Thule Institute

UArctic Thematic Networks Leadership Office is hosted by the Thule Institute, which strengthens the Arctic activities and profile, by offering connections to important national and international bodies, networks and projects.

Thule Institute is coordinating the University of Oulu’s participation in the Arctic Six collaboration and the Arctic Researchers’ Network.

University of the Arctic (UArctic)

• UArctic is a cooperative, multidisciplinary network of universities, colleges, research institutes and other organizations working together in education, research and knowledge sharing in and about the Arctic.
• Read more about UArctic co-operation from here.

The Arctic Six

• The Arctic Six is a partnership between Luleå University of Technology, Umeå University, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Nord University, the University of Lapland, and the University of Oulu. The Artic Six aims to lead the way on Arctic issues. Through this alliance we advance and share knowledge, develop education, undertake research and create innovations for the development of our region and a sustainable Arctic.
• Arctic Six chairs (2024-26) from University of Oulu are:
  • Osmo Kauppila, Director of the Industrial Engineering and Management degree programme and University Lecturer in Process and Quality Management. Adjunct professor of Quality Technology and Logistics (LTU Luleå). His research and teaching interest include Quality Management, Supply Chain Management, Lean Six Sigma, Operations Research and Data Science.
  • Anna Krzywoszynska, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities. Her research concerns the role of different forms of knowledge in the transformation to more sustainable and truly just agri-food and land relations. She has published widely in the following fields: human geography, science and technology studies, environmental humanities, rural sociology, and anthropology.
• Arctic Six Fellows (2025-26) from University of Oulu are:
  • Christine Nakigudde, Msc. Doctoral researcher, the University of Oulu, studies the impact of climate change on hydropower production and waterways in Arctic regions. Using data modelling, she analyses how water releases from dams affect river flows, which are also influenced by the scale and timing of snow melt. Her work aims to provide insights into the flexibility required of hydropower plants to adapt to a changing climate.
  • Roosa Ridanpää, a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oulu, with regenerative tourism as her field of expertise. She investigates how sustainable tourism in Arctic regions can empower local communities while protecting the environment. Workshops and studies in Sámi communities play a key role in identifying new solutions.
• The full lists of all Arctic Six previous (2022-24) and current Chairs and Arctic Six Fellows (2023-24) are found at the website.
  
• Thule Institute is coordinating the University of Oulu’s participation in the collaboration.

Arctic Researchers’ Network

• Arctic Researchers’ Network, ARN aims to highlight the importance of multidisciplinary topics and to promote cooperation between research groups University of Oulu has established a platform for scientists working on Arctic topics at the University of Oulu.

• Join the Arctic Researchers' Network: Workspace for the Network (MS Teams) .
  Join Thule-institute’s mailing list. It helps you stay up to date about ARN, Arctic cooperation and other current issues: Mailing list.

  You can ask more information by contacting Planner Timi Kärki, timi.karki(at)oulu.fi.

Thule Institute cooperates and works with national and international research and higher education institutes, networks and organisations.

Thule Institute is an active partner in several Polar and Arctic networks. The most important ones are:

The ArcticCube serves as the meeting point and as an information channel about the Arctic and northern issues related to the University of Oulu's students and staff. ArcticCube is located in the central lobby area of the Tellus, in the heart of the University of Oulu's Linnanmaa campus.

Events and workshops for staff and students will take place at the ArcticCube and the Tellus. Outside of pre-set events, ArcticCube is in free use for quiet work and meetings, and also various kinds of information and promotion materials about current arctic issues are available for those who visit the ArcticCube.

Thule Institute

Paavo Havaksen tie 3

Ympäristötietotalo / Environmental Sciences Building

Linnanmaa Campus

University of Oulu