Vuokko Lappalainen

Vuokko Lappalainen works as a University Teacher in Good Indoor Air and Building Health at the University of Oulu. She brings a strong practical, working-life perspective to her teaching and engages students with hands-on tasks and exercises related to indoor air topics.

Lappalainen’s research focuses on indoor air quality management and the study of indoor environmental pollutants in both residential and occupational settings. Her current interests include the circular economy in construction and the safety of reused building materials from an indoor air perspective.

She graduated with a M.Sc. in 2012 from the Environmental Science programme at the University of Eastern Finland, where she specialised in indoor air and occupational hygiene. Lappalainen worked as a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland and at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Her research has covered topics such as dust management on construction sites, the effects of moisture damage on indoor air quality, and the transfer of bioaerosols from building structures into indoor environments.

In addition, Lappalainen worked in the consulting sector from 2017 to 2025 as a building health expert. Her work included investigating indoor air problems as well as contributing to new construction and renovation projects as an indoor air specialist. She also held regional management roles and was a member of the company’s management team.