Hi! I’m Helena, a postdoctoral researcher in the field of social psychology. I work in a research project “Intergroup relations and local encounters” which is funded by the Kone Foundation and led by Associate Professor Jari Martikainen from the University of Eastern Finland. The research project focuses on studying how Ukrainian, Middle Eastern, and Finnish young people living in the Savo area perceive each other, their lives, and their future in multicultural Savo. In my own research, I focus on how people’s representations of themselves and others shape their actions in society and intergroup relations through qualitative research. Alongside the research itself, I teach and supervise in the subject of social psychology.

In my doctoral thesis, published in 2025, I studied Finnish lay people’s perceptions of populism. In my research, I delved into how voters for the radical right populist Finns Party and other parties constructed social divisions in the interview data. My dissertation was a part of a larger research project called “Mobilizing Populism”, which was lead by Professor Inari Sakki from the University o Helsinki. My doctoral thesis and its sub-studies are listed below:

• Rovamo, H. (2025). ”Aren’t they accusing the Finns Party of being populist?” Dialogical construction of social categories in Finnish voters’ discourse. Doctoral dissertation. Dissertations in Social Sciences and Business Studies, 354. University of Eastern Finland. https://erepo.uef.fi/items/6aafd684-511a-4c28-beed-0f81ee5e85e4
• Rovamo, H., Pettersson, K., & Sakki, I. (2023). Who’s to blame for failed integration of immigrants? Blame attributions as an affectively polarizing force in lay discussions of immigration in Finland. Political Psychology, 45(2), 235–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12917
• Rovamo, H., & Sakki, I. (2023). Lay representations of populism: discursive negotiation of naturalized social representation. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology., 34(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2755
• Rovamo, H., & Sakki, I. (2024). Mobilization of shared victimhood in the radical right populist Finns Party supporters’ identity work: A narrative-discursive approach to populist support. European Journal of Social Psychology, 54(2), 495–512. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3021

Before my studies in social sciences, I graduated as a nurse from the Savonia University of Applied Sciences. I consider that my professional strengths are, on the one hand, my ability to be analytical and systematic and, on the other, my ability to listen and have empathy towards others.

In my work, I get excited about learning or practicing something new every day. I enjoy conversations and listening to others. I sometimes immerse myself in details, but I also love to outline big patterns.

Ilia (Ilja) Moshnikov is a university lecturer in Karelian language and culture, as well as the subject coordinator. His teaching portfolio includes courses such as Introduction to Karelian Language and Culture, Karelian as a Language of Media and Literature, Karelian Dialects, and Karelian and Russian. Moshnikov defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Eastern Finland in 2021 on the topic Variation of the NUT Participle in Border Karelian Dialects. The opponent for the dissertation was Professor Johanna Laakso from the University of Vienna. Before his current position, Moshnikov worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Karelian Institute. The research Moshnikov has conducted after his dissertation focuses on the use and visibility of the Karelian language on the internet. He has examined Karelian-language websites from the perspectives of virtual linguistic landscape studies and language ideologies, and has also investigated the use of social media in Karelian as well as the visibility of the Karelian language on X (formerly Twitter). Moshnikov worked as a visiting researcher at the Department of Finno-Ugrian Studies at the University of Vienna in spring 2023, and as a teacher of Finnish in the same department during the 2023–2024 academic year. In the 2024–2025 academic year, he worked as a university lecturer in Karelian and Finnish at the University of Eastern Finland’s School of Humanities. Since autumn 2025, he has been working as a university lecturer in Karelian language and culture.

Senior Researcher / Clinical Researcher, University of Eastern Finland (funding: Research Council of Finland and the Foundation for Pediatric Research)

Pediatrician, Kuopio University Hospital

 

Education:

2026 Title of Docent (pediatrics), University of Eastern Finland

2022-23 Post-doc researcher, University of Bern, Switzerland

2021 Specialist in Pediatrics, University of Eastern Finland

2019 PhD, University of Eastern Finland

2013 MD, University of Eastern Finland

 

Research projects:

Novel biomarkers in premature adrenarche (FinAdmiR)

Crosstalk between adipose tissue and adrenal cortex (CATAC)

Kuopio puberty and growth study (KuPuGro)

 

Funding:

Research Council of Finland (https://www.aka.fi/en/)

Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (https://www.sigridjuselius.fi/en/)

Foundation for Pediatric Research (https://www.lastentautientutkimussaatio.fi/in-english/)

Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation (https://pss-saatio.fi/en/)

State Research Funding (VTR)

Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation (http://www.ahokkaansaatio.org/)

Association of Friends of the University Children’s Hospitals (https://kummit.fi/tietoa-meista/kummit-ry-info/in-english/)

 

National and international collaboration:

Docent Sini Heinonen, University of Helsinki, Finland

Professor Christa Flück, University of Bern, Switzerland

Professor Anders Juul, University of Copenhagen, Denmark