Researchers specialised in climate change, nature loss, and biodiversity
This list of researchers is not comprehensive, but simply an overview. You can find contact details for all the University of Helsinki staff in our People Finder, and our Research Portal includes even more detailed information about e.g. our researchers' publications and fields of specialisation.
The University’s communications specialists are also happy to help look for our experts.
Climate panels and past, present and future climate
Iryna Herzon, University Lecturer (@irina_herzon): Biodiversity in agricultural environment, farming in areas of high nature values, ecosystem services, agricultural and environmental policy, organic farming. Memeber of the Finnish Nature Panel.
Sirkku Juhola, Professor of Urban Environmental Policy: Projects focused on, for example, cities adapting to climate change, national climate and adaptation policies and questions related to urban sustainability. Member of the Finnish Climate Change Panel, IPCC contributor.
Markku Ollikainen, Research Director, Professor Emeritus: Environmental issues, including emissions trading, energy policy and land use. Ollikainen has served as chair of the Finnish Climate Change Panel from 2014.
Annukka Vainio, Associate Professor: social psychology, people's thinking, values, beliefs, and choices, communicating about climate change. Member of the the Finnish Nature Panel.
Jussi T. Eronen, associate professor of long-term sustainability science (@Jussi_T_Eronen): Research on climate-ecosystem interaction from the past to the future. Long-term dynamics of socio-ecological systems, including the effect of changes to biodiversity on societies and communities
Mikael Fortelius, professor of evolutionary palaeontology: Effects of climate change on ecosystems on a scale of millions of years, links between climate change and evolution
Atte Korhola, professor of environmental change, vice-dean (@AtteKorhola): Current and past climate changes and their environmental and societal effects, especially in northern regions
Risto Makkonen, university researcher: Climate modelling
Markku Oinonen, docent: Radiocarbon dating, bioassays used, for example, to determine the amount of biological matter contained in emissions
Jouni Räisänen, university lecturer: Global warming, weather statistics
David N. Thomas, professor of arctic ecosystems research (@DNThomas01): investigating biogeochemical processes along the continuum from land to coastal waters.
Academy research fellow (Assistant Professor 1.8.2023 onwards) Juha Saarinen, juha.saarinen@helsinki.fi, functional traits of large herbivorous during the last ca. 66 million years, and what the distribution of such traits in fossil mammal communities tells us about changes in climate and environments (e.g. vegetation).
Academy research fellowSakari Salonen, sakari.salonen@helsinki.fi, Twitter: @js_salonen palaeoclimatology, the study of Earth’s past climate changes, the docent in palaeoclimatology
Minna Väliranta, university researcher: Research on past environmental and climate conditions and derivative research on the effects of current climate change on various natural processes, peatlands
Kaarina Weckström, docent: Reconstruction of long-term climate and environmental changes on the basis of marine and freshwater sedimentary archives
Jan Weckström, university researcher: Past and present environmental changes in northern regions, freshwater biology, diatoms
Natural environment, nature loss, biodiversity and atmosphere
Mar Cabeza, Academy of Finland research fellow, director of the Global Change and Conservation research group: Integrating climate change into conservation planning
Merja Kontro, university lecturer: Groundwater and climate change
Helena Korpelainen, director of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, professor: Biodiversity, gene pools, plant population adaptation to climate change
Aleksi Lehikoinen, Academy of Finland research fellow (@AksuLehikoinen): Effects of climate change on the abundance and distribution of bird species
Juha Merilä, professor of population biology and genetics: Evolution in response to climate change, genetic biodiversity, adaptation to climate change, phenology
Atte Moilanen, research director: Land use, ecological compensation, species data
Jussi T. Eronen, associate professor of long-term sustainability science (@Jussi_T_Eronen): Multidisciplinary sustainability research on transition politics and environment
Frédéric Guillaume, professor of eco-evolutionary dynamics (@fred_guillaume): Eco-evolutionary forecasting of species' responses to global changes
Juha Helenius (@helenius_juha), professor of agroecology: species diversity in agroecosystem, biodiversity and agricultural practices
Timo Kuuluvainen, university lecturer: Interactions between forest structure, dynamics and biodiversity, ecologically sustainable use, restoration and conservation of forests
Aleksandra Lewandowska, assistant professor of marine functional biodiversity (@planktola): climate change impact on marine plankton biodiversity and pelagic food web interactions
Juha Merilä, professor (@jmerila): Evolution in response to climate change, genetic biodiversity, adaptation to climate change
Marie C. Nordström, associate professor of coastal ecology: climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, biodiversity and food web interactions
Alf Norkko, professor (@AlfNorkko): Marine ecosystems and climate change in the Baltic Sea and the polar regions
Joanna Norkko, research coordinator: Marine ecosystems and climate change in the Baltic Sea and the polar regions
Craig Primmer(@FishConGen), Academy professor : Aquatic biodiversity, especially salmon, and conservation of genetic diversity
Jouko Rikkinen, professor of botany: Biodiversity questions, specifically the biodiversity and evolutionary history of plants and fungi. Terrestrial ecosystems in Finland and the tropics
Marjo Saastamoinen, associate professor of evolutionary ecology (@Marjo_S): Responses of natural populations and communities to human induced environmental change
Professor Janne Soninen: (@soininen_janne)
Freshwater organisms and freshwater biodiversity
Rose Thorogood, assistant professor (@informedbirds): animal behaviour and social interactions in a changing world
Soveltavan kaupunkimeteorologian apulaisprofessori Leena Järvi, professor of pplied urban meterology (@ljjarvi): Urban climate, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions and sinks; impact or urban planning to urban air; Adaptation and mitigation to climate change, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from cities; how we can impact the different components via urban planning including vegetation and urban structure
Pauli Paasonen, assistant professor (@PauliPaasonen): Interactions and trade-offs between air quality and climate change, anthropogenic aerosol emissions, anthropogenic and biogenic aerosol formation
Tuukka Petäjä, professor: Atmosphere research stations and instruments
Mari Pihlatie, professor of environmental soil science(@MariPihlatie): Plant-soil-microbe interactions, emissions, uptake and processes of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide in forest ecosystems and agriculture
Maria Brockhaus, professor of international forest policy (@brockhaus_maria): Role of forests in climate change and in curbing it
Jaana Bäck, professor of forest-atmosphere interactions (@JaanaBack): Function of forest ecosystems and their interactions with the environment, specifically the role of forests in curbing climate change
Jyrki Jauhiainen, university researcher: Tropical peatlands, their carbon cycle, greenhouse gas balance and the climate impact of land use
Markus Kröger, associate professor of development studies: political economies of deforestation, global mining politics, social movement studies, qualitative comparative methodology
Juha Mikola, university lecturer (@JuhaMikola): Birches, treeline ecosystems and climate change
Kari Minkkinen, university lecturer: Climate effects of peatland use
Paavo Ojanen, university researcher: Climate effects of land use in peatlands, carbon cycle and greenhouse gas balance in drained peatlands
Mari Pihlatie, professor of environmental soil science (@MariPihlatie): Plant-soil-microbe interactions, emissions, uptake and processes of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide in forest ecosystems and agriculture
Tanja Pyhäjärvi associate professor of forest genomics and breeding (@PyhaTanja): forest tree evolution, genomics and adaptation, forest tree breeding
Olli Tahvonen, professor of forest economics and policy: Bridging environmental questions and economics
Anne Toppinen, professor of forest economics and marketing, director of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS (@annetoppinen)
Timo Vesala, professor of meteorology (@vesala2): Bogs and peatlands from the perspective of climate change
Laura Alakukku, professor of environmental technology in agriculture: Measures based on soil management technologies relating to climate change
Timo Hytönen, professor: Climate adaptation of plants
Juha Helenius, professor of agroecology (@helenius_juha): ecological sustainability in agriculture and food systems, sustainable food systems
Iryna Herzon, university lecturer (@herzon_irina): Biodiversity in agricultural environment, farming in areas of high nature values, ecosystem services, agricultural and environmental policy, organic farming
Mari Pihlatie, professor of environmental soil science (@MariPihlatie): Plant-soil-microbe interactions, emissions, uptake and processes of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide in forest ecosystems and agriculture
Jukka Rajala, researcher: Resource-efficient soil management
Priit Tammeorg, university lecturer (@AgriChar_RG): biochar application in agricultural and urban soils, recycling fertilizers, recycling lake sediment to agriculture.
John Sumelius, professor: Food security, economic effects of sustainable intensification of agriculture, equitable and sustainable agri-food chains, diversification of agriculture, poverty reduction
Economics, politics and regulation
Lassi Ahlvik, professor of consumer studies (@AhlvikLassi): consumer perspectives to environmental questions, particularly in the food sector
Jussi T. Eronen, associate professor of long-term sustainability science (@Jussi_T_Eronen): Multidisciplinary sustainability research on transition politics and environment
Olli Tahvonen, professor of forest economics and policy: Bridging environmental questions and economics
Erik Andersson, Professor of Sustainable Development: Climate and energy policy, emphasis on the environment
Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, associate professor of Russian environmental studies (@VPTynkkynen): Russian and Arctic energy, environmental and security policy
Janne Hukkinen, professor of environmental policy (@JIHukkinen): Multidisciplinary sustainability research combining social and natural sciences
Tero T. Toivanen, university researcher (@TTToivanen): Political economy, political ecology, world politics, climate change, the Anthropocene
Annukka Vainio, associate professor (@annukka_vainio): Climate communications, climate attitudes and beliefs, sustainable change of behaviour
Barry Gills, professor:global climate and other crises
Kai Kokko, professor of environmental law: Theory of environmental law and regulatory methods curbing, among other things, climate change, emission trade, mining
Sirkku Juhola, professor of urban environmental policy (@UEP_group): Projects focused on, for example, cities adapting to climate change, national climate and adaptation policies and questions related to urban sustainability
Leena Järvi, associate professor of applied urban meteorology (@ljjarvi): Urban climate, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions and sinks; impact or urban planning to urban air; Adaptation and mitigation to climate change
Merja Kontro, university lecturer: Environmental technology in cities and sustainable development
Heikki Setälä, professor of urban ecosystem research: Importance of urban green areas as providers of ecosystem services, such as stormwater management, the clean-up of air pollutants and carbon sequestration
Professor Sami Moisio: geopolitics, urbanisation, regional development.
Philosophy, ethics, teaching and education
Säde Hormio, postdoctoral researcher: Collective agency in climate change
Simo Kyllönen, researcher (@KyllonenSimo): Relationship between climate ethics and economy, moral and political philosophy from the perspective of local conflicts
Suvielise Nurmi, researcher: Environmental philosophy, ecological ethics, moral agency, ethics education as well as children and adolescents
Panu Pihkala, postdoctoral researcher (@panupihkala): History and forms of Christian environmental thinking, effects of religions and worldviews on environmental attitudes, the role of psychological and spiritual matters in environmental education as well as the history of Christian ecotheology, environmental anxiety
Minna AutioM, professor of home economics: Sustainable consumption and consumer education
Hannele Cantell, university lecturer: Climate education, including a bicycle model in support of climate education
Merja Kontro, university lecturer: Urban environmental technology, circular economy
Kristina Lindström, professor of sustainable development: Bachelor’s level study module on sustainable development
Laura Riuttanen, postdoctoral researcher: Climate education, the Climate University project of Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences
Sirpa Tani, professor of geography and environmental education: General environmental education
Lili-Ann Wolf, Senior University Lecturer: Research in environmental and sustainability education.Teacher educator in science education and sustainability education.
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS – Professors