Heidi Hartikainen
PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
Human Computer Interaction and Human-Centered Development
Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the INTERACT research unit at the faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. I am interested in the themes of safety and privacy in the social web, and on empowerment and activism through technology design and making.
My background is in information security. I studied at Luleå University of Technology and completed my MSc (2007) and PhLic (2013) degrees there. In my PhD research (2017) carried out at University of Oulu, I studied how children approach online safety and how it is mediated in schools and families. After my dissertation, I have continued research related to youth online safety, for example during a visit to University of Central Florida (2019-2020), where I researched e.g. family communication about online safety, as well as adolescent online sexual risk, and peer support they receive concerning it.
I am also a graduate of Fab Academy (2018), an intensive six-month program that teaches students to envision, design and prototype projects using digital fabrication tools and machines. Related to this, I have acquired extensive experience in design and making projects with children and adults at Oulu University, working as a researcher in projects such as DeMaKids (2018), COMnPLAYScience (2020), Make4Change (2020-2023), and Make-A-Difference (2020-2023).
I am currently working as a researcher in FutuProta project and as a project coordinator in Critical Changelab and ARTiFAB projects.
Research interests
- Online safety
- Social media
- Privacy
- Maker movement
- Digital fabrication
- Design activism
Researcher information
Researcher profiles
Contact information
Postal address
PO Box 8000
FI-90014 University of Oulu
Finland
