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: KÄPY (2016-2019), Wood Vision 2025 (2018-2019).

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 514, P.O. Box 27 

Tel. +358 05 03149158
E-mail: ritva.toivonen@helsinki.fi
Skype: 
Web: Researchgate, Tuhat

Anne Toppinen, Professor

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

Projects include: PERFORM (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).

Dept. Forest Sciences , Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 514, P.O. Box 27 

Tel. +358 50 4150219 
E-mail: anne.toppinen@helsinki.fi
Skype: anne.toppinen
Web: Researchgate, Google scholar, Tuhat

Sami Berghäll, Adjunct Professor

Dept. Forest Sciences Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 514, P.O. Box 27 

Tel. +358 09 191 57982
E-mail: sami.berghall@helsinki.fi
Web:  Researchgate, Google scholar, Tuhat

Projects include: FORPLAN (2019-2021).

Dalia D'Amato, 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.

Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science
Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 531, P.O. Box 27 

Tel.  +358 50 4160780
E-mail: dalia.damato@helsinki.fi
Skype: dalia.damato
Web: Researchgate, Google scholarTuhat

 

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

 

Eliisa Kylkilahti, Post-doc researcher

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

Main project: ORBIT (2017-2020).

Dept. Economics and Management, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 5
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 

E-mail: eliisa.kylkilahti@helsinki.fi
Web: Researchgate, Google scholar, Tuhat

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).

Email: 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.  

Projects: GreenPole (2021-2025) 

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
00790, University of Helsinki 
Room 531

E-mail: akonwi.ayonghe@helsinki.fi
Phone: (+358) 029 415 7987 

Jaakko Jussila, Post-doc researcher

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

Main project: KNOW (2020-2022), Hyytiälä Living Lab project (2022-)

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 511, P.O. Box 27 

Email: jaakko.a.jussila@helsinki.fi

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

Projects: REDEEM (2022-2027), ForestNavigator (2022-2026)

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 542

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.

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki.
Email: geethanjali.mariaselvam@helsinki.fi
Phone: +358 44 958 2858
WhatsApp: +91 8130930383
Webpage: Academia

Aleksi Heiskanen, PhD researcher

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

Main project: MEEMI (2020-2022)
Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014, University of Helsinki
P.O. Box 27

Email: aleksi.heiskanen@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 Project: DECARBON HOME (2020-2023)

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki
tel. +358 50 5996497

E-mail: anne.viljanen@helsinki.fi 
Twitter: @anneviljanen

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.

Project(s): DECARBON HOME (2020-2023)

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
00790, University of Helsinki 
Room 525

Email: rayhanur.rahman@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)

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki 
Room 525, P.O. Box 27

E-mail: Florencia.franzini@helsinki.fi

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.   

Dept. Forest Sciences, Viikki
Latokartanonkaari 7
FI-00014 University of Helsinki

Email: alan.ahi@helsinki.fi

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

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).

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.

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”.

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).

Henna Hurttala, Alumni

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