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In FRONT research programme, our researchers work with four different themes, in four different faculties; Faculty of Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Oulu Business School and Faculty of Humanities making the research programme truly multidiscplinary.
Resilience research methods theme researchers study social-ecological resilience in the context of geography
Resilience research methods is a cross-cutting research theme, and the theme is led by Prof. Jarkko Saarinen, PhD, Professor, Geography, Faculty of Science, who is also the leader of FRONT. His research interests include sustainable development, resilience, political ecology, tourism and development, tourism-community relations, tourism and climate change adaptation, community-based natural resource management and wilderness studies. He has been working extensively in the peripheral areas of the Arctic and southern African regions.
The aim of this theme is to develop indicators, methods, and analyses for resilience research, in addition to seeking out the ways of implementing resilience thinking in policies and developments. We seek to advance the novel, systemic approaches needed for integrating human and natural elements - as well as processes. One example is research on the relation between sustainable tourism and climate change.
Tenure track researcher of this theme is Associate professor Aleksi Räsänen, whose research area is Spatial Resilience Research Methods, Geography Research Unit, Faculty of Science. His research concentrates on governance and management of catchment areas and natural resources, risks related to water and climate, social-ecological resilience, remote sensing of vegetation and land cover and monitoring peatland restoration outcomes. In Räsänen´s group we have postdoctoral researcher Maija Toivanen´s research focuses on geodiversity—the diversity of abiotic nature—and its connections to biodiversity. She is interested in how geodiversity can be applied in biodiversity research and conservation efforts. Doctoral researcher for this theme is Ying Liao, and her research examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of social-ecological resilience in response to urban flooding, focusing on both historical patterns and future projections.
Working with Resilience research methods research theme we also have postdoctoral researcher Bailey Adie. Her research interests include World Heritage, heritage tourism, community resilience, community-based tourism, natural hazards and tourism, tourism and development, second homes, and dark tourism.
Resilient human-environment relations researchers work with human-environmental vulnerabilities and capacities in the context of global education
Resilient human-environment relations theme is grounded in the concept of socio-ecological resilience, emphasising interconnections and dependencies between individuals, humanity, and ecosystems. Theme leader and vice leader of FRONT is Professor Elina Lehtomäki, Head of Global Education and Gender studies unit, Faculty of Education and Psychology. Her research interests include global education and learning, social meaning of education, equity and inclusion in and through education, cross-cultural collaboration, and internationalization in higher education.
This theme analyses human and environmental vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities relating to systemic change and provides new solutions to the challenges of environmental change in the anthropogenic Arctic and elsewhere on the planet. We identify factors that cause anxieties and, moreover, increase hope concerning global sustainability problems to transform learning and education.
Professor in Socio-ecological Resilience (Resilient human-environment relations) is Maria Ojala, Global Education and Gender studies unit, Faculty of Education and Psychology. Her research focuses on how young people relate to, and learn about, sustainability issues with a specific focus on emotional reactions to climate change. Keywords in her research are hope, worry, coping, climate-change engagement, mental wellbeing, and implications for education and climate-change communication.
In Professor Ojala´s Socio-ecological resilience group we have doctoral researcher Sonja Palmo, whose research areas are psychology, climate change, pro-environmental behaviour, and how young people relate to climate crisis. Sohvi Nuojua will be starting as a postdoctoral researcher in this theme and her research focuses on Socio-ecological resilience from a psychological and/or an educational perspective. Her interest lies in the human-environment interaction within the context of global environmental concerns, as well as in the motivational underpinnings of pro-environmental behaviour. Working with Resilient human-environment relations theme we have also postdoctoral researcher Oona Piipponen. She is interested in how schools develop whole-school approaches to sustainability through collaborative learning, leadership practices and student-led, inquiry-based learning.
Resilient human-economy and value network relations researchers study the resilience of business networks and organizations
Resilient human-economy and value network relations theme investigates how economically driven shifts and shocks impact organisations, institutions, inter-organisational networks and regional ecosystems. Theme leader is Professor Satu Nätti, Department of Marketing, Management and International Business, Oulu Business School. She is interested in how organisations and networks emerge and develop for innovations, resilience and sustainability. Her research focuses on innovation network orchestration, digitalization for value creation and conscientiousness/sustainability developments in organizations. I am very interested in public organizations, too, especially from the viewpoint of value formation and sustainability of public services.
This theme seeks to show the vulnerabilities and resilience of human and business systems in the face of such changes, thus contributing to our understanding of transitioning needs for resilient and sustainable systems (e.g. circular economies).
Tenure track researcher of this theme is Associate professor Hanna Komulainen, and her research theme is Resilient Organizations and Business Networks. Her key areas of my research relate to B2B relationships and networks, service marketing, customer value and various sustainability issues, especially in relation to circular economy, sustainable innovation and resilience in business networks.
In Komulainen´s Resilient Organizations and Business Networks group we have Postdoctoral researcher Abdollah Mohammadparast Tabas, whose research interests are sustainable entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ecosystem and refugees in entrepreneurship. Doctoral researcher of this group is Merja Kivirinta´s research examines how interfirm interactions, both in dyadic business relationships and broader networks, enhance organizational resilience. The study focuses specifically on networks in the ICT sector, where rapid technological advancements, market dynamics, and sustainability challenges make resilience particularly critical. Working with Resilient human-economy and value network relations theme we also have postdoctoral researcher Outi Keränen concentrates on interorganizational relationships and networks, public and private organizations. She wants to understand the interactions and network dynamics in interorganizational relationships and the development of public–private partnerships by means of innovative public procurement practices.
Resilient human-society relations theme researchers focus on social groups´ and communities´ adaptability to changes especially in the context of indigenous Sami culture
Resilient human-society relations theme develops innovative approaches to investigating how human adaptability and resilience to change are influenced by social group and community aspects and values on various spatio-temporal scales. Theme leader is Sigga-Marja Magga, University lecturer in Sami culture, Giellagas Institute, Faculty of Humanities. Magga´s own research focuses on Duodji, Sámi handicraft in Northern Sámi, is a holistic entity that is essential to Sámi culture and cultural heritage.
This theme analyses and initiates actions to institutionalise wellbeing, sustainable lifestyles, and healthier future environments, particularly in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, especially in the context of indigenous Sami culture.
Tenure track researcher of this theme is Associate professor Tapio Nykänen, and his research specific research theme is Resilience, Resistance, and Reconciliation. His research focuses on Northern politics, societies, and cultures, currently examining change in reindeer herding cultures and the future of Nordic democracy, particularly from the perspective of the Indigenous Sámi.
In Nykänen´s group we have postdoctoral researcher Helena Ristaniemi. Her work focuses on Sámi youth research and research on Sámi activism. She is especially interested in how Sámi youth aim to build cultural and social resilience through activism and everyday life choices. Ristaniemi is a transdisciplinary researcher specializing in Sámi research, youth research and contemporary history research. Theoretically her work draws on the threshold of indigenous, Sámi and new materialist theorizations.
In this group, doctoral researcher Arla Magga´s research focuses on questions concerning the regimes of engagement in the context of Sámi duodji. Duodji, Sámi handicraft in Northern Sámi, is a holistic entity that is essential to Sámi culture and cultural heritage. It could be described as a Sámi way of living, building cultural identity and communicating with others in the community. Eeva-Kristiina Nylander will start as a postdoctoral researcher in Resilient human-society relations theme during the year 2025.
Recruitment for Data Scientist is ongoing for this group and the new researcher will start during the year 2025.