University of Helsinki
Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences
Isto Peltomäki (Doctoral Programme in Theology and Religious Studies)
I began with my doctoral thesis with a four-year contract in the start of 2017. I am committed and keen on developing the university as a place of work for all doctoral researchers. The development of the structures of doctoral education in the university has been positive in the recent years. But the status and conditions of grant researchers and employed researchers should be equalized to the extent possible by giving the grant researchers the same rights and services. Resources of administration services for doctoral education should be increased. I have a great deal of experience in acting in administrations and operations within the university and associations. I have been active in conversations considering developing the doctoral education in the university. I have held positions of responsibility (selected): member of the Faculty Council (theology), member of the Committee of Education in Theology (ELCF), chairman of the student organization of theology students (TYT), chairman of the Lutheran Student Christian Movement in Finland (SKY), member of the supervisory board of the HYY Group.
Doctoral programme in Economics
Anni Norring
I am currently a doctoral student in economics at the University of Helsinki. My thesis considers different aspects of macroprudential policy and capital flows. Ten years from now I will be a PhD in economics specialized in macroeconomics with solid understanding of how economies work gained from working with a central bank or an international organization. I am interested in anything that is hard to understand. I firmly believe there is nothing more exciting than learning something new, be it in the field of macroeconomics, dancing ballet or renovating. I like to learn new things by reading, listening and trying out: I am never caught without a book (or two) in my bag, I try to keep my language skills up by listening to i.e. a french science podcast while walking to work and I never say no, when something interesting comes my way.
Olli Palmen
Doctoral programme in Gender, Culture and Society
Janne Salminen
I am a Ph.D. student at Culture, Gender and Society -doctoral school. I feel that my connections to the grad student body and research fellowships allow me to provide important commentary on how doctoral schools prepare their students to assume the role of experts and career researchers. Before my post-graduate studies, I was active in student organizations for several years, and I feel that student representation is vital to make sure that the voices of doctoral students are heard when dealing with the repercussions of large changes taking place in our prestigious university. My academic interests are gender and popular culture, particularly when dealing with North-American popular culture, audiovisual texts such as films, television series, and web series. I have also been known to occasionally to take an interest in the politics of the United States.
Vilja Alanko
I’m writing my PhD thesis on gender in early Christian hagiographical narratives at the Faculty of Theology. I’m myself a Helsinki graduate, but I have international experience from a research stay at Syracuse University, NY, and an Erasmus exchange study at KU Leuven, Belgium. Already at the current stage of my studies and research, I recognize having received much from the doctoral programme in Gender, Culture and Society (SKY) and I wish to serve as a PhD student representative in order to further develop our doctoral education. SKY is a thematic, interdisciplinary and yet quite small programme that brings together students and scholars from the faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Theology, and Law. These bring both advantages and challenges, and I wish to work in order to build connections between the students from different faculties and disciplines. It is also highly important to have the students’ perspectives and concerns voiced in the steering group. I hope we can have a culture of open discussion among us so that we who serve as representatives can do our job as well as possible presenting all SKY students. Equality, accessibility and transparency of decision-making are the important political values to me that I hope to advocate.
Doctoral programme in History and Cultural Heritage
Satu Kankainen
Opiskelijaedustajana haluan tehdä historian ja kulttuuriperinnön koulutusohjelmasta opiskelijoille houkuttelevan vaihtoehdon. Edustajana työskentelen sen eteen, että opinnot ovat laadukkaita ja opintojen edistyminen on sujuvaa. Tohtoriohjelman koulutuksen on tuettava opiskelijoiden kehittymistä erinomaisiksi oman alansa asiantuntijoiksi ja annettava heille etua työmarkkinoille siirryttäessä. Toisen vuoden opiskelijana olen kokenut koulutusohjelmien uudistuksen valmisteluvaiheen sekä uusien koulutusohjelmien käyttöönoton. Olen tehnyt tutkintoani kokopäivätyön ohella ja oma kiinnostuksen kohteeni on tohtorikoulun ja työelämän välisen rajapinnan kehittäminen. Edustajana toimiessani haluan kuulla opiskelijoiden toiveita ja tarpeita koulutusohjelman kehittämiseksi. Haluan tietää, mitä tohtoriohjelmassa opiskelevat opiskelijat arvostavat eniten tohtoriohjelmassaan, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat opiskelijoiden opintojen edistymiseen tavoiteajassa ja minkälaisia asioita koulutusohjelmassa ei tällä hetkellä kehitetä -mutta joita pitäisi kehittää.
Mari Viita-aho
I’m a doctoral student in museology, but my background is in educational sciences: general and adult education. The reason I wish to be a part of the steering group, is the possibility of influencing to the development of the Doctoral Programme of History and Culture heritage. I want to advance the objective of equality by enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in the decision-making. From my perspective, renewed Doctoral Programmes are interesting because of their multidisciplinarity, which can lead to unforeseen outcomes. However, for programs to function well, activity has to be well-organized and information structures transparent on every level. I consider it essential, that PhD students perceive participating in the future of the university welcomed and appreciated. At the present time of re-organization and cutoffs, these aspects have become increasingly important. Therefore, making information more accessible, program’s structure more transparent, and improving communicational networks between PhD students will be my main goals as a representative.
Doctoral programme in Language Studies
Heidi Niva
Väitöskirjan valmistuminen on monivuotinen projekti, johon vaikuttaa moni muukin seikka kuin kirjoitusinto. Tohtoriohjelma on väitöskirjaprojektissa olennaisessa roolissa, mistä syystä on tietysti tarkoituksenmukaista, että jatko-opiskelijoita on mukana myös johtoryhmän toiminnassa. Omissa jatko-opinnoissani olen vaiheessa, jossa lähden mielelläni miettimään kielentutkijoiden ja kielentutkimuksen elämää nyt ja vastaisuudessa. Johtoryhmän jäsenenä pyrkisin tavoittamaan meitä monia erilaisia jatko-opiskelijoita, joilla on erilaisia tutkimusaiheita, elämäntilanteita ja ajatuksia yliopistoyhteisön roolista väitöskirjaprosessissa. Keitä me oikein olemme, mitä tutkimme ja aiomme? Miten meillä sujuu? Kielentutkimuksen tohtoriohjelmassa on myös potentiaalia tehdä vielä enemmän yhteistyötä – kaikki kieliaineet ja tutkimusaiheet eivät vielä kunnolla kohtaa, ja paljon osaamista ja oivalluksia voi jäädä huomiotta. Myös tohtoriohjelman vetovastuu Langnet-verkostossa kannattaa käyttää hyvin.
Heini Arjava
Yleisen kielitieteen tohtoriopiskelijana kiinnostuksenkohteitani ovat kielten variaatio, kielenmuutos, musiikkilingvistiikka ja kielen evoluutio. Tohtorikoulutuksen hallinnossa arvostaisin mahdollisuutta osallistua tiedeyhteisön sisäisen yhteisöllisyyden tunteen jatkuvaan kehittämiseen, ja erityisesti kiinnittäisin huomiota tohtoriopiskelijoiden aivoergonomiaan ja henkiseen ja fyysiseen hyvinvointiin. Tohtoriohjelman tasolla haluan tukea lingvististen aineiden laajaa tutkimuslähtöistä yhteistyötä, jonka hienoja ja kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia olen saanut seurata HALS-tutkimusyhteistön (Helsinki Area & Language Studies) toiminnassa. Olen toiminut vuosien varrella useissa keskeisissä luottamustehtävissä Helsingin yliopiston Savolaisessa osakunnassa, ja pidän hallintotyöskentelyä sekä palkitsevana että tärkeänä.
As a PhD student of general linguistics my interests include language variation, language change, music linguistics, and the evolution of language. In the administration of the doctoral education I would value the opportunity to help in further developing the sense of community between scientists, and pay special attention to the issues of mental and physical well-being and brain ergonomics of the doctoral students. On the program level I would be interested in the development of large-scale and research-oriented collaboration between linguistics subjects, the benefits of which I have had the opportunity to witness in the cross-disciplinary HALS community (Helsinki Area & Language Studies). I have previously held many prominent positions of responsibility in the Savo Nation student organisation (Savolainen osakunta), and find administrative work important and rewarding.
Doctoral programme in Law
Salla Hyvönen
Tero Kivinen
Doctoral programme in Philosophy, Arts and Society
Ninni Suni
I am a PhD student in social and moral philosophy in the Doctoral programme for Philosophy, Arts and Society. In my thesis I study moral and normative language and thought, combining perspectives from metaethics, moral epistemology, moral psychology and philosophy of mind. I want less cheap talk about networking and more substantial help to non-employed researchers: those working with grants, short-term contracts or without funding. By substantial I mean equal access to research facilities and services. It’s counterproductive to let highly-educated and motivated researchers fall out of the research community, and to enforce hierarchies and barriers between employed and non-employed researchers. That is a misconstrual of scientific competition. Great science is a collaborative effort, everyone is needed.
Ilpo Hirvonen
I’m a PhD student in theoretical philosophy with a wide and passionate interest in the arts and the sciences. During my studies here at Helsinki, I studied different languages and humanities alongside my major. I would assume that the extent of my academic interests makes me a good representative for a Doctoral Programme which brings together many different fields of research with different methodological starting points. My dissertation studies the connections between Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological account of intentionality and the internalism-externalism debate in analytical philosophy. As such, the project exemplifies my fascination with wide areas of research, different approaches, and their interconnections. Although I’m a Helsinki graduate, I’m definitely a newcomer to student representative duties. The lack of such experience can, however, also provide a fresh and neutral outlook at certain matters. I am mainly interested in maintaining the quality of education in our doctoral programme as well as improving the occasional lack of communication in our university.
Olen laajasti tieteistä ja taiteista kiinnostunut teoreettisen filosofian tohtoriopiskelija, jolla on filosofian opintojen lisäksi runsaasti kokemusta humanistisen tiedekunnan taiteentutkimuksen eri oppiaineista. Uskoisin, että tämä laaja ja intohimoinen kiinnostukseni useisiin humanistisen tiedekunnan tutkimusaloihin tekee minusta hyvän edustajan useita eri tieteenaloja ja niiden erilaisia lähestymistapoja yhdistävälle tohtoriohjelmallemme. Oma väitöskirjani tarkastelee Edmund Husserlin fenomenologisen intentionaalisuusteorian suhdetta analyyttisen filosofian internalismi-eksternalismi -keskusteluun. Näin se heijastelee kiinnostustani erilaisiin tutkimusperinteisiin, näkökulmiin ja niiden välisiin suhteisiin. Vaikka olen valmistunut filosofian maisteriksi Helsingin yliopistosta, opiskelijaedustajan tehtävät ovat minulle uusi aluevalloitus. Uskon kuitenkin kokemattomuuteni tarjoavan myös oman näkökulmansa tohtoriohjelman kannalta relevantteihin kysymyksiin. Olen erityisesti kiinnostunut tohtoriohjelman koulutuksen ja viestinnän laadun ylläpitämisestä ja tehostamisesta.
Doctoral Programme in Political, Societal and Regional Change
Kristiina Silvan
My name is Kristiina and I am a 2nd year PhD candidate in the Doctoral Programme for Political, Societal and Regional Change (PSRC). I have started my doctoral studies in 2015 after completing my MA degrees at the University of Glasgow and Central European University in Hungary. I am active in all kinds of extracurricular activities, NGOs, and university societies. The reason why I would like to be a student representative is because I would like to contribute to improving the quality of doctoral education of the PSRC programme. Most importantly, I would like to build genuine interaction between PhD students and the PRSC programme administration, as well as foster a community of PSRC students. I believe we need more feedback from doctoral students in order to develop the activities of the programme. My experience as both a ‘foreigner’ and a ‘fellow Finn’, as well as both as a funded and self-funded PhD student enables me to understand the various conditions of the PSRC PhD students.
Joonatan Virtanen
I am a doctoral candidate in political science (2016-). I have previously worked on a grant and now am in a salaried position (2017-). My research studies those recent Finnish administrative reform efforts that seek to strengthen central coordination in public administration, against the broader developments in coordination ideas and agendas in the 1900s. I have some experience in university administration from the University of Jyväskylä, where I served as student union board chairperson and as a student member of the university board. My interests as a steering group representative are, where possible, to strengthen the position of junior researchers in their scientific community, to better their working conditions regardless of funding status, and to curb unnecessary controls and burdens in order to allow them to concentrate on research, teaching and societal interaction.
Doctoral Programme in Psychology, Learning and Communication
Anna Rawlings
I am a PhD student in Markku Niemivirta’s Motivation, Learning, and Well-being research team, and am writing my thesis as part of the Academy-funded Development of Motivation and Learning project. My research interests centre on the interrelationships between temperamental sensitivities and motivation, and how these can have long-term implications for individuals’ educational trajectories. I also have a keen interest in quantitative methodology. I have held a salaried doctoral student position in PsyCo since January 2015. Before that, I worked as a research assistant while finishing my MEd. I also have a long previous career in preschool education. As a student member of the PsyCo steering committee, I hope to make PhD students’ interests and concerns known, especially in the changing circumstances brought on by recent University- and Faculty-level changes and upheavals. I am also a doctoral-student member of the Faculty’s tasa-arvo- ja työhyvinvointityöryhmä (“Equality and well-being at work” team).
Katariina Nuutila
I am a salaried PhD Student at the Doctoral Programme in Psychology, Learning, and Communication (PsyCo)” at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, and I am conducting my PhD research as a part of an Academy-funded research project within the Motivation, Learning, and Development research team led by professor Markku Niemivirta. In my dissertation, I examine the development of interest and competence perceptions during elementary school years. Alongside motivational development, my interests include advanced statistics. As a PhD student representative, I am especially interested in practical questions, such as courses, study credits, and resources available for PhD students. I also hope to enhance communication between PsyCo programme administration and PsyCo students, as this is especially important now when big changes brought by Iso Pyörä are taking place. As a motivation researcher, I also wish to bring into discussion the motivational perspective, and how motivation and well-being of students with different backgrounds and resources can be supported within the programme.
Doctoral Programme in School, Education, Society, and Culture
Mikko Niemelä
As a student representative of the steering committee, I am developing the doctoral programme and looking for the interests of the PhD-students. Well-functioning doctoral programme is democratic, the voice of doctoral students is heard and it guarantees possibilities for high quality scientific work. I wish to be able to present the ideas and concerns of the students and for that reason, do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about Seduce on your mind. PhD-students of educational sciences have a Facebook-group (Minerva: UH PhD Candidates in Educational Sciences) that is a good channel to discuss the doctoral programme from the students’ perspective. An active student community allows me to represent the students. I hope I can act as one part of this community. Before starting as a PhD-student in 2017, I have been working as a subject teacher of philosophy, psychology, history, social studies and religion.
Laura Kortesoja
Olen kiinnostunut nuorten tutkijoiden asemasta yliopistoyhteisössä. Näen tärkeänä erilaisten rahoitusmahdollisuuksien kehittämisen ja parantamisen sekä opetustarjonnan monipuolistamisen. Haluan olla mukana yhteistyön lisäämisessä niin tohtoriopiskelijoiden kesken kuin eri tahojen välillä. Yliopistomaailma on minulle tuttu. Siirryin yliopiston tehtäviin keväällä 2016 suorittamalla maisterintutkintooni kuuluvan korkeakouluharjoittelun Helsingin yliopiston Avoimessa yliopistossa. Sen jälkeen olen työskennellyt monipuolisissa tutkimusavustajan tehtävissä Helsingin yliopiston Koulutuksen arviointikeskuksessa. Toimin myös opiskelijaedustajana Tieteentekijöiden liitossa. Oppimisen ja opetuksen kehittäminen on intohimoni: Teen väitöskirjaani unen ja oppimisen yhteyksistä. Siirryn vuodenvaihteessa neljäksi vuodeksi Koulun, kasvatuksen, yhteiskunnan ja kulttuurin (SEDUCE) tohtorikoulutettavaksi. Muuttuvan työtilanteeni on kasvattanut kiinnostustani osallistua yhteiskunnallisiin ja yliopistoyhteisöllisiin tehtäviin. Tohtorikoulutettavien edustajan tehtävä avaa näköalapaikan tohtorikoulutukseen ja tohtorikoulutettavien edunvalvontaan sekä antaa tilaisuuden osallistua keskusteluun.
I am particularly interested in raising the position of young researchers, improving funding and diversifying teaching. I would like to increase the cooperation between doctoral students and different parties of interest. The University world is familiar to me. I started my duties at the University of Helsinki in the spring of 2016 by completing my Master’s degree as an intern at the Open University. Since then I have worked with diverse research assistant assignments at the Centre for Educational Assessment (CEA) at the University of Helsinki. I also work as student representative at the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers. Developing learning and teaching is my passion: I am doing my doctoral dissertation about the relationship between sleep and learning. From 2018 I will spend four years as a PhD candidate at the Doctoral Programme of School, Education, Society and Culture (SEDUCE). Due to my changing situation, I have more time and interest in social tasks. For this reason, I am therefore interested in the position as a trustee of doctoral students’ rights.
Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences
Merja Kiiskinen
Hei, olen Merja Kiiskinen. Teen väitöstutkimusta sosiaalipsykologian oppiaineessa. Tutkimukseni lähtökohdat ovat monitieteiset, jossa lähestyn sosiaalipsykologista tutkimuskohdetta sosiaalisen kognition ja alkuperäiskansojen tutkimuksen laadullisesta ja yhteiskunnallisesta näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat sosiaalinen hyvinvointi ja vuorovaikutusmallit. Opintoja rahoitan osapäivätyöllä. Kokemusta luottamustoimista on Helsingin yliopiston käyttäytymistieteellisessä tiedekunnan opiskelijajärjestön varajäsenenä 2010–2011. Yliopiston ulkopuolella olen toiminut erilaisissa vapaamuotoisissa järjestöissä ja yhdistyksissä vapaaehtoistyöntekijänä ja hallituksen jäsenenä. Vapaa-ajalla matkustan, harrastan talvipyöräilyä ja tuen kaupungin epämuodollista kansalaistoimintaa käyttämällä tarjolla olevia vaihtoehtoisia palveluja.
My name is Merja Kiiskinen and I do the dissertation studies in social sciences. My research topic deals with social well-fare and interaction models. The approach of the subject is multidisciplinary by using point of views from social psychology, indigenous studies, and social cognition. Finance of the research comes from the part-time job. In university of Helsinki I have had official post in student organization Condus in faculty of behavioral sciences as a deputy member over the period of 2010–2011 and in other NGO as a volunteer and a member of the board. For a hobby and because of practical reasons I used to travel in my free time, cycling around the year, and supporting the non-official activity of the citizens.
Jennifer de Paola
I am a doctoral student in the social psychology programme. My research focuses on the meaning of happiness and unhappiness as two separate yet correlated dimensions among young Finnish women. Endless amount of questions relating to the topic of happiness have fascinated the humankind throughout history, from Greek philosophy discourses to the latest statistics on happiness such as the World Happiness Report, published every year. As a self-funded doctoral student at the University of Helsinki, I am well aware of the importance of fostering a productive connection between doctoral students and the scientific community within the academia. I like to think of doctoral studies as much more than a simple product to show on the day of your defense (either a monograph or an article-based thesis) but more as a journey where relevant findings are made along the way, and to which multiple people and aspects are involved: your supervisor(s), colleagues, PhD students from other disciplines, researchers and professors met at conferences, friends and family members supporting your through hard times, the stranger you just met who gives you a new perspective on the topic of your studies during a casual chat, the enlightening speech or documentary you run into… I am joining the committee with the intention to make a contribution in finding sustainable ways to develop a community where doctoral students can connect with each other, with the University of Helsinki and with the scientific community at large.
Doctoral Programme in Theology and Religious Studies
Heidi Rautalahti (Doctoral Programme in Theology and Religious Studies)
I am a Doctoral Candidate in the Program of Theology in the field of Study of Religions. I have an active history in student organizations from both fields, such as Mythos ry and TYT. In addition, I acted as the student representative of the Study of Religions students during my Master studies. I also graduated as a teacher in religion, which has brought me expertise in pedagogics. Now I am involved in Hyt (Helsingin yliopiston tieteentekijät), as a deputy board member, and a deputy trustee at Juko (Julkisalan koulutettujen neuvottelujärj.). I am very interested in working as a representative in the steering group of the doctoral program of Theology, and look forward to learn more about the program’s decision making, and distributing information to my fellow students. During these recent times of change in our university’s structures, I feel it is important to spread information openly and without delay – and represent my peers in developing our doctoral program even more.
Antti Vanhoja (Doctoral Programme in Theology and Religious Studies)
I am a new Ph.D. student in the Doctoral Programme in Theology and Religious Studies and have just recently started my dissertation in the field of early Christian culture and literature. My main interests are Jewish Christianity and social-scientific perspective in biblical studies. My main objective in the steering committee would be to provide equal opportunities for all postgraduate students. Special attention should be paid to the Ph.D. students who are working with short grants or completely without funding and are in danger of falling out of the research community. This could be avoided for example by providing better access to faculty’s researcher facilities and opportunities to network.