People

Our group consists of young and senior researchers with a multi-disciplinary and international background.
Ritva Toivonen, Faculty Dean

Roundwood and forest industry products markets, trade and marketing, wood construction business development, product and service quality, land owner and consumer behaviour, forest industry business strategy analyses, bio-energy markets and policies.

Main projects: Hyytiälä Living LabKÄPY (2016-2019), Wood Vision 2025 (2018-2019).

Tel. +358 05 03149158

E-mail: ritva.toivonen@helsinki.fi

Web: Researchgate

Anne Toppinen, Professor

Responsible business management in bioeconomy, corporate sustainability, organizational innovation, international trade of forest products, sustainable consumption, timber supply behaviour, forest bioenergy.

Main projects: DECARBONPERFORM (2018-2022)FORPLAN (2019-2021)ORBIT (2017-2020), NOFOBE (2016-2020)CE­GEBE (2016-2018)HU-CI­FOR (2016-2017), FORESCOF (2014-2017), ESGRI (2013-2017)W3B (2013-2016).

Tel. +358 50 4150219 

E-mail: anne.toppinen@helsinki.fi

Skype: anne.toppinen

Web: Researchgate, Google scholar

Mirja Mikkilä, Professor

Bioeconomy, forest business economics, forest sector and clean transformation, forests and energy sector, natural capital valuation, pulp and paper industry, responsible business, sustainable transformation

Main projects: PHOENIXORBIT (2017-2020)

Tel. +358 50 4798626

E-mail: mirja.mikkila@helsinki.fi

Web: Researchgate, Google Scholar

Sami Berghäll, University Lecturer, Adjunct Professor

Roundwood and forest industry products markets, trade and marketing, wood construction business development.

Main projects: FORPLAN (2019-2021).

Tel. +358 09 191 57982

E-mail: sami.berghall@helsinki.fi

Web:  Researchgate, Google scholar, Tuhat

Eliisa Kylkilahti, University Lecturer

Consumer economics in bioeconomy, socio-cultural consumer research, consumer-driven service development, sustainability in everyday life.

Main projects: DECARBONORBIT (2017-2020).

E-mail: eliisa.kylkilahti@helsinki.fi

Web: Researchgate, Google scholar

Elias Hurmekoski, Academy research fellow

Forest products markets, structural changes, wood construction, new wood-based products, sustainable production and consumption, climate change mitigation, LULUCF, forest sector foresight and outlook studies, futures studies, forest economics, forest sector modelling, econometrics.

Main projects: REDEEM (2022-2027), ForestNavigator (2022-2026)MeeMi (2020-2023)SubWood (2020-2022).

E-mail: elias.hurmekoski@helsinki.fi

Web: Researchgate

Ayonghe Akonwi, Post-doc researcher

Interests: Co-management systems for the sustenance of natural resources; People-nature relations in the context of National Parks and other forms of protected areas; Anthropological inquiry and Qualitative methods in the Social Sciences; Use of Interdisciplinary theories on Power, Knowledge-integration, Agency, Socio-ecology, and Cultural Resilience.  

Main projects: GreenPole (2021-2025) 

Tel. +358 29 415 7987 

E-mail: akonwi.ayonghe@helsinki.fi

Jaakko Jussila, Post-doc researcher

End-user approach to development of wood-based construction sector, with focus on wooden multistorey buildings, health and wellbeing effects of wood buildings, drivers and barriers for the industry development.

Main projects: Hyytiälä Living LabKNOW (2020-2022)

Tel. +358 40 9005610
E-mail: jaakko.a.jussila@helsinki.fi 

Jenni Miettinen, Postdoctoral researcher

Environmental and resource economics, forest economics, bioeconomy, forest industry and climate policy instruments, forest management and water protection, peatland forestry, behavior of forest owners related to management of peatland forests, agriculture and carbon farming.

Main projects: PHOENIX, Digi4CSA, VESIMASSI

E-mail: jenni.miettinen@helsinki.fi
Web: Google scholar

Jing Yang, Post-doc researcher

Research Interests: Substitution impact of wood products, climate change mitigation potential of forest sector, life cycle assessment, industrial ecology modeling, total factor productivity and environmental efficiency

Main projects: REDEEM (2022-2027), ForestNavigator (2022-2026)

E-mail: jing.yang@helsinki.fi 

Geethanjali Mariaselvam, PhD researcher

Research fields of interest include: Biodiversity conservation, Participatory approaches, Wildlife management.

PhD research focuses on Payment for Ecosystem Services as a means to enable wildlife conservation and reduce conflicts in community reserves (i.e., protected areas) within Punjab, India. This research is carried out as an employee of the Indian Forest Services.

Tel. +358 44 958 2858

Email: geethanjali.mariaselvam@helsinki.fi

WhatsApp: +91 8130930383

Web: Academia

Md Rayhanur Rahman, PhD researcher

Interests: Local policy network, public-private partnership, and industry capabilities toward circular economy on wood-based construction in Finland. Employing policy network theories and social network analysis as an analytical approach.

Main projects: DECARBON HOME (2020-2023)

Email: rayhanur.rahman@helsinki.fi

Juulia Suuronen, PhD researcher

Sustainability assessment of bioeconomy, life cycle assessment, absolute environmental sustainability assessment, climate change mitigation through wood use, substitution impact of wood products

Main projects: CIMANET Doctoral Education Network (2024–2027)

E-mail: juulia.suuronen@helsinki.fi 

Anni Vehola, PhD researcher

Sustainability of wood construction, life cycle assessment, climate change mitigation through wood use, social impacts of the built environment, user perceptions and social acceptance of wood construction.

Main projects: Hyytiälä Living Lab 

E-mail: anni.vehola@helsinki.fi 

Anne Viljanen, PhD researcher

As part of the DECARBON HOME -project I study actor networks in the low carbon building and pathways towards sustainability transition. The research connects many fields and areas, such as environmental policy, future studies, eco-innovation and hybrid solutions of sustainable construction, including multistorey wood construction.

Main projects: DECARBON (2020-2023)

Tel. +358 50 5996497

E-mail: anne.viljanen@helsinki.fi

Twitter: @anneviljanen

Adisa Ramadhan Wiloso, PhD researcher

Research interests: Quantitative sustainability assessment, life cycle assessment, circular economy, input output analysis, material flow analysis, dynamic modeling,  mycoprotein, wood for textile/construction

Main projects: BIOMAD: Towards consequential life cycle assessment in bioeconomy: Market dynamics in wood and food sectors, 2023-2027. 

Tel. +358 442477443

E-mail: adisa.wiloso@helsinki.fi 

Web: ORCID

Lauri Valsta, Professor Emeritus

Economics of forest management, climate change and the forest sector, applications of operations research in forest economics, business economics and finance in the forest sector

Projects include: PERFORM (2018-2022)ECOSUS 2013-2016, LOGGING 2018.



Web: Researchgate, Google scholar, Tuhat

 

Dalia D'Amato, Alumni, Adjunct Professor

Socio-ecological systems (biodiversity and ecosystem services), business sustainability,  sustainability narratives (e.g. green, bio and circular economy) and sustainability transformations.

Projects include: GreenPolePERFORM (2018-2022)OPES (2018-2021)CEGEBE (2016-2018), HU-CIFOR (2016-2017), ESGRI (2013-2016). PhD dissertation here.

Web: Researchgate, Google scholarTuhat

 

Ali Ahi, Alumni

Researching the possibility of engaging in environmentally sustainable business by utilizing “Industry 4.0 Technologies”. The main topics in the research are environmental sustainability, international business and marketing, and Industry 4.0.   

Aleksi Heiskanen, Alumni

Forest Economics, forest products marketing, strategic foresight, corporate foresight, open foresight, sustainability, strategic Management

Main projects: MEEMI (2020-2022)

Email: aleksi.heiskanen@helsinki.fi

Florencia Franzini, Alumni

How local public administrations influence the diffusion of wooden multistory construction in Finland. Citizen acceptance for wooden multistory construction across Europe.

Projects: KÄPY (2016-2019), KNOW (2020-2022), DecarbonHome (2020-2023)

Henna Hurttala, Alumni

Economics of forest management, especially taking quality and climatic implications into account. An example of recent research here

Liina Häyrinen, Alumni

Non-industrial private forest owners in Finland and multiple use of forests. In particular, changing forest owner motivations, objectives as well a as their service needs and expectations. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are employed. PhD thesis (2019) available here and another example of research here.

Jaana Korhonen, Alumni

Competitiveness, sustainability, internationalization and trade, bioeconomy businesses, system transformation. Recent PhD dissertation here.

Projects include: PERFORM (2018-2022)FORPLAN (2019-2021)ORBIT (2017-2020).

Arttu Malkamäki, Alumni

Public policy, Collaborative governance, Land use policy, Network analysis, Ecosystem-based management, Large-scale land-based investments. An example of recent research here.

Projects include: PERFORM (2018-2022) and HU-CI­FOR (2016-2017).

Noora Miilumäki, Alumni

End-user Approach to Development of Business Ecosystems in the Wood-Based Building Sector, with focus on the role of environmental sustainability criteria. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are employed.

Main project: Käpy (2017-19), in particular “Living in a wooden high-rise - The expectations and needs of consumers”.

Sari Pynnönen, Alumni

Research topics include decision support services for private forest owners and use of knowledge in multiple use forests and forestry, and the forest identities and forest relationships of Finnish citizens. Doctoral dissertation (2020) available here.

Projects include: VaiMetsä 2019-2021.

Tuomo Takala, Alumni

Forest planning practices, service development, non-industrial private forest owners, forest owners’ objectives, sustainable forest use, democracy and power, social conservation sciences, critical discourse analysis.

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki

Latokartanonkaari 7

FI-00014 University of Helsinki

Tel. +358 44 9118160

E-mail: tuomo.takala@helsinki.fi