University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Sirpa Rasmus has a background in climate change impact studies and geophysics of snow and ice. Her approach is interdisciplinary, and she is interested in the interactions between the abiotic and biotic nature, seasonal weather, and human activities. Presently she studies the changing operational environment of northern livelihoods, especially Fennoscandian reindeer herding. She has good connections to several local herding communities and regional and national level governance institutions of the livelihood. Her recent project include for example AROSS and CHARTER, on changing land use, changing climate, and adaptation to various changes.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Osmo Rätti has a long research background in northern and arctic ecology. His main research interest in recent years has been different aspects of grouse population ecology. Especially, He has studied the impact of parasites and diseases on population density changes of grouse. Focus of Research: Population ecology, Causes of grouse population fluctuations, Sustainable harvesting of grouse populations, Parasite-vector-host interaction (blood parasites, black flies, grouse), Habitat fragmentation and population genetics of grouse, Epidemiology of viruses in birds.

Research Professor

Arctic Centre

Prof. Forbes has a background in applied ecology and geography in northern high latitudes, with special emphasis on permafrost regions. His experience is circumpolar, encompassing studies of rapid land use and climate change in Alaska, the Canadian High Arctic, various regions of northern Russia, and northernmost Fennoscandia. His approach is strongly interdisciplinary and participatory, aiming for the co-production of knowledge, particularly concerning local and regional stakeholder-driven research questions. He has conducted fieldwork in the Arctic for over 40 years and lived in Lapland since 1994.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Dr Gladstone has experience in the development and application of computer models to simulate various aspects of the Earth System. He has worked in the field of ice sheet modelling since 2008, and his current research interests focus on sub-glacial processes and ice sheet – ocean interactions. Dr Gladstone aims use models to better understand present day behaviour, and to predict future behaviour, of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Karoliina Huusko is an ecologist studying plant–microbe interactions and soil microbial communities in boreal and subarctic ecosystems. For the past 15 years, she has combined field-based research and molecular methods to investigate how soil and root‑associated microbes influence northern ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Her research integrates fine‑scale microbial data with broader ecological datasets to improve understanding of subarctic ecosystem processes. She currently works in the Borealization of the Finnish subarctic (BOREARC) project.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Studing the effects of large-scale human impacts on animal communities and adaptation of northern populations on changing environmental conditions. Main research is focused on the effects of urbanization, forestry and tourism on bird communities, populations and individuals. Leading the Environmental impact assessment and nature inventory services at the Arctic Centre.

Researcher

Arctic Centre

Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki has background in biology (animal ecology; reindeer husbandry) and in information science. Her current research focuses on studying the effects of large-scale human impacts on animal, particularly bird communities and adaptation of northern populations to changing environmental conditions; effects of urbanization, waterpower construction, forestry and tourism on bird communities, populations and individuals. Researcher at the Environmental Impact Assessment and Nature Inventory Services of the Arctic Centre.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Arctic Centre

Inkeri Markkula has a background in ecology, environmental science and cultural studies. Her research interests include cultural and social impacts of climate change in Arctic and Northern regions, and the role of traditional ecological knowledge in land use planning and climate change adaptation. In her current research project funded by Kone foundation, she studies meanings and memories of snow, ecological grief and inter-species relations in changing winter environments.

Researcher

Arctic Centre

Ilona Mettiäinen’s research focuses on the use and co-production of knowledge (or in other words, sense-making) on climate change for societal and business-related decision-making in the Arctic. She has conducted research on e.g. regional climate change strategies, climate services, climate adaptation in reindeer herding (CLIMINI) and climate geoengineering by ice sheet conservation (GRISCO) and SAI. Her work is essentially multi and transdisciplinary, where the combination of social sciences and natural sciences are a key element. Her other fields of expertise include sustainable Arctic tourism, collaborative planning and co-design, and Arctic regional development. Ilona Mettiäinen has also wide experience of science communications, including on visualizing social sciences research by art. She is a member of the Arctic Governance Research Group and the Global Change Research Group.

Research Professor

Arctic Centre

John Moore’s research topics are: past sea level change and prediction; natural and anthropogenic climate forcing; impacts of extreme events, and geoengineering scenarios. Developing new advanced statistical methods for time series analysis, with the aim of a mechanistic understanding of the climate system. Extraction of paleoclimate information from physical and chemical analysis of Arctic and Antarctic ice cores. Geophysical field work and computer modelling of glacier flow and evolution. Early work on the development of a theoretical basis for electrical conduction in ice as function of chemical impurities, followed by radar studies of Svalbard polythermal glaciers.

Tutkija

Arctic Centre

Dele Raheem’s background is in the field of Food Chemistry and Technology. He is an Associate Professor (Docent) in Food Microbiology at the University of Helsinki. He has gained extensive research and industrial experience in the last three decades. His research interests encompasses food bio-processing, food preservation, climate and food security in the Arctic with global consequences. He works on food related projects to promote health and wellbeing from an intradisciplinary perspective. He had pedagogy trainings and certificates from the UK and Finland.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Päivi Soppela has background in biology and zoology (ecological physiology). She is Docent of adaptation biology at the University of Oulu. Her projects address adaptation of animals, humans and livelihoods to arctic conditions and global change, including climate change. The projects are multidisciplinary and include participation of local people and practitioners. Her ongoing research is related to adaptation of reindeer and local breeds of cattle and horse to the arctic environment and resilience of these species and their livelihoods. She has long-term experience in research, teaching and supervision of graduate and undergraduate students in arctic questions, especially in reindeer herding and reindeer biology.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Sari Stark is a plant and soil ecologist with over 20 years of research experience on northern boreal forests and subarctic mountain birch and tundra ecosystems. She has led research projects on soil microbial responses to global changes and their interactions with vegetation change and the intensity of herbivory. More recently, her research focus has expanded towards historical ecology and understanding the legacies of past land-use over present-day ecosystem processes.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Arctic Centre

Hannah has a background in environmental sociology and qualitative research methodology. She studies Arctic livelihoods and how people adapt to climate change in their everyday lives. She has worked extensively on water-related issues, including Arctic freshwater and stormwater management, and has conducted an ethnographic study on snow work. Previously, she studied Northern energy systems, with a particular focus on nuclear and hydropower.

University Researcher

Arctic Centre

Minna Turunen has a background in biology and nearly 40 years of experience in Arctic research and development projects and their management. The main themes of her research work have been the impacts of climate change on livelihoods based on the use of natural resources (e.g., reindeer husbandry, fishing, and forestry), the strategies and ability of practitioners to adapt to changes in climate and environmental conditions and the socioeconomic situation, and the use of traditional and local knowledge in land use planning. Minna Turunen’s approach is multidisciplinary and participatory. Recent projects include CLIMHUM (2024-2027) and FROST (2025-2029). FROST combines Indigenous knowledge, natural sciences, and social sciences to understand how warmer winters are changing Arctic lakes and related cultural practices.

Researcher

Arctic Centre

MSSc Henri Wallen specializes in using Bayesian data analysis, spatial statistics, and applied mathematics to study environmental and social systems. His work focuses on Arctic environmental changes, land-cover dynamics, and the resilience of social-ecological systems, and the impacts of climate change on Arctic communities. Through his research, he contributes to understanding and addressing the challenges facing the Arctic.

Senior Laboratory Technician

Arctic Centre