Researchers specialising in climate change and biodiversity loss
Below is a list of University of Helsinki researchers specialising in climate change and biodiversity loss, including their causes, consequences and solutions. The list is by no means exhaustive. You can find more experts using the People Finder function on our website. The University’s communications specialists are also happy to help.
The University’s communications specialists are also happy to help look for our experts.
Experts on climate, nature and sustainability, by topic
- , Associate Professor of Long-Term Sustainability Science (): 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
- , Professor of Evolutionary Palaeontology: Effects of climate change on ecosystems on a scale of millions of years; links between climate change and evolution
- , Professor: Aerosols, including their cooling effect
- , Professor of Environmental Change, Vice-Dean (): Current and past climate changes, including their environmental and societal effects, especially in northern regions
- , University Researcher: Climate modelling
- , Docent: Radiocarbon dating, biogenic content measurement used to determine, for example, the amount of biological matter in emissions
- , Professor (): Remote sensing, land use change, Africa, University of Helsinki in Kenya,
- , Professor of Arctic Ecosystem Research (): Biogeochemical processes from land to coastal waters (interviews in English)
- , Senior University Lecturer: Global warming, weather statistics
- , Assistant Professor: Effect of climate and vegetation changes on the adaptations and nutrition of herbivorous mammals over the past 66 million years, and methods for exploring environmental change based on the traits of such animals
- , Academy Research Fellow, Docent of Paleoclimatology (): Paleoclimatology, or the study of the climate history of Earth
- , University Researcher: Research on past environmental and climate conditions and derivative research on the effects of current climate change on natural processes; peatlands
- , Docent: Reconstruction of long-term climate and environmental changes on the basis of marine and freshwater sedimentary archives
- , University Researcher: Past and present environmental changes in northern regions; freshwater ecosystems; diatoms
- , Professor: Biosphere–atmosphere multi-scale modelling (interviews in English)
- , Professor of Forest–Atmosphere Interactions (): Function and interactions of forest ecosystems with the environment, specifically the role of forests in curbing climate change
- , Professor of Applied Urban Meteorology (): Urban climate, air quality and carbon dioxide emissions and sinks; effect of urban planning on urban air; curbing and adapting to climate change
- , Academician (): Atmosphere, aerosols
- , Professor of Atmospheric Science and Physics (): Atmospheric aerosols and air pollution; aerosol physics
- , Professor (: Radar meteorology; cloud and precipitation physics
- , Associate Professor (): Urban air
- , Professor: Atmospheric measurement stations and equipment
- , Professor of Environmental Soil Science (): Plant–soil–microbial relationships; greenhouse gas and nitrous oxide emissions; emissions and processes in forest ecosystems and agriculture
- , University Lecturer (): General meteorology
- , Academy Research Fellow, Director of the group: Integrating climate change into conservation planning (interviews in English)
- , Senior University Lecturer (): Behavioural responses of animals to environmental change
- , University Lecturer: Groundwater and climate change
- , Professor of Environmental Change, Vice-Dean (): Current and past climate changes, including their environmental and societal effects, especially in northern regions
- , Director of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Professor: Biodiversity, gene pools, plant population adaptation to climate change
- , Academy Research Fellow (): Effects of climate change on the abundance and distribution of bird populations
- , Professor (), Species interactions, ecological traps, adaptivity of species
- , Professor (): Evolution in response to climate change, genetic diversity, adaptation to climate change, phenology
- , Research Director: Land use, ecological compensation, species data
- , Academy Research Fellow (), Canopy Spectral Ecology and Ecophysiology research group (): How interactions of sunlight and climate change affect plant ecology and terrestrial ecosystem processes (interviews in English)
- , Professor in environmental economics (): economic impacts of environmental policy, European and Finnish climate policy
- , Associate Professor of Long-Term Sustainability Science (): 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
- , Professor of Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics : Eco-evolutionary forecasting of species responses to global changes (interviews in English)
- , Professor of Agricultural Ecology (): Species biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems; biodiversity and agricultural production methods
- , Senior University Lecturer (): Biodiversity of the agricultural environment
- , University Lecturer: Interactions between the forest structure and dynamics, and its biodiversity; ecologically sustainable forest use, restoration and conservation
- , Professor of Plant Biodiversity (): Changes in biodiversity, long-term ecology, plant disease regulation and biodiversity
- , Associate Professor of Functional Marine Biodiversity (): Effect of climate change on marine plankton biodiversity and deep-sea food web interactions
- , Professor of Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystems ()
- , Professor (): Evolution in response to climate change, genetic diversity, adaptation to climate change, phenology
- , Professor of Sustainability Science: Sustainability transformation, ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation (interviews in English)
- , Professor: Biodiversity, particularly the diversity and evolutionary history of plants and fungi, terrestrial ecosystems in Finland and the tropics
- , Associate Professor of Evolutionary Ecology (): Responses of natural populations and communities to human-induced environmental change
- , Professor (): Freshwater organisms and water biodiversity
- , Associate Professor (): Animal behaviour and social relations in a changing world
- , Associate Professor: Environment and social impact of Indigenous peoples, particularly in the northern and Amazonian regions
- , Professor of Limnology: Lake ecology
- , Professor of the Economics of Baltic Sea Protection: Blue economy, eutrophication mitigation, and the costs, benefits, scenarios, integrated models and economic optimisation associated with Baltic Sea protection
- , Professor of Environmental Research: Lake biodiversity and ecology, fish
- , Associate Professor of Coastal Ecology: Coastal ecosystems, food webs, marine biodiversity
- , Professor of Baltic Sea Research (): Marine ecosystems and climate change in the Baltic Sea and the polar regions
- , Research Coordinator (@JoannaNorkko): Marine ecosystems and climate change in the Baltic Sea and the polar regions
- , Professor of Genomics (): Biodiversity in the aquatic environment (particularly salmon), conservation of genetic diversity
- , Professor (): Marine environments and climate change
- , Professor of Arctic Ecosystem Research (): Biogeochemical processes from land to coastal waters (interviews in English)
- , University Researcher: Past and present environmental changes in northern regions, freshwater biology, diatoms
- , Professor of International Forest Policy (): Role of forests in climate change policy and effects on justice and environmental law
- , Professor of Forest–Atmosphere Interactions (): Function of forest ecosystems and their interactions with the environment, specifically the role of forests in curbing climate change
- , University Researcher (): Tropical peatlands, their carbon cycle, the greenhouse gas balance and the climate impact of land use
- , Associate Professor: Deforestation and global forest policy, role of the forest industry, the impact of natural resource projects, investments and global development on the biosphere and climate change
- , University Lecturer (): Birches, treeline ecosystems and climate change
- , University Lecturer: Climate effects of peatland use
- , University Researcher: Climate effects of peatland use; carbon cycle and greenhouse gas balance in drained peatlands
- , Professor of Environmental Soil Science (): Plant–soil–microbial relationships; greenhouse gas and nitrous oxide emissions; emissions and processes in forest ecosystems and agriculture
- , Associate Professor (): Forest tree evolution, genomics, adaptation and processing
- , Professor of Forest Economics and Policy: Bridging environmental issues and economics
- , Professor, Director of (): Timber construction; carbon-neutral and climate-wise construction and living
- , Academy Professor (): Bogs and peatlands from the perspective of climate change
- , Professor of Environmental Technology in Agriculture: Climate change and soil management technologies
- , Professor of Agricultural Ecology (): Ecological sustainability of agriculture and food systems
- , Senior University Lecturer (): Biodiversity of arable land, agriculture in areas with significant natural value, agricultural and environmental policy, organic farming
- , Professor: Climate adaptation of plants
- , Professor of Practice in Global and National Food Security (): Food security, food systems and security of supply
- , Professor of Environmental Soil Science (): Plant–soil–microbial relationships; greenhouse gas and nitrous oxide emissions; emissions and processes in forest ecosystems and agriculture
- , Senior University Lecturer (): Legumes, faba bean processing
- , Professor: Food safety, economic effects of sustainable agricultural intensification, equal and sustainable food chains from farm to fork, reduction of poverty
- , University Lecturer of Crop Science (): Use of biochar in agriculture and cities, recyclable fertilisers, lake sediment reuse
- , Professor in environmental economics (): economic impacts of environmental policy, European and Finnish climate policy
- , Professor (): Sustainable consumption and consumer education
- , Associate Professor of Long-Term Sustainability Science (): 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
- , Research Director, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Economics: Climate issues, including emissions trading, energy policy and land use
- , Professor: Food safety, economic effects of sustainable agricultural intensification, equal and sustainable food chains from field to fork, reduction of poverty
- , Professor of Forest Economics and Policy: Bridging environmental issues and economics
- , Professor in environmental economics (): economic impacts of environmental policy, European and Finnish climate policy
- , Professor of Sustainable Development (): Climate and energy policy, with a focus on the environment
- , Associate Professor (): Russian and Arctic energy; environmental and security policy
- , Professor of Environmental Policy (): Multidisciplinary sustainability research combining the social and natural sciences
- , University Researcher (: Political economy, political ecology, world politics, climate change, the Anthropocene
- , Associate Professor (): Climate communications, attitudes and beliefs; sustainable behavioural change
- , Professor: Political ecology, the environment and politics
- , University Lecturer: Climate change and justice
- , Professor: Global development research, HELSUS, INEQ
- , Professor of Environmental Law: Theory of environmental law, regulatory methods curbing climate change, emissions trading, mining
- , Associate Professor (): Environmental law, sustainability law, with a focus on the EU Water Framework Directive, conservation law, regulation on plastic material, legal research on science and technology
- , Assistant Professor of Sustainable Urban Systems (): Sustainable urban systems
- , Professor of Sustainable Development (): Urban areas (interviews in Swedish and English)
- , Professor of Urban Environmental Policy (): Adaptation of cities to climate change, national climate and adaptation policies, and urban sustainability
- , Professor of Applied Urban Meteorology (): Urban climate, air quality and carbon dioxide emissions and sinks; effect of urban planning on urban air; curbing and adapting to climate change
- , University Lecturer: Urban environmental technology and sustainable development
- , Professor of Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystems () (interviews in English)
- , Professor Emeritus of Urban Ecosystem Research: Importance of urban green areas as providers of ecosystem services, such as stormwater management, air pollutant clean-up and carbon sequestration
- , Academy Research Fellow (): Collective agency in climate change
- , University lecturer (): Relationship between climate ethics and the economy; moral and political philosophy from the perspective of local conflicts
- , Researcher: Environmental philosophy, ecological ethics, moral agency, ethics education, children and adolescents
- , Postdoctoral Researcher, (): 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, history of Christian ecotheology, environmental anxiety
- , Senior University Lecturer: Climate education, including a bicycle model in support of climate education
- , Professor of Sustainable Development: Bachelor’s level study module on sustainable development
- , Postdoctoral Researcher: Climate education, the project of Finnish general and applied sciences universities
- , Professor: General environmental education
- , Senior University Lecturer: Environmental and sustainability education; education in the natural sciences and sustainable development as part of teacher training
- , Senior University Lecturer: Future-oriented science education, mathematics in teacher training, HELSUS
- , Professor (): Green hydrogen, carbon dioxide use, photocatalysis, sustainable chemistry, solar-powered chemistry (interviews in English)
- , Professor (): Fusion and fission nuclear power, the hydrogen economy, discovery of new materials with the help of artificial intelligence (interviews in English)
- , Senior University Lecturer in Chemistry: Sustainable synthesis chemistry and catalysis
- , Professor: Energy collection, storage, conversion and transmission; materials solutions for the green transition in the energy economy
- , University Lecturer: Earth raw materials and critical minerals
- , Assistant Professor: Geological hydrogen
- , Professor (): Sustainable use of space
- , Assistant Professor of Chemistry of Circular Economy: Biofuels; utilisation of sidestreams in the wood processing industry
- , Professor of Practice: Earth raw materials and critical minerals
- , Professor of Chemistry: New thin film materials, including their applications
- , Professor (): Separation of metals from recycled waste
- , Associate Professor of Geology: Earth’s mineral resources, environmental magnetism, geohealth
- , Associate Professor: Thin film materials for energy conversion and conservation (solar power, smart windows, catalysis) (interviews in English)
- , Professor: New semiconductors in green energy solutions
- , Academy Research Fellow of Chemistry (): Carbon capture, sustainable chemical processes
- - researchers of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS)