Full names Kirsi Anne Helena Tirri

Personal Data I was born on 5 May 1961, Helsinki, Finland and I am a citizen of Finland. I have a husband Henry Tirri and I am a mother of 3 daughters: Karoliina (1983), Katariina (1984), Vilhelmiina (1989)

Education and training
1980 Matriculation examination
1985 Th.M. in Theology, University of Helsinki
1991 Licentiate in Education, University of Helsinki
1994 Ph.D. in Education, University of Helsinki, Dissertation title: “Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness by Self-Assessment: A Cross-cultural Study”
1996 Docent in Education, University of Helsinki
2002 Docent in Education, University of Tampere

Current positions
2010- Full Professor of Education, University of Helsinki (Kasvatustieteen professori)
2014- Chair of the Doctoral Programme SEDUCE
2016- Chairman of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
2016- Visiting Professor at St. John’s University, New York
2017- Vice-Dean in Charge of Research

Previous professional appointments
1986-1989 Secondary School Teacher of Religious Education and Psychology
1989-1993 Researcher, University of Helsinki
1990-1992 Visiting Scholar, Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University
1993-1995 Senior Lecturer in Religious Education, Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki
1995-1996 Researcher, Department of Teacher Education, University of Tampere (Academy of Finland)
1996-1999 Junior Research Fellow in the Academy of Finland, University of Helsinki (Nuorempi tutkija)
1998 Visiting Scholar, Stanford University (summer term)
1999-2002 Professor of Education, University of Helsinki (Kasvatustieteen professori)
2000-2002 Senior Research Fellow (Academy of Finland) (Vanhempi tutkija)
2007-2008 Senior Scientist (Academy of Finland) (Varttunut tutkija)
2006-2009 Visiting Professor, King’s College, London
2002-2010 Full Professor of Religious Education, University of Helsinki
(Uskonnonpedagogiikan professori)
2014-2015 Vice Chairman of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
2007-2016 Visiting Scholar, Stanford University
2011-2016 Vice Head of the Department of Teacher Education (Research Director)

Supervised Doctoral Dissertations
2003 Lassi Pruuki
2004 Pekka Launonen
2004 Gatis Lidums
2006 Marja Leena Virolainen
2006 Leena Ahteenmäki-Pelkonen
2006 Timo Ryhänen
2007 Martin Ubani
2007 Olli Poutiainen
2008 Elina Hella
2010 Minna Valtonen
2011 Pasi Jaakkola
2011 Elina Kuusisto
2011 Eija Hanhimäki
2011 Arto Virkkunen
2012 Kristiina Holm
2014 Inkeri Rissanen
2015 Heli Sahlstedt
2015 Joye Chua
2016 Marianna Vivitsou
2016 Monika Schatz
2016 Sonja Laine

Research funding (total funding more than 1 million Eur)
The Moral Dilemmas in school and their Solving Strategies (Academy of Finland) (1996-1999). Actualizing Finnish Giftedness (Academy of Finland) (1999). Actualizing Finnish Giftedness (Academy of Finland) (2000-2003). Actualizing Finnish Giftedness (Academy of Finland) (2004-2007).The Nordic Conference on Religious Education (2005).The 10th Conference of the European Council for High Ability (2005-2006). Leading schools successfully in challenging urban contexts: strategies for improvement (European Union) (2005-2008). Educating Through Diversity in Europe (European Union) (2006-2008). Educating Moral Citizens: Urban Schools as Moral Communities (Academy of Finland) (2007-2008).Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship (Lifelong Learning Program–Erasmus Intensive Program) (2012-2015). This is How Finnish Teachers Learn How to Teach (World Capital Design) (2011-2012).Finnable (TEKES) (2011-2013). New Learning (Finnish Parlament) (2012-2013), Professor Pool (Cultural Foundation of Finland) (2014), How service-learning influences youth purpose around the world (John Templeton) (2014-2016), Teaching Common Values in Europe (EU) (2016-2017), Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship ( EU EDIC+) (2016-2019)

Other academic and professional activities
Finland’s National Delegate in the World Council for the Gifted Children (1993-). A Board
Member of the International Studies Interest Group in AERA (1995). A Committee Member of Award Committee in the International Studies (AERA) (1995-2000). The National Correspondent in the European Observatory of Educational Innovations (1996-1999). Finland’s National Delegate in the European Council for High Ability (1998-2002). A Board Member of the European Council for High Ability (2003-). A Chair of the Award Committee in the International Studies (AERA) (1999-2003). Program Chair of the Moral Development and Education SIG (AERA) (2002). Reviewer, Academy of Finland (Research Council for Cultural and Social Science research) (2003- 2005). Co-coordinator of SIG Religious and Spiritual Education (EARLI) (2005-2009). Expert Evaluator, European Commission (2005). Chairman of the 8th Nordic Conference on Religious Education (2005). Chairman of the 10th Conference of European Council for High Ability (2006). President Elect of European Council for High Ability (2007-2008). President of European Council for High Ability (2008-2012). Chair of the international evaluation panel of research in education and psychology at the University of Joensuu (2008). President of International Studies SIG in AERA (2010-2013). A Board Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letter (2011-). A Vice Head of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letter (2014-2016). A Board Member of Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (2011-). Chairman of the FERA Conference in Helsinki (2012). A member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the University of Vienna (2013-). Chair of the research evaluation panel of human sciences at the University of Oulu (2013-2014). Evaluator for the National Centre of Science and Technology in Kazakhstan (2014). Evaluator for the Slovenian Research Agency (2014). Evaluator for the Swedish Research Agency (2014). Evaluator for the Estonian Research Agency (2014). Evaluator for Research Foundation – Flanders (2016). Slovenian Research Agency (2017).

Editorial boards
Educational Research and Evaluation. An International Journal on Theory and Practice (2005-2014). Journal of Education for Teaching: international research and pedagogy (2005-). High Ability Studies (2007-). Gifted Child Quarterly (2007-). Book Series: Moral Development and Citizenship Education (SENSE Publishers) (2007-). British Journal of Religious Education (2008-). Journal of Beliefs and Values (2008-). Teachers and Teaching (2008-). Book Series: Religious and Spiritual Education (Waxmann) (2009-). Finnish Journal of Theology (2010-). Roeper Review (2011-). International Journal of Education for Diversities (2011-). Teacher Educator (2012-). Journal for the Education of the Young Scientist and Giftedness (JEYSG) (2013-)

Membership in scientific societies
American Educational Research Association (AERA) (1990-). The World Council for the Gifted Children (WCGC) (1993-). The European Council for High Ability (ECHA) (1996-). The International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT) (1997-). The European Association for Learning and Instruction (EARLI) (1999-). Finnish Society of Educational Research (FERA) (2001-)

Most important scientific acknowledgements and awards
1992 Stipendiary support, The Cultural Foundation of Finland
1994 Dissertation Award, The Finnish Educational Society
1995 Dissertation Award, The Outstanding International Study of the Year Award, American Educational Research Association
1999 The Best Educational Research Award, Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
2006- Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
2008 Maslovaty Award for a senior scientist, European Association for Learning and Instruction (EARLI SIG 13)
2014 Talent Network Award, European Council for High Ability (ECHA)
2014 Excellent Leadership Award, American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Expert evaluator positions
Evaluator of Professor of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara (2002). Evaluator of Professor of Education, University of Tampere (2005). Evaluator of Professor of Religious and Theological Education, Kings College, London (2005). Evaluator of Professor of Education, University of Toronto (2006). Evaluator of Professor of Religious Education, University of Joensuu (2006). Evaluator of Professor of Education, St. John’s University, New York (2010). Evaluator of Professor of Education, Vienna University (2013). Evaluator of professor of Education, University of Oulu (2016). Evaluator of Tenure Professor of Education, University of Turku (2016). Evaluator of 6 Docentships (in Education and Theology). Opponent of 11 Doctoral Dissertations.
Publication Activity and Keynotes
I have 293 publications including 13 monographs, 91 international refereed journal articles and many refereed book chapters and articles in conference proceedings in the fields of Teacher Education, Moral Education, Gifted Education, Religious Education and Cross-cultural studies. Many of my articles have been cited widely and opened new research areas in these fields. My main publications are good examples of the interdisciplinary approach I have been able to establish in the fields of teacher education and moral education. According to the database “Publish or Perish” my h-factor is 24. I have given 19 Keynote talks in Asia, Saudi-Arabia, US and Europe. During the last 16 years I have also given annually 2-4 conference presentations, symposia, discussions etc. in the leading educational conferences AERA, EARLI, ECHA, ECER, AME.

Research supervision and international collaboration
During my Professorship I have supervised 21 doctoral theses in theology and education and mentored and co-authored with four postdoctoral students who are now Professors in Academia: Dr. Mirka Koro-Ljungberg is a Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, USA; Dr. Jukka Husu is a Professor of Education at the University of Turku; Dr. Petri Nokelainen is a Professor at the Tampere University of Technology and Dr. Martin Ubani is a Professor of Religious Education at the University of Eastern Finland.
I have also lead a research team that has developed theory and scales to measure multiple intelligences, spiritual sensitivity, ethical sensitivity and cultural sensitivity as well as developed new methodological approaches to social sciences. My team has pioneered the use of Bayesian classification and prediction in our data-analysis and methodological comparisons with the classical approach. This innovative methodological work has had a profound impact on the methods used in social sciences and education.
My extensive international collaboration includes both European and American partners. In the European scene my main collaboration partners have been with Professors Fritz Oser (Univ. of Fribourg), Wiel Veugeleurs (Univ. of Amsterdam) and Christopher Day (Univ. of Nottingham). In the US side my research on adolescents’ values, religiosity and spirituality has connected me to the Center on Adolescence at Stanford University where I have been a Visiting Scholar collaborating with Professors William Damon and Carol Dweck. Currently I am a Visiting Professor at St. John’s University, New York collaborating with Professors James Campbell and Seokhee Cho. The wellbeing study also connects me with the President of the New Zealand Association of Positive Psychology, Aaron Jarden.

Most important foreign visits
My most important foreign visits include several years at Stanford University as a visiting scholar. I have visited Stanford since 1998 for shorter and longer periods. I have also visited Asia, US and Europe by giving Keynote and invited talks. As a President of ECHA I have been invited to give talks and evaluate the state of education in several European countries including the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and Greece. In Asia I have consulted Singapore government and given Keynote talk with consulting. My most important foreign visits with keynote and invited talks include the following:
2000 “Integrity in living” Keynote address in the European Forum for Teachers of Religious
Education (EFTRE) in Edinburgh, Scotland
2001 “Morality and High Ability” Invited lecture at the ECHA conference in Rhodes, Greece
2002 “Spirituality of Finnish Religious Education Student Teachers”, Keynote address in the Finnish-Baltic Initiative (FBI) Conference on Teacher Training for RE, University of
Tarto, Estonia
2003 “Educating Christian Identity in Europe: Interpersonal Relationships as Keys to Justice, Care and Forgiveness” Keynote address in the European Conference on Christian Education (ECCE) La Foresta, Brussels, Belgium;
2004 “Actualizing giftedness of Academic Olympians” Invited lecture at the University of
Tarto, Estonia.
2005 “Spiritual sensitivity of the academically gifted” Invited lecture at the 4th international
conference “Developmental distinctiveness and potential realization of gifted children”,
Bratislava, Slovenia
2006 “Academic Achievement and Spiritual Intelligence of Gifted Finnish Pre-adolescents”
Invited lecture at the conference “Beyond standards”, Badbal, Germany
2007 “What factors contribute to the academic achievement in Finland? Invited talk at the
University of Munster, Germany
2007 “Gifted students as citizens for the future” Keynote address in the World Conference for Gifted Children, Warwick, United Kingdom
2008 “Spirituality in Education” Keynote address at the Conference on Postmodern
Spirituality, Turku, Finland
2008 “Gifted students as citizens for the future” Keynote address at the 10th Asia-Pacific
Conference on Giftedness, Singapore
2009 “Holistic Education for the Gifted Students” Keynote address at Mahwiban Higher
Education Forum, Riyad, Saudi-Arabia
2009 Holistic Education for the Gifted Students”, Keynote address at the “Working with
gifted children” -conference, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
2009 “Holistic Education for the Gifted Students” Keynote address at the European Council for High Ability-Austria, University of Salzburg, Austria
2010 “Holistic Education for the Gifted Students” Keynote address at the University of
Athens, Greece
2010 “New Perspectives for Religious and Spiritual Education” Keynote talk for the EARLI
SIG 19, Malta, Malta
2012 “This is How Finnish Teachers Learn to Teach” Keynote talk at the European Council
for High Ability Conference in Muenster, Germany
2012 “Moral Education for High Ability Students” Invited talk at the Evoking Excellence in
Higher Education and Beyond Conference in Groningen, the Netherlands
2013 “How Multiple Intelligences Contribute to Quality of Life?” Keynote talk at the International Society for Quality of Life Research in Florida, United States.
2016 How Talent is Identified and Developed in Finland? Invited talk at the Talent Conference organized by European Union in Bratislava, Slovakia.
2017 Ethical challenges in inclusive education: The case of gifted students. Keynote talk at
PhD research/teaching day: bridging honours research and practice. Hanze University of
Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands.