Themes

Institute's research program covers three themes.

For the program period 2012 - 2015 there have been selected 13 research groups based on scientific evaluation. The groups get part of their funding from the research program and they operate in university's departments.

The research program also includes research groups which are conducted by researchers at the Institute.

Themes and research groups (groups leaders name in brackets) are as follows:

Climate Change and Life in Changing Northern Hemisphere

Unraveling population history, demography and structure for management of northern populations: Molecular ecology meets population biology (Laura Kvist)
Rapid environmental changes in the Eurasian Arctic – lessons from the past to the future (Juha-Pekka Lunkka, Kari Strand)
Consortium: Streams in the landscape: effects of land use on biodiversity and ecosystem processes in boreal streams (Timo Muotka),
Human impact on Northern groundwater resources: Impact of land-use and climate change on future management of aquifers and connected ecosystems (Björn Klöve)
Evolutionary approach to trophic interactions under climate change (Markku Orell)
Consortium: Mesospheric monitoring of ozone above the polar vortex during solar maximum 24 (MeMO) (Thomas Ulich),
Outer space influence on the low and middle polar atmosphere (Ilya Usoskin)
Consortium: The effect of climate change on scots pine seed and seedling development (SEED) (Hely Häggman),
Biodiversity and people in the land-use (Anne Tolvanen)
Transdisciplinary environmental research (Timo P. Karjalainen)
Climate change and boreal rivers (Heikki Mykrä)
Sedimentary and geochemical research on climate and environmental change (Kari Strand)

Health and Well-being in Circumpolar World

Circles of violence - challenges on building a culture on non-violence in family and school (CIRCLE) (Vappu Sunnari)
Structural racism and its impact on Indigenous Health – a comparative study of Canada, Finland and Norway (Arja Rautio)
Prevention of marginalization in Northern Finland (Juha Veijola, Anja Taanila, Irma Moilanen)
Health and well-being (Arja Rautio)

Sustainability and Environmental Technology

Potentiality of geodiversity information in biodiversity assessments (GEOBIO) (Jan Hjort)
Research Group on Environmental Catalysis: Sustainable abatement and use of gaseous emissions in process industry (Riitta Keiski)
Waste and energy synergy networks in the context of eco-municipalities–Towards resource efficiency in the North (WE2North) (Eva Pongrácz)
Utilization of chemical nonwood resources in local bioeconomies (Jouko Niinimäki)
Environmental technology (Jaakko Rämö)