Researchers

 

Mari Riikonen (MA) works as a coordinator in the REBOUND project with responsibilities in project administration and communication. Previously, she worked in science communication at the Arctic Centre, where she coordinated the Arctic Spirit Conference, Finland’s leading international Arctic event. Mari has broad experience with societal issues related to the Arctic, and she is particularly interested in interdisciplinary projects, research communication, and collaboration with diverse stakeholders.

 

Taru Rikkonen (M. Sc.) works as a Researcher at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) in Rovaniemi. In the REBOUND project, she is part of the WP2. She has a background in physical geography and in her work, the focus is on the northern environments and livelihoods, land-use reconciliation, and the use of Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) in participatory planning.

 

Vesa Nivala (baccalaureate) works as a Geographic Information System (GIS) specialist at the Natural Resource Institute Finland (LUKE) in Rovaniemi, Finland. In the REBOUND project, he is part of the WP2 in which the aim is to design PPGIS surveys, collect and manage survey data, and perform (spatial) analyses on the collected data. He also assists in solving all kinds of GIS-related topics and problems in the project. Nivala’s background is in digital data management, information and communication technology, and system design. He has over 30 years of work experience in various research projects utilizing spatial technology, methods, and analysis, including public participation GIS (PPGIS). The research projects cover various topics, such as landscape ecology, nature conservation, forestry and natural resources, land use conflicts, game research, large predator research, transport logistics, and tourism management.

Ari Nikula, D.Sc. (For.), is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE). He is also an associate professor of Applied Zoology at Helsinki University. In the REBOUND project, he is part of WP2. Most of Nikula’s research work has concentrated on the effects of forestry and other land use on forest dwelling animals resource selection at landscape and regional levels. His topics also cover the effects of climate change on forest pests and habitat changes in northern latitudes. In his work, Nikula has applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical methods to spatial analysis and modelling covering local and national level spatial scales. Nikula’s expertise also covers public participation GIS (PPGIS) methods.

 

Johanna Ohlsson holds a PhD in Ethics (2019, Uppsala University) and is serving as a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at the Department of Human Rights and Democracy at University College Stockholm (UCS), and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Lund University (LU). She is currently researching the role of human rights discourse and claims in water management processes in the multidisciplinary initiative LU4Water, and is a project researcher in REBOUND. Her research broadly concerns justice, sustainability, justification theory, peacebuilding ethics, and the role/use/understanding of human rights in public administration and civil society organisations.

 

Henri Wallen (M.Soc.Sc) is a researcher at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland. He specializes in using Bayesian data analysis, spatial statistics, and applied mathematics to study environmental and social systems. In the REBOUND project, he is part of WP2 and 3, which focus on Arctic environmental changes, land-cover dynamics, 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.

 

Juha Joona works as a Researcher at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland. In the REBOUND project, he works in the WP3. Prior to this, Juha was part of the H2020 JUSTNORTH project. Juha comes from a reindeer-herding family. His academic research focuses on the branch of legal history and real estate law in the geographic area of Northern Finland. Most of the topics in his research deal with the land and water rights of the Indigenous Sámi People. Juha has a long experience on land use issues dealing with traditional livelihoods, reindeer herding, fishing and hunting in the context of other land uses, such as mining and wind power. Joona was awarded the Olaus Magnus Prize for his work.

Timo Jouttijärvi (M.Sc. Tech in Pulp and Environmental Technology) works as a Senior Specialist at the Finnish Environment Institute. In the REBOUND project, his area of expertise includes issues related to the mining industry and incorporating the social dimension into the DNSH (Do No Significant Harm) procedure’s objectives. Jouttijärvi has extensive experience in industrial environmental protection, particularly related to the BAT process, environmental technology in the forest industry, and environmental safety in mining. Jouttijärvi participates in the Finnish Environment Institute’s BAT team, working on the exchange of information on Best Available Techniques (BAT) within the EU across various industrial sectors and also engages in export projects in this field.

Kaj Forsius (M.Sc. Tech) works as a project manager at the Finnish Environment Institute. In the REBOUND project, his particular interest is in integrating just perspectives into the DNSH (Do No Significant Harm) method. Forsius has extensive experience in various international projects related to industrial environmental protection. He is part of the BAT team at the Finnish Environment Institute, which is responsible for coordinating the exchange of information in Finland in accordance with the Industrial Emissions Directive.

Emmi Vähä (M.Sc., environmental ecology) is a Senior Specialist in Finnish Environment Institute (Syke). In REBOUND project she has special interest in sustainable mining industry. Vähä has background in various research projects including different industrial sectors. She is part of the BAT team in Syke which is responsible for coordinating the information exchange under the Industrial Emissions Directive in Finland.

 

Helena Dahlbo is a Senior Research Scientist, D.Sc. (Tech.) at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). In the REBOUND project, she is part of WP3. Dahlbo has a long experience in various multidisciplinary projects related to waste, waste management and circular economy where systemic sustainability assessments, such as LCA and MFA have been applied. Dahlbo has chaired multi-national expert groups within Nordic and Barents-Euroarctic co-operation and has good scientific and expert networks in Finland and Europe. Current work includes leading the PlastLIFE project (Re-thinking plastics in a sustainable circular economy), a 7-year EU LIFE-funded co-operation project with 17 partners, promoting the implementation of the Plastics Roadmap for Finland.

 

Kimmo Nurmio (M. Sc., geography) is a Researcher and a spatial data expert at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). In the REBOUND project, he is part of the WP3 where the intention is to find solutions for fairer and more sustainable wind power development processes. Nurmio specialises in developing GIS-based analysis methods of urban- and regional structure and has also participated in several studies regarding, for example, regional structure and land use planning. His responsibilities also include the maintenance and development of SYKE’s land use information systems particularly the Living environment information service Liiteri. Nurmio has extensive experience in data management projects related to topics such as wind power, cultural environment, zoning, and urban structure monitoring. Recently, he has been involved in assessing wind power potential, addressing questions related to sustainable multilocality, and contributing to the development of a new nationwide statistical division. Currently, he is interested in strengthening the data and information foundation required for a sustainable green transition to enable a better reconciliation process of land use issues and the development of impact assessments.

 

Kari Oinonen (M. Sc., cultural geography) works as a manager of the Urban Development Group at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). In the REBOUND project, he is part of the WP3 where the intention is to find solutions for fairer and more sustainable wind power development processes. He has a background and experience in R&D of land use dynamics, spatial structure and land use planning methods. He has researched sustainable urban forms and managed projects creating GIS-based ICT solutions for reindeer herding as well as for planning low-carbon and climate-friendly land use. His main aim at the moment is to advance more sustainable land use at all scales. Currently, he’s managing and active in projects developing solutions for advancing climate change mitigation and sustainable green transition. He’s also developing an information basis for answering the regional and urban/rural level information future needs. He has a deep understanding of GIS-based impact assessment and reconciling processes of different land uses.

Heidi Lehtiniemi (M. Sc. sustainability science) works as a researcher in Societal Change unit at the Finnish Environment Institute Syke and also, she works on her PhD at the University of Helsinki. She has researched power, knowledge and values in nature conservation and biodiversity policy. She is experienced in participation and stakeholder work through both research projects and biodiversity policy preparation. In REBOUND her works focuses on the participatory methods.

 

Dr. Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Lapland. In the REBOUND project, she works in the WP4, which focuses on intergenerational perspectives of the green transition. The focus is especially on  children, youth, and elders’ voices in the green transition, while incorporating an indigenous framework. She is a Doctor of Education, with research areas focusing on indigenous education, language revitalization, and digital learning platforms, especially addressing issues related to Sámi education. She has extensive and diverse experience in both classroom teaching and teacher education. In recent years, she has been working as a teacher educator at the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Norway.

 

Tero Kivinen is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. His research interests concern the intersection of animal law and rhetoric. In REBOUND, Kivinen studies the overlap of animal rights and interests and the rights and interests of other marginalized groups, and proposes new rhetorical strategies for addressing and advancing both to ensure a just green transition for all.

 

Berfin Nur Osso is a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, and a research affiliate at the Refugee Law Initiative at the University of London and the Erik Castrén Institute at the University of Helsinki. In the REBOUND project, she is investigating the integration of refugees and migrants in the context of the Finnish Arctic’s just green transition. Osso’s current research involves critical border and migration studies, EU asylum law and policy, human rights theory, and visual research methods. She worked as a visiting doctoral researcher at the Nijmegen Centre for Border Research at Radboud University (2023), as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland (2021–2022), and as a research assistant at Migration Research Center (MiReKoc) at Koç University (2017) and the Institute of International Relations Prague (2016). Osso’s articles appeared in several international journals, including the International Journal of Refugee Law, Geopolitics, and Forced Migration Review. As a political cartoonist, she is passionate about also reflecting contemporary phenomena in her editorial cartoons.

 

Sade Mäntylä (M.Soc.Sc., LL.M) works as a doctoral researcher in international and sustainability law at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki. Mäntylä is interested in globally significant issues such as the contradictions and intersections between international economic law, human rights, justice, and peace. In the REBOUND project, Mäntylä examines the impacts of evolving corporate sustainability legislation and green transition projects on the rights of marginalized groups from a critical, justice-oriented perspective.

 

Anna Varfolomeeva is a postdoctoral researcher in the Biodiverse Anthropocenes programme at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her project investigates how hydropower and wind energy shape human–landscape relationships and more-than-human connections in the Finnish North. In her previous postdoctoral position at the University of Helsinki, she explored Indigenous and local visions of sustainability in resource-rich regions. She holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and Policy, and her research bridges environmental humanities, science and technology studies, and Indigenous studies. Since 2021, she has served as Secretary of the Social and Human Working Group at the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), coordinating interdisciplinary Arctic research activities.

Mari Mäkiranta is a photographic artist and visual culture researcher with a background in feminist image studies, socially engaged art, and art activism. She is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at the University of Lapland and an Adjunct Professor of Art Education, specifically visual culture studies, at the University of Jyväskylä. She has led projects such as the Academy of Finland-funded ‘Moving Peripheries – Sense of Place’ project (2017–2021) and the Finnish Cultural Foundation-funded ‘Youth Environments and Photographic Art’ project (2012–2014). Currently, she leads the Kone Foundation-funded ‘Edges of Artivism – Art, Activism, and Gendered Violence’ project (2022–2026). Mäkiranta is a member of the editorial boards of ‘Ruukku – Studies in Artistic Research’ and ‘TaHiTi – Art History as Science’ journals. She is also a member of the Union of Artist Photographers and the Artists’ Association of Lapland.

 

Siiri Paananen is a university teacher and doctoral student in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Art and Design. A member of the Lapland User Experience Design research group, her work centers on augmenting cultural heritage experiences through interactive technology and engaging the users and stakeholders through co-design methods. In the REBOUND project, she applies participatory methods and organizes workshops to imagine future visions for the North alongside collaborators.

Petra Nurmela works in the Lapland User Experience Design research group. Her research topics are related to virtual nature experiences and participatory design workshops. In the REBOUND project, she studies people’s nature experiences and thoughts on the green transition by utilizing methods such as artificial intelligence, virtual technology, and participatory design.