Mervi Kaukko works as an Associate Professor (Multicultural Education) at Tampere University. She also holds a title of docent (migration research and global education) at Oulu University, and is an adjunct fellow at Monash University, Australia. Mervi co-leads the MTT research group together with Inkeri Rissanen. Most of Mervi’s research focuses on the experiences of children and youth with refugee and asylum-seeking background (see, for example, Drawing Together-project). Mervi is the Finnish coordinator of an international research network Pedagogy, Education and Praxis. Her two research passions are action research and practice theories. Mervi defended her PhD at Oulu University in 2015. Before coming to Tampere in 2019, she worked as a lecturer at Oulu University and Monash University, Australia.
Inkeri Rissanen works as a University lecturer (Multicultural Education) at Tampere University and holds a title of docent (school pedagogy) at University of Helsinki. Inkeri co-leads MTT research group together with Mervi Kaukko. In her research Inkeri focuses on the questions of interculturality and equity in education. Through her current research projects, she is particularly interested in developing new theorization concerning teachers’ intercultural competencies (CORE) as well as climate education that builds on the recognition of cultural and worldview diversity (CCC-CATAPULT).
Elina Kuusisto works as a University lecturer (Diversity and Inclusive Education) at Tampere University and holds a title of docent (educational sciences) at University of Helsinki. In her research Elina focuses on the questions of teacher’s professional ethics and school pedagogy (e.g., purpose in life, ethical sensitivity, growth mindset pedagogy, talent development). She leads a Finnish-Dutch research project that aims to examine and support civic purposes of children, youth and higher education students. Prior starting at Tampere University in 2019, she worked as an Associate Professor at the University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands. She has also worked as a Senior Researcher at Tallinn University, Estonia.
Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori, Ph.D. (environmental change and policy), is an experienced environmental and climate change education expert and a post-doctoral researcher at Tampere university. She works in the international research project CCC-CATAPULT that examines children’s climate agency, value-action gap and means to exceed the gap. Essi’s long term interest is to develop climate change and environmental education that is interdisciplinary, holistic, and considerate of identity, values and worldview of the learner. In addition, Essi is a member of the steering group of the interdisciplinary research network SIRENE. Essi defended her Ph.D. at the University of Helsinki in 2018. Before joining Tampere University in 2021, she worked as a senior education officer at WWF Finland.
Pauliina Alenius (PhD in Education; Masters in Ethnic Relations and in International Politics) has investigated, for example, transnational learning spaces, migrants’/immigrants’ informal learning and culturally diverse learning environments. She co-edited the book Internationalisation and Transnationalisation in Higher Education with Vesa Korhonen, published by Peter Lang. She worked until 2020 in development project focused on pedagogical development of Palestinian academics https://projects.tuni.fi/finpal/
ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4209-0510
Researcher, grant holder Paula Alanen is an experienced Adult Education expert with a demonstrated history of working in diverse environments both Public and Private sector. Her PhD by publications (Tampere University 2022) focuses on questions of data, knowledge quantification and non-knowing concerning decision making and equity in adult education. Currently she works in DIG1t0-project exploring digitized public employment & education services and their consequences for individuals in fragile conditions.
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Raisa Harju-Autti (MA, language teacher) works as a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University. Her doctoral dissertation (language education) is about teaching the language of schooling simultaneously with subject-specific contents for immigrant students in Finnish basic education, especially on the lower secondary level. In addition to pre-service teacher education, Harju-Autti has worked in several in-service training programs within linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy.
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Maija Yli-Jokipii. Ph.D. researcher, university instructor
I’m working on my article-based Ph.D. thesis Multilingual learners’ mother tongue teachers promoting linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogies.
I am originally teacher of Finnish language and literature. I’ve been working in Kuulumisia teacher training for migrant teachers and teachers working with migrant learners. I have been part of national project DivED promoting linguistically and culturally responsive practices in Finnish educational systems. In addition, I’m working within culturally and linguistically responsive education also in numerous local projects and Erasmus+ project EMERgenCeS.
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Päivi Vartiainen (PhD in Education; Master’s in social Sciences) works as a head of competence area at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. She is in charge of pedagogical development in the school of Pedagogical Innovations.
Vartiainen has investigated workplace as learning space, integration, and intercultural learning in social and health care work, particularly the case of Filipino nurses in Finland. Vartiainen defended her PhD at Tampere University in 2019. Her dissertation concerns the integration and learning processes of nurses recruited in the Philippines into the work organizations of Finnish social and health care.
ORCID
Nick Haswell (Master’s in Teacher Education) is a researcher at Tampere University, working on several projects concerning the education and wellbeing of children and adults with refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. As an experienced artist and trained art teacher, he is interested in the ways that expressive arts and story-making can be used in research contexts. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Tampere University with the aim to investigate the nexus between wellbeing and environmental relations in the lives of young refugees in Finland, Norway and Scotland. In addition to research activities, Nick co-runs a creative working group, We Who Smile, which organises art projects for children in reception centres around the Finland (We Who Smile website).
Fath E Mubeen works as a researcher at Migration Institute of Finland and a PhD candidate at Tampere University. As a refugee herself, she has been engaged in the projects that addresses the issues regarding the inclusion of young refugees and Muslim women in Finnish society. She is now researching how the relational wellbeing of young refugees develops and sustains over the time in Finland. Exploring through art-based methods she aims to reach the cultural and contextual depths of the narratives which otherwise can be missed. Through her research she aims to bring attention and set foundation to Impact change towards peoples and society’s attitude towards young refugees.
Meri Häärä (MA and MSc. in Educational Science) is a classroom teacher and doctoral researcher at the University of Tampere. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies and researching Finnish teacher education with the aim of exploring the links between implicit theories of malleability and intercultural competences. Before beginning her doctoral studies in Tampere, she completed an MA in Educational Science at the University of Oulu focusing on Intercultural Teacher Education, as well as completed her MSc in Education at the University of Utrecht. Her interests include multiculturalism in education, critical pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, and education for social justice. She is also an avid reader, nature-lover, and painter.
Merja Viljanen is a Youth Counsellor and working as such at Vesilahti parish. She got her MA (social science) majoring Youth work and Youth studies in Tampere University fall 2021. She started her doctoral studies in January 2022. The focus of her study is – not less than – purpose in life. She is focusing on 9th graders (of spring 2020) at Tampere surroundings. She has follow-up study going on with some of those year 2020 9th graders who are now on the upper secondary education. She is interested in how adolescents have found (or haven’t they, or are they going to find) purpose in life and how school and youth work could help them with that process. As a counterbalance to youth work and research Merja does long walks with her dog and enjoys creative crafts.