Research groups that operate wholly or partly under the Research Programme ECOENV in alphabetical order.
Algological Research
Group leader: Elina Peltomaa
Algological Research Group is studying algae from versatile angles - we combine basic and applied research and try to understand how algae adapt to their environment and how this knowledge can be used when solving sustainability problems.
Arctic Ecosystems Research
Group leader: David N Thomas
The aim is to integrate biogeochemical & ecological research within and between “systems” in the Arctic through national and international collaborative research. This will be done by bringing wide-ranging research expertise together to form complimentary research together to help answer big questions such as: How will interconnected Arctic ecosystems change in the rapidly changing climate? Closely associated with this are the questions of how such changes will impact on society. Therefore, a strong goal for the group is that the research outputs will be pertinent for stakeholders and policy makers.
Benthic Ecology Team Tvärminne
Group leader: Alf Norkko
The benthic ecology team at TZS focuses on marine ecology, from basic science to more applied conservation and management issues. Research lines include disturbance ecology, spatial ecology, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, climate change, invasive species ecology and food-web interactions.
Comprehensive and sustainable systemic change
Kudelma – a network for comprehensive and sustainable systemic change
Kudelma also in Finnish
Kudelma – kokonaisvaltaisen ja kestävän systeemisen muutoksen verkosto
Creative adaptation to wicked socio-environmental disruptions (WISE)
WISE aims to improve decision making over wicked socio-environmental disruptions and to increase Finland’s resilience and adaptation to such disruptions.
Environmental Change
Group leader: Atte Korhola
The central research theme in ECRU is the development and application of empirical, geospatial, computational and modeling tools to detect global environmental changes and to analyse their ecological and societal impacts. We mostly work on the arctic environment that is undergoing rapid change...
Environmental Policy Research Group (EPRG)
Group leader: Janne I. Hukkinen
EPRG studies the socio-cognitive aspects of environmental policies and sustainable technologies. Since 2008, several research projects have built up the group’s competence in environmental risk governance, knowledge integration in environmental and technology issues, and sustainability indicators and scenarios.
Fisheries and Environmental management
Group leader: Sakari Kuikka
The Fisheries and Environmental Management Group focuses on the interaction between ecosystems and human society. We identify the risks in the use of natural resources, carry out decision analysis between the renewable resources and biodiversity, and integrate the different sources of data and knowledge using Bayesian analysis.
Human-Nature Transformations
Group leader: Christopher Raymond
In the Human-Nature Transformations Research Group we develop inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches for recognising diverse human-nature relationships and for promoting transformations toward a just, healthy and sustainable future.
Lake Ecosystem Dynamics
Group leader: Jukka Horppila
Our research focuses on the functioning of lake ecosystems, especially on food web interactions and their implications on lake management, and on the connections between top-down and bottom-up regulators in the pelagic and littoral zones of lakes.
Marine Ecosystems
Group leader: Alf Norkko
The Marine Ecosystems Research Group (MERG) at the University of Helsinki combines researchers focusing on marine biodiversity and ecology to biogeochemistry, physics and ecosystem modelling.
Nature-Based Solutions
Group leader: Riikka Puhakka
Nature-Based Solutions Research Group concentrates to solve globally significant environmental problems. Research objects range from micro-organisms to ecosystems and to people prone to man-made environmental changes.
Past Present Sustainability (PAES)
Group leader: Jussi T. Eronen
PAES focuses on understanding the ecological and climate related interlinkages with human activities in the present day and in the long-term historic past. The research perspective is from natural sciences and is enriched by interdisciplinary Post-docs and collaborations outside the core discipline.
Plankton Biodiversity
Group leader: Aleksandra Lewandowska
Plankton is a basis of marine life, contributing nearly 50% to global primary production and playing a significant role in climate regulation due to carbon sequestration and formation of clouds. Yet, ongoing climate change strongly affects biodiversity and functioning of plankton communities by altering their metabolism and leading to geographical redistribution of species. The Plankton Biodiversity Lab focuses on interactions in plankton communities. We are interested in biodiversity patterns within and between trophic levels, species coexistence and predator-prey dynamics across multiple temporal scales.
Sustainable Urban Systems
Group leader: Sanna Ala-Mantila
Our interest in SUS is to detect, define, and address externalities associated with urban living and environments, focusing on ultimately improving human and planetary wellbeing. This requires systemic understanding on urban areas.
Urban Biodiversity Lab
Group leader: Ian MacGregor-Fors
The main goal of the Urban Biodiversity Lab is to untangle the patterns and mechanistic processes behind wildlife responses to urbanization. For this, we consider the three primary dimensions of urban systems – ecological, physical, and social – at different spatio-temporal scales. By generating first-class evidence-based knowledge through a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative approach (where networks of students at all academic levels and colleagues – both institutional and external – play central roles), we aim to support and direct local and regional stakeholders towards making evidence-grounded decisions that are in accordance with more biodiverse, livable, and resilient cities.
Urban Ecosystems
Group leader: Heikki Setälä
Exploring the structure and functioning of urban green- and blue spaces
Urban Environmental Policy
Group leader: Sirkku Juhola
The topics of our research group relate to climate change adaptation, maladaptation and climate change mitigation.