People

Erik is an active and independent scientist with more than 80 publications in scientific journals, 6 book chapters and multiple technical reports and popular science items. Core to Erik’s research has always been natural resources management, with a focus on understanding and promoting sustainable use and governance of different landscapes and the many functions they may carry, from biodiversity support to more anthropogenic ‘services’. Erik has experience in systems and landscape ecology, geography, landscape governance, urban studies, conservation planning, participatory transdisciplinary research, review and interdisciplinary synthesis work, among other things.

Erik has spent the last 15 years successfully creating environments, outside Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme as well as within, that ‘normalize’ transdisciplinary sustainability science and collaborative cultures that invite critical thinking, knowledge integration and action. Extending also outside academia, collaboration and engagement is usually an integrated, many-facetted component in Erik’s projects, which tend to focus on applied research, to ensure that the research framing resonates with potential users of the knowledge we produce. In practice, this means that Erik has many different roles and works across multiple processes in addition to his research.

Erik serves as an expert in different reference groups (e.g., as a scientific advisor for the European ‘Cohesion for Transition’ initiative), or sometimes more actively as an expert consultant. Erik works as a board member, tutor, panelist and sometimes, as a secondary outcome from the meetings and dialogues he organises, facilitator and contact broker.

Erik served as the associate editor in chief for the journal Ambio 2020-2021, and is active as associate editor for the journals Sustainability Science, Ambio and npj Urban Sustainability. Erik is affiliated also with Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm University) and North-West University. 

Valtteri is an interdisciplinary scholar of responsible organisation studies. Previously he has explored organising of responsible management education with concepts of authenticity, rhythms, process, dialogue and planetary well-being (see Aaltonen, 2023). In addition to academic research, Valtteri is active with impact-oriented initiatives related to solving grand challenges in business and society. Recent initiatives include Doughnut Design for Business training and the initiative of Duck Squad – a solution for combating invasive alien species Spanish slugs in urban environments.

In Complex Landscapes, Valtteri’s role is in exploring the possible paths to urban greening especially via ways that actors organise. Organising refers to the arrangements in and between different actors, institutions, communities, organisations and how means of communication are being produced resulting in action. Therefore, although landscapes in Complex Landscapes can be very material and sensory places, Valtteri is painting more mental landscapes. These more abstract yet significant aspects of existence paint alternative perspectives in the ways human and non-human actors relate and are dialogic in the processes of urban greening.

Anahita’s work is focused on exploring the transformative pathways toward sustainability in the built environment, particularly through the lens of social-ecological resilience. Her approach to built environment and urban planning centers on how actors in this space—whether individuals, institutions, or communities—organise and act in response to the complex challenges posed by future crises. This organising process involves creating practical tools and frameworks that help practitioners and policymakers within the built environment adapt and evolve amidst growing uncertainties. 

Although the built environment is a physical and tangible space, Anahita's work visualises how sustainability perceptions, motivations, and actions interconnect to create broader systemic change. In this way, she is painting conceptual landscapes that reveal alternative approaches to resilience and sustainability. By collaborating with both academic and non-academic partners, Anahita co-creates knowledge that bridges theory and practice, ultimately leading to innovative solutions that can be integrated into urban environments and planning processes.

Sonali is an urban ecologist with geospatial skillsets interested in delving into principles of landscape ecology to address the urban challenges in the Anthropocene. Her doctoral research focused on the roles of crucial ecosystem services and formulation of an integrated approach for their incorporation into emerging urban development patterns in Himalayan mountainous landscapes. Her scientific interests revolve around exploring the ecology of urban greening whether by focusing on built and green infrastructure or their edges, to address urban challenges. 

Sonali’s work explores the intricate dynamics of urban ecology, particularly through the lens of edges and boundaries that shape the functionality of urban landscapes. Through her research, she seeks to illuminate the role of boundaries in fostering biodiversity within urban environments. Her focus is on Nordic urban landscapes, where she examines how different types of edges contribute to the ecological richness of these environments. By navigating the intersecting boundaries of nature and urban development, Sonali’s work bridges the physical and conceptual, offering new insights into the sustainable management of urban ecosystems.