Kirsi Pyhältö is a professor of university pedagogy at the University of Helsinki. She is a researcher of learning and studies learning and well-being at different levels of the Finnish education system. Kirsi is a founding member of
Heidi Wirkkala works as the project coordinator for the SchoolWell consortium. She holds a master's degree in social sciences and has previously worked for example in communications.
If you have any inquiries regarding the SchoolWell project, please do not hesitate to contact Heidi.
Tiina Soini is a research director at the Faculty of Education and Culture at Tampere University and leads
Mika Niemelä works as a researcher at the University of Oulu and as a chief expert at the Itla Children's Foundation. Mika studies the impact of families' stressful life situations on children's mental health and promotes the research and development of work methods that support family resilience. Mika has been actively involved in the development and implementation of child- and family-centered methods and training programs for nearly 20 years. During the same period, he has consulted organizations and professionals from various fields in family- and network-centered work. Mika has also been a trainer psychotherapist for a long time in the couple and family therapy psychotherapy training at the University of Oulu. In the SchoolWell research, Mika is particularly responsible for interaction activites, communications, and the translational aspect of the study.
Timo Jaakkola is a tenure track professor of sports pedagogy at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. He researches the physical activity of children and adolescents and the physical-motor, psychological, and social factors underlying it. Timo studies aspects such as motor and perceived competence, motor development, physical fitness, physical literacy, and motivation for physical activity in children and adolescents. Timo has worked for 20 years as a lecturer in basic physical education and motor learning at the University of Jyväskylä, thus possessing extensive practical experience in his research areas. Additionally, he has authored several non-fiction books and exercise guides. In the SchoolWell project, Timo is particularly responsible for monitoring interventions in schools and transferring them more broadly into school practices.
Marko Kantomaa is an adjunct professor and university researcher at the Population Health Research Unit of the University of Oulu. Marko investigates the social and corporeal dimensions of health and well-being, such as disparities related to education, income, and gender. In the SchoolWell project, Marko specifically studies early well-being disparities and develops indicators for identifying them in schools.
Janne Pietarinen serves as the dean and professor of education at the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Eastern Finland and leads the Learning and Development in School research group. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tampere. Janne's research focuses on the transitions students encounter in their school paths and identifying individual and group-level factors regulating learning and well-being of students and teachers in schools. Additionally, he is interested in developing longitudinal and multi-method research designs and designing quantitative measures and qualitative instruments needed for them, as well as analyzing the collected data. In the SchoolWell project, he is particularly interested in the co-design of interventions occurring in schools, developing measures utilized during interventions, and analyzing the collected monitoring data.
Tuija Tammelin works as a principal researcher at the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences in Likes. She leads the physical activity and health research team, where the research topics are related to physical activity and learning, as well as promoting an active lifestyle through different stages of life. Tuija's team also conducts research in the "Liikkuva koulu" (Active School) program, which has been creating more active and pleasant school days in comprehensive schools since 2010. In the SchoolWell project, Tuija is particularly interested in how physical activity during the school day can be utilized to support well-being and learning.
Tommi Tolmunen serves as a professor of youth psychiatry at the University of Eastern Finland and as a chief physician at Kuopio University Hospital. He has been involved in patient work for over 25 years. Tommi is interested in mental well-being from multiple perspectives: how lifestyle factors, such as nutrition and substance use, affect mental well-being, how the mind is connected to bodily events, and of course, how mental well-being can be influenced through various methods. He is particularly interested in how young people can find ways early in life to impact their own well-being.
Henrika Anttila works as a university lecturer in university pedagogy at the University of Helsinki and as a researcher in the Learning and Development in School research group. Henrika is interested in factors related to the learning of children and adolescents in comprehensive school, such as academic emotions, the development of agency, and well-being.
Abate Bekele Belachew is a postdoctoral researcher within the SchoolWell project investigating student’s comprehensive well-being in relation to their social location. He has been working as a university lecturer and researcher, and he has research experience in school environment. His research interests include multi-level and life-course approaches to predicting health, with a particular focus on investigating the role of socioeconomic disparity, environmental exposures, and gene-environmental interactions on individuals' health throughout their lifetime.
Eetu Haataja works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Population Health Research Unit at the University of Oulu. In the SchoolWell project, he studies the underlying factors of health and well-being disparities. Eetu has also researched learning and learning processes using various methods. He is interested in how different early systemic factors predict differences in the development of comprehensive well-being in children and adolescents.
Mikko Huhtiniemi works as a development manager and postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. Additionally, he is responsible for the coordination and development of the Move! – national monitoring system for health-related fitness and motor competence. His research has focused on topics such as the development of physical fitness and motor skills in school-aged children, as well as students' emotional and motivational experiences in physical education. In the SchoolWell project, he is particularly interested in the connections between motor competence, fitness and physical activity with students' overall well-being and learning.
Iiris Kolunsarka is working as a specialist and postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. In addition to research and teaching, she is responsible for coordinating and developing the national physical functioning monitoring system, Move!. Her research has focused on, for example, the development of physical activity, physical fitness, and motor skills during childhood and adolescence. In the SchoolWell project, she is particularly interested in the connections between physical functioning and movement, and students’ overall well-being and learning.
Heidi Leppä works as a researcher at Likes, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences. Heidi earned her PhD in Health Sciences from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä in December 2022. Her dissertation focused on changes in walking and maintaining outdoor mobility in old age. In the SchoolWell project, she studies the connections between physical activity during the school day and overall well-being and learning.
Donna Niemistö works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. She is also part of
Päivi Nilivaara is a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University. In her dissertation, she explored alternative futures for comprehensive school within a systemic framework. Päivi, who has a background as a teacher and principal, has extensive experience as a developer of schools and curriculum work, teacher educator, and supervisor in the field of education.
In the SchoolWell project, Päivi's particular interest lies in the dialogical co-development between researchers and teachers, as well as how researched knowledge transforms into everyday practices in schools.
Jenni Sullanmaa works as a postdoctoral researcher in the SchoolWell project and researcher in the Learning and Development in School -research group. She is interested in school development, teacher and pupil learning, and factors supporting the wellbeing of teachers and pupils.
Tuuli Suominen holds a PhD in health sciences and works as a researcher at the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences at Likes. Tuuli studies the connections between physical activity, health, and well-being at various stages of life, from childhood to adulthood. She has researched topics such as active commuting to school and the effects of childhood and adolescence sports hobbies on adult activity levels. In the SchoolWell project, she is particularly interested in the impacts of physical activity during the school day on overall well-being and learning.
Heidi Syväoja has a title of docent and is a senior researcher at Likes, Jamk University of Applied Sciences. Heidi studies the effects of physical activity on academic performance and cognitive and affective prerequisites of learning during the lifespan. In the SchoolWell project, she is particularly interested in how physical activity can be added to the school day in such a way that it supports children's overall well-being and thus learning.
Lotta Tikkanen works as a university lecturer in university pedagogy at the University of Helsinki and as a researcher in the Learning and Development in Comprehensive School research group. She is particularly interested in the well-being of school communities and the individual, group, and school-level factors that influence it. In the SchoolWell project, she studies the connection between pedagogical practices and the school well-being of children and adolescents.
Ville Tikkanen works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Population Health Research Unit at the University of Oulu. In his research, he is interested in the identification of risk factors and strengthening of protective factors of wellbeing among children, young people and families. He is a PhD (Medicine) and a Master of Arts (Educational psychology). In January 2024, he defended his doctoral thesis titled ”Adolescent social functioning and later psychiatric morbidity in genetic high- and low-risk adoptees: the Finnish Adoptive Family study of Schizophrenia”.
Sanna Ulmanen works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education and Culture at Tampere University and the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. She is particularly interested in the role of the school community as a facilitator of student well-being and learning. In her research, Sanna has explored how a student's school experience is shaped by relationships between teachers and students, as well as among students themselves. In the SchoolWell project, she investigates the connection between pedagogical practices and students' well-being and learning at school.
Roosa Yli-Pietilä is currently working as a researcher in the SchoolWell research project at the University of Tampere and the University of Eastern Finland. Her dissertation on the agency and well-being of classroom teachers was approved in January 2025. Since 2016, Roosa has worked in several national and international research projects in the field of education as a researcher and as a university lecturer in classroom teacher education and international teacher professional development. Roosa is qualified as a classroom teacher (2017) and a special education teacher (2020).
Noora-Maria Ahl works as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in the SchoolWell project. She specializes in exploring the possibilities of school interventions in promoting mental health. Noora-Maria has over 10 years of work experience as a psychologist in various mental health services. Since 2017, she has been working as a school psychologist, focusing on enhancing well-being at both community and individual levels. Noora-Maria is a specialist in health psychology and is interested in the biopsychosocial aspects of health, stress, and how exceptional situations such as crises and traumas affect individuals. She is particularly interested in the pressures and burdens placed on mental health in today's society, strengthening children and adolescents' coping mechanisms, resilience, and how the everyday environment, such as school, can provide support in this regard.
Niina Anttila works as a doctoral researcher in the SchoolWell project and
Anni Byman-Vornanen works as a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki in the SchoolWell project. She holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and is an adult educator. In her doctoral research, Anni examines active teaching methods that incorporate physical movement, as well as the dynamics between peer interaction among students and physical activity during the school day.
Maria Forss works as a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki in the SchoolWell project. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and has previously worked, among other things, in the field of communications. In her doctoral research, Maria examines the dynamics between home–school collaboration, guardian and teacher support for studying, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and students’ study wellbeing in basic education.
Elias Martikainen works as a project researcher at the University of Jyväskylä in the SchoolWell project. After graduating with a master's degree in sports sciences, he has worked as a physical education and health education teacher in primary and secondary schools. He started working on the SchoolWell project in August 2024. In the project, he is interested in teachers' pedagogical solutions for developing students' overall well-being and the connections between physical activity and overall well-being. He has aimed to highlight approaches that consider overall well-being in various roles in schools, sports organizations, and competitive sports.
Aino-Kaisa Piironen works as a doctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland and a project researcher in the SchoolWell-project. She holds a master's degree in molecular medicine. In her PhD thesis, Aino-Kaisa is studying blood biomarkers of youth mental health, focusing on depression. Aino-Kaisa is passionate about the holistic view of human wellbeing, combined with a molecular-level understanding and advanced data science.
Tanja Pöyliö works as a project researcher at the University of Jyväskylä in the SchoolWell project while pursuing doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Sport Sciences and Social Sciences. In her dissertation, she examines the connections between motor skills, perceived motor competence, physical activity, functional capacity, mental health, school engagement, and burnout in children and adolescents.
Hanna Rekola works as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in the Department of Social Sciences while pursuing doctoral studies in social policy. She completed her master's degree in geography at the University of Helsinki in 2018, after which she worked for an extended period as a research manager at the Helsinki City Rescue Department. In her doctoral research, she studies the impact of physical and social living environments on the mental health of children and adolescents.
Maiju Miinala works as a research assistant in the SchoolWell project. She has previous training as an early childhood education teacher and is now completing her master's studies in general and adult education at the University of Helsinki. She is particularly interested in the well-being of teachers and children and the school's role in supporting overall well-being from both individual and community perspectives.
Jenna Toivanen works as a research assistant in the SchoolWell project. She is finishing her major studies at study and career counselling in University of Eastern Finland.
Saara Koskinen works as a project manager at Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Likes. She has a Master's degree in Health Sciences, and she is also educated as a teacher and a physiotherapist. In her work, she focuses particularly on promoting the movement and well-being of children and young people from a pedagogical perspective. In the Schoolwell project she is interested in how movement during lessons can be part of promoting students' overall well-being and learning.
Janne Kulmala works as a specialist at Likes, part of the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences. Since 2010, Janne has implemented and coordinated the measurement and analysis of physical activity in dozens of different research projects and national data collections. He also has a strong background in the national Schools on the Move and Joy in Motion programs. In the SchoolWell project, Janne supports the measurement of physical activity.
Hermanni Oksanen works as an expert at Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences in Likes. Hermanni has been involved in developing and implementing several research and physical activity promotion projects for 15 years. In these, experience has been gained especially in measuring physical fitness, motor skills and physical activity in children, adolescents and adults. In the Schoolwell project, Hermanni supports the measurement of physical activity.
Sami Kokko serves as an assistant professor of health promotion at the University of Jyväskylä and researches children's and adolescents' physical activity and health behaviors, as well as how to promote them. Sami is responsible for studies such as the LIITU study on physical activity behavior among children and adolescents in Finland and the TELS study on health-promoting sports clubs. He is also part of the research team for the WHO School Study. Sami is one of the co-editors of the "Handbook of Settings-Based Health Promotion," published in spring 2022 by Springer. Sami has over twenty years of research experience, which has consistently been close to and served practical activities, particularly sports clubs for children and adolescents. Sami is involved in the SchoolWell research, especially from the perspectives of physical activity, its promotion, and holistic health promotion.
Marika Udelius works as a research assistant at the University of Jyväskylä, focusing on the development of pedagogical wellbeing in Finnish teacher education. SchoolWell’s spin-off, the Toolkit for Pedagogical Wellbeing (HyPeKit) project studies and developes pedagogical practices that strengthen teacher students’ wellbeing competence. Marika holds a Master’s degree in Sport Sciences and is a qualified teacher. Her background includes both teaching and working in projects promoting school wellbeing and students’ holistic wellbeing skills.
Anna-Kaisa Vartiainen works as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in the Department of Health and Social Management. Additionally, she is pursuing her postgraduate studies with a major in health economics. Anna-Kaisa's background is in health economics, from which she graduated with a master's degree in 2012. She has gained research experience through various project work in different research organizations. Her area of interest and the subject of her doctoral research is the promotion of mental health and the economic evaluation of related actions. Anna-Kaisa is involved in the SchoolWell project from the perspective of evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.