Goodbye, Helsinki!

After more than seven years of working at the University of Helsinki, most recently as acting professor and then associate professor of Cultural Heritage Studies, I am moving on after the summer to a new role as a professor of Heritage Studies at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working in Helsinki, and especially having had the opportunity to develop and teach Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Studies, and to carry out research firstly on the Lapland’s Dark Heritage team and later as PI of the FindSampo project. I’ve learned a lot, made some fantastic colleagues and friends, and really grown as a professional academic.

The teaching for Cultural Heritage Studies on the KUMA programme will be left in the talented and very capable hands of Dr Johanna Enqvist, and I am happy to be continuing as a supervisory team member for several doctoral researchers.

Helsinki is such a beautiful and welcoming city, and the university has been a great ‘home’ for me. I know I will keep coming back here, as travel restrictions hopefully ease, and that I will keep collaborative connections with many people in the university.

My last weeks working here will feel strange and a bit poignant, but I am also very optimistic about the future, and looking forward to my next challenge. See you all around!

Suzie