodologies to streamline RNA aptamer design for ocular diseases. My academic background is rooted in Health Biochemistry – Clinical and Metabolical Biochemistry, complemented by research experience at the University of Porto’s Biomolecular SIMulations Group.

My Master’s thesis focused on genotype-phenotype correlations in PMM2-CDG, where I utilized molecular dynamics simulations, mutagenesis, protein modelling, and MMGBSA analyses to investigate disease mechanisms at the molecular level.

By bridging computational modelling and drug development, my research aims to deliver targeted and effective therapeutic strategies for ocular disorders. I am passionate about harnessing advanced computational tools to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel therapeutics, ultimately improving patient outcomes in ophthalmology.

Tiia Liuski ([email protected])

Dr. Tiia Liuski works as a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland, in the newly established discipline of Theology of Well-being. She is actively involved in developing this field of study and its international Master’s programme Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing. Since September 1, 2025, she has also served as a visiting researcher at the Department of Leadership and Military Pedagogy, Finnish National Defence University.

Currently Liuski leads her two-year postdoctoral research project Finnish Advanced Studies on Military Chaplaincies, Resources and Organisations (FIN-ARMOR, 04/2025–03/2027). The project examines existential, psychological and spiritual dimensions within the armed forces through interdisciplinary frameworks of Theology of Wellbeing, Military Pedagogy, Psychology of Religion and Existential Philosophy.

Her research focuses on the existential foundations of human agency in military and crisis contexts. She examines how questions of meaning, mortality, responsibility and uncertainty shape human action under extreme conditions, and how these dimensions are articulated within contemporary institutional frameworks.

Her research interests include:

  • Existential dimension of action competence in the Finnish Defence Forces
  • Existential, spiritual , ethical and psychological dimensions of soldier performance and military capability
  • Existential preparedness and human orientation under conditions of uncertainty, crisis and irreversibility
  • The conceptual articulation of the existential dimension within military sciences and human performance frameworks
  • The role of theology as a conceptual resource in interdisciplinary contexts, particularly in relation to the human dimension in the armed forces
  • The profession, expertise and development of military chaplaincies
  • Multidisciplinary and mixed-methods approaches to the study of religion in institutional settings

In parallel, Liuski is outlining a new theological framework tentatively titled Theology of Security and Safety, which seeks to articulate the theological and existential foundations of safety in contemporary societies. A collaborative scholarly volume on this emerging framework is currently in preparation (expected 2027). She is one of Finland’s representatives in the newly established European Research Unit for Military Chaplaincy at Umeå University and one of the founding members of the European Military Chaplaincies Research Network (EMCRN).

Liuski is an active participant in international research networks such as ExistWell Lab, Research in Chaplaincy (ReChap), and Borders, Mobilities and Cultural Encounters (BOMOCULT). In addition, she serves as the Deputy Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Military Studies as well as editorial secretary of the Journal for the study of Religion, Worldviews and Education.

Liuski earned her Doctor of Theology degree in 2023 with the dissertation The Finnish Military Chaplaincy: A Double Bonded Profession in a Changing Operational Environment, which examined the profession of Finnish military chaplaincy and its development in the context of the 2020s.

From 1 April 2027, she will lead the research project The Possibility of Death as a Horizon of Agency in Finnish Military Training and Education (HAMLET). The research is funded by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation. The Finnish Defence Forces have granted Liuski a research permit to study this theme for the years 2026–2030.

Tiina Jääskeläinen ([email protected])

I approach environmental governance as encounters between actors who are located and situated in multiple partially connected sociomaterial networks. Each network reproduces and regenerates its own ontology and epistemology about sustainability and its own conceptions of moral (values and conceptions of responsibility). I apply theories founded on decolonial and posthumanist relational approaches, combining political ontology, decoloniality and STS with environmental politics.

My PhD contributed to critical management studies and focused on recognition in land, natural resource and development governance as well as the economic motives behind conflicts on Indigeneity in Sápmi, during contemporary decolonisation processes of the Sámi people as an Indigenous people of Northern Europe.

My post.doctoral stage is part of our international project on intergenerational learning in collaborative environmental governance.

I use qualitative methods, such as interviews, action research, knowledge co-creation, co-research, ethnography and policy analysis.

Tiina Kuutti ([email protected])

I work as a University Teacher in Early Childhood Education Teacher training. I am also a Ph.D. student and I am currently working on my doctoral thesis. My research focuses on the participation and peer relationships of children with special educational needs in early childhood education. The aim of my research is to find out effective ways to support inclusion in ECE and the belonging of each child.