Doctoral Programme in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Sustainability in Society

The Doctoral Programme in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Sustainability in Society (ELOISA) builds on the strengths of world-leading ecological and evolutionary research, and advanced interdisciplinary approaches to environmental challenges. The doctoral programme offers advanced training to support projects that range from focused disciplinary studies in ecology and evolution to integrative research on socio-ecological systems and sustainability transitions.
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This multidisciplinary research community is based at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental sciences. The programme conducts both basic and applied research that addresses the societally relevant challenges found in ecology, evolutionary biology, environmental sciences, sustainability sciences and social-ecological systems.

Want to know more? Visit our page to learn more about the programme.

We are building on strong disciplinary and interdisciplinary legacies, and both will continue to thrive. I am proud of the proactivity and engagement already shown by our doctoral researchers; their energy is shaping the programme from the ground up.
Key Research Areas

Focus areas covered by the programme include:

  • Ecology
  • Biodiversity
  • Conservation biology
  • Conservation genetics
  • Community ecology
  • Population biology
  • Macroecology
  • Biogeography
  • Biological aspects of environmental change, including climate change
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Population genetics
  • Evolutionary ecology
  • Evolutionary genetics
  • Phylogenetics, systematics, comparative biology
  • Molecular ecology
  • Behavioral ecology
  • Microbial ecology
  • Disease ecology
  • Theoretical ecology
  • Statistical ecology
  • Ecophysiology
  • Ecology and sustainability
  • Ecosystem functioning and resilience
  • Marine and freshwater ecosystems
  • Arctic ecosystems
  • Effects of human activity on ecosystems
  • Urban ecology
  • Environmental social sciences
  • Environmental policy
  • Environmental governance
  • Human-nature interactions
  • Multispecies studies
  • Ethnoecology
  • Social-ecological systems
  • Political ecology
  • Environment and human wellbeing
  • Societal impact of environmental and climate change
  • Sustainability and environmental education research
Events & Activities

The annual three-day conference called Spring symposium is always organised in March. Please read more about Spring symposium on the .

The annual writing retreats are organised at some of the biological stations of the University of Helsinki.

Courses & studying

ELOISA doctoral programme organises theoretical, methodological and statistical courses annually. You can find the updated .

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