Dr. Seija Karppinen is an Adjunct Professor (Docent in crafts pedagogy) and university lecturer at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Educational Sciences. Her 30 years’ experience in teacher education in varied education programs (early childhood education, primary teacher education, crafts subject teacher education, adult teacher education and English Master program), including also experience of teaching at primary and secondary levels, provides her with a broad perspective on education systems and teacher education. Her internationally oriented focus on education with several exchange visits abroad (visiting scholar, researcher, project lead, educational expert) and living abroad has increased her awareness, locally and globally, of importance for equality and equity in education and access to quality education for all (e.g. girls and women and vulnerable groups). The latest two projects she has led to Kenya have focused on higher education lecturers’ capacity building on 21st century competences (TOTEMK project, 2020-2024) and research for curriculum review in teacher education (REFORD project, 2022-2024). The collaboration continues in Kenya. As a member of UNESCO chair team of Values, Dialogue and Human Rights, her special interest is in global education, sustainable education, and multi-cultural education environments.
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Harriet Zilliacus is a university lecturer at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Her current research focuses on sustainability and the possibilities for transformative worldview change through policy development, formal education and adult learning. Her doctoral dissertation from 2015 “Supporting Student Identities and Inclusion in the Minority Religious and Secular Ethics Education – A Study on Plurality in the Finnish Comprehensive School” investigated worldview education from an intercultural perspective. In her teaching, Harriet Zilliacus strives to integrate sustainability perspectives and research on diversity, multilingualism, minority issues, and social justice in education. She has developed several courses in sustainability education and is the responsible teacher for a course for all students in degree programmes conducted in Swedish at the Faculty. She is an active member of the Finnish network for sustainability education research Sirene, and a member of the board of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science.
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Rami Ratvio, PhD, is a University Lecturer at the Centre for University Teaching and Learning and the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Finland. His research interests include sustainability competences, agency and transformations in higher education.
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Postdoctoral researcher Tuija Kasa holds a PhD in human rights education from the University of Helsinki. She works as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki at the intersection of arts and sustainability education, and on addressing pressing sustainability and human rights problems in education. She has diverse cross-institutional experience in creative pedagogical projects, democratic and human rights education, and children’s rights and participation with various groups. Her research interests include ethics, philosophy of education, (in)equality in education and teacher education, global, democratic and human rights education, sustainability and moral education.
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Riikka Suhonen (MA) is a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of education and international cooperation. Her doctoral research examines how global citizenship education is understood and enacted in upper secondary vocational education in Finland, with particular attention to democratic participation and politicised global issues. Riikka has led and contributed to numerous international education and development initiatives and projects. Recently, she has worked on a large-scale evaluation commissioned by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs focusing on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Her academic background includes Master’s degrees in Communication for Development and African Studies, and her professional experience includes internationalisation work in the vocational education sector, youth civic participation, and a United Nations Volunteer position in Bhutan related to the post‑2015 development agenda.
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Outi Saarakkala (M.A., Master of Arts) works as an International Affairs Specialist at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. She has a background in language teaching, projects, and academic administration. She is interested in intercultural communication and dialogue, as well as in the role of education and teachers in promoting human rights and a more just world.
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