Viivi Eskelinen (University of Helsinki, Aalto University) is a postdoctoral researcher and interaction coordinator in Trust-M. She has also previously been on the ETMU board (2021-2024). Her background is rooted in the social psychology of intergroup relations. Her current research is focusing on integration and inclusiveness in smaller municipalities outside the capital region. She hopes to make ETMU 2025 a less rigid academic experience by bringing in stakeholders from different sectors who work with immigration-related topics.
Dos. Aaro Tupasela (Sociology, UH), is an expert in science and technology studies with experience in studying the ELSI aspects of new technologies. He is currently working on issues around data literacy. He has been studying machine learning in the development of medical decision-support systems and the implementation of AI infrastructure in Finland. He is now researching how chatbots could be mediators of integration. Aaro is involved with FCAI and has contacts with sociotechnical researchers in Finland and the Nordics in general.
Postdoctoral researcher Avanti Chajed has her PhD from the Teachers’ College, Columbia University. Her current research focuses on the integration, belonging, trust, and public service experiences among immigrants. She has been working with key Trust- M NGO collaborators and bringing the migrant perspective into the work of designing digital services. She has also founded Mukti Meditation in Turku and developed its business plan and social media platforms. These skills will be useful when organizing the 2025 ETMU conference.
Design researcher Rūta Šerpytytė (Tampere University, Aalto University) is studying application of participatory design approaches for more inclusive public service development and policymaking, as well as questions of Finnish national identity. She cares about building bridges between different disciplines and involving different stakeholders, politicizing design and technology innovations and infrastructuring participatory design beyond one-off engagements.
Zahra Hosseini holds a PhD in Communication and Media (Tampere University). She has experience in technology integration (TPACK), technology acceptance models (TAM and TUATU), and migrants’ cultural inclusion. As a postdoctoral researcher at Trust-M, she did empirical research on migrant trust in public services in Finland. Her current study focuses on the acceptance of AI chatbots among migrants. Zahra’s professional concern is using digitalization for an inclusive society.
Joel Hakkarainen is a conference assistant in Trust-M. He is a Master of Social Sciences with a specialization in sociology. Aiming for doctoral studies, he is further developing his academic expertise as a coordinator for the ETMU Conference, building on two years of experience as a research assistant in multiple research projects.