Dean Markku Jahnukainen will oversee the Faculty’s strategy and performance.
“I’m motivated to keep our great Faculty performing at its best during a challenging time for higher education. We are a genuine research university, and I’m especially committed to supporting the career development of junior researchers.”
Jahnukainen began studying at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Teacher Education in 1988, entering the field professionally in 1995 as an assistant in special education. He had previously worked as a special needs teacher in a secondary school.
“I currently head a Research Council of Finland research consortium that uses a longitudinal approach to examine how teaching arrangements, such as inclusive and special needs groups, affect pupil learning.”
Vice-Dean Auli Toom oversees the Faculty’s research, doctoral education and innovation. She also deputises for the dean.
After graduating as a class teacher from the University of Helsinki in 2000, Toom worked as a class and music teacher for just over three years.
“I became a doctoral researcher at our Faculty in 2023 and have stayed ever since.”
Toom is Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Centre for University Teaching and Learning. She is a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and chairs the national Teacher Education Forum (2024–2027).
“Teacher education is my longest-standing and most wide-ranging line of research, and I’m currently studying teachers’ professional agency and mentoring.”
She also investigates learning and teaching generic skills and has previously explored the equity of school pathways at different stages in two extensive EU Horizon projects.
Toom sees research as fundamental to university operations and prioritises the sustained development of research opportunities at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and across the University of Helsinki.
“Our Faculty is at the forefront of international educational sciences research, and it is vital for me to ensure the best possible conditions for our researchers.”
Vice-Dean Kalle Juuti is responsible for the Faculty’s academic affairs.
“I wish to ensure that the Faculty’s education remains attractive and relevant and that studies run smoothly, enabling our graduates to secure employment in respected positions.”
Juuti seeks to strengthen the Faculty’s culture of academic collegiality.
“My goal is for the Faculty’s teaching staff to develop and refine their research-based teaching and the courses they coordinate. I also aim to promote collaboration between the Department of Education and the teacher training schools. Research grounds teaching; it is research-based teaching that makes a university what it is.
Juuti began to work at the Faculty as a researcher in a Nordic project in 1999.
“After graduating as a physics teacher, I continued to study education. I have held the title of Docent in the Pedagogy of Science since 2006. Previously, I was University Lecturer in the Didactics of Physics and Information Technology and am now Professor of Digital Learning at Schools.”
Juuti’s research has covered learning in digital environments, continuing education for teachers, student engagement, interest in the natural sciences and sustainability education.
“I have been particularly interested in research across teacher–researcher partnerships and have developed the approach of design research as well as the methods of situational experience sampling. Lately, I have been investigating how generative AI can be used in teaching.”
Ari Poutiainen oversees the Faculty’s public engagement, international affairs, and business collaboration and partnerships.
He is a jazz violinist and composer, with extensive training in classical and jazz music at the Sibelius Academy and abroad.
“My research topics include jazz, improvisation and music education, all of which I apply in my various roles in music pedagogy. Featured solo performances,
masterclasses and band-leading experiences have taught me to interact in a range of ways and contribute to a creative community,” he says.
The idea of applying to become vice-dean came to Poutiainen last autumn.
“I realised that, over the years, I’d been active in the Faculty Council, involved in the University Collegium and previously also served as a shop steward. I seem to be drawn and committed to roles with responsibility.”
Poutiainen believes that the University’s international activities hold much potential for development.
“Increasing public engagement and enhancing the status of research-based knowledge are priorities in this era. Supporting a strong sense of community in the workplace is also close to my heart.”