2024-2025 FinWA Visiting Scholars

Minna Ålander, Finnish Institute of International Affairs | November 11 – November 18, 2024

  • Minna Ålander’s research focuses on NATO, security in Northern Europe, Nordic defence cooperation, Arctic security, as well as German and Finnish security and defence policy. Previously, Ålander worked at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. She holds a joint Master’s degree in International Relations from the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Potsdam. Since August 2023, Ålander is a Non-resident Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Markku Jokisipilä, University of Turku | January 21 – January 27, 2025

  • Professor of Contemporary History Markku Jokisipilä is Director of the Center for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku. He is author or editor of ten books and many articles on Finnish history, including on Finland’s relationship to Nazi Germany, diplomatic history, the history of sport, and political use and misuse of history. He has served on a variety of commissions for the Finnish state. He is also columnist and frequent contributor to public debate.

Sanna Kopra, University of Lapland | February 24 – February 28, 2025

  • Dr. Sanna Kopra is a Research Professor in Arctic Geopolitics and Security at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, where she leads the Arctic International Relations research team. She is also a Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies in Washington D.C. and an associate professor (docent) in International Politics at the University of Turku, Finland. Sanna’s research focuses on Arctic geopolitics and global environmental politics. (https://www.sannakopra.com/)

Jasmine Kelekay, Howard University | March 3 – March 7, 2025

  • Dr. Kelekay writes, “My research focuses on the African diaspora in the Nordic countries, with a focus on Finland and Sweden. As such, although I am trained as a sociologist, my work overlaps with Scandinavian studies. With this visit, I am interested in further exploring how my work can be situated within and of interest to Scandinavian studies, as well as International Studies more broadly. Furthermore, I am particularly interested in exploring the ways in which my visit can generate conversations between Scandinavian Studies at UW and the JSIS Horn of Africa Initiative given that my work specifically centers the African diaspora – the majority of which has roots in the Horn of Africa – in the Nordic region.”

Martin Cloonan, University of Turku | March 31 – March 4, 2025

  • Dr. Cloonan writes, “I am Professor of North American Studies and Director of the John Morton Center at the University of Turku. The JMC focuses on analyzing contemporary societal, political, and cultural phenomena related to the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean from various transnational perspectives. Our research and teaching are decidedly transdisciplinary and multi-methodological, combining social sciences and humanities.” He describes his research field/discipline as “the political economy and history of the music industries live music, popular music policy, freedom of expression, popular music.”
  • “As Director of Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS), an interdisciplinary research centre spanning the Humanities and Social Sciences. I am particularly interested in the career development of early and mid career scholars, indisciplinary (ID) research and research impact. I hope to have discussions with UW colleagues about these matters and to forge links which might lead to, e.g, research collaborations and staff exchanges. I am interested in how UW develops its own researchers’ careers and how it ensures that their work has maximum impact. I would also like to explore the nature of ID research at Washington.”

Ilmari Käihkö, University of Helsinki | April 7 – April 11, 2025

  • Dr. Käihkö is an Associate professor of War Studies. He writes that he is interested in “security issues in the Nordics – now of broader interest because of the recent NATO expansion – as well as the ongoing War in Ukraine, where I have studied militias since 2017.”

Siiri Paananen, University of Lapland | April 28 – May 2, 2025

  • Dr. Paananen writes, “My research focuses on designing interactive technologies and using participatory design methodologies, especially for the cultural heritage contexts. I’ve worked with various museums in the Northern European context, including the Indigenous Sámi.” She continues, “As an Arctic Five Fellow, I have networks in the Nordic countries that are actively engaged with Arctic issues, including the issues of sustainable development.” Additionally, she writes that her goals at UW include “establishing two primary collaborations. First, I hope to connect with UW faculty and researchers involved in museum studies and cultural heritage, especially those interested in digitalizing, (e.g. 3D objects), and showcasing histories or designing future-oriented tools in collaboration with local communities. My research embraces a decolonizing design approach, exploring diverse perspectives and valuing local knowledge. Second, I would like to build collaborations with the Information school at UW, who also work in the field of Human-Computer Interaction or with museums. Recently, much of our group’s work has focused on virtual reality, and I feel collaborating in this research field could be fruitful.”

Sonja Amadae, University of Helsinki | May 5 – May 9, 2025

  • Dr. Amadae writes, “I am interested in visiting with UW faculty primarily because the University of Helsinki Faculty of Social Sciences is eagerly pursing collaboration with similar status universities in the US. As Finland is on the NATO frontline with Russia, the nation has turned its focus to security issues and plans a programme for research and teaching and research on the topic of “Comprehensive Security.” We believe that such a program will draw vitality and excellence from our foreign research partners, and UW would be a great partner.”
  • “My research in in the area of critical security studies, political theory and political economy related to both AI and sustainability. I seek to play a leading role in the new program for Comprehensive Security, and would be acting as an ambassador of the Faculty of Social Sciences to develop new contacts at UW and to explore pathways of collaboration. I look forward to the opportunity to give lectures, brainstorm, and to build international networks.”

Tuomas Forsberg, Tampere University | May 12 – May 16, 2025

  • “Tuomas Forsberg’s main research field is European security and transatlantic relations with a focus on the EU, NATO, as well as Nordic, German and Russian foreign policy, but he has also written on topics such as conflict resolution, human rights, memory politics and sport diplomacy. He is currently finishing a co-authored book on NATO’s Northern Enlargement: Finland and Sweden’s path to NATO (Bristol University Press) forthcoming in February – March 2025. He has also written on the Russo-Ukrainian war and its possible outcomes (Debating the War in Ukraine: Counterfactual Histories and Future Possibilities 2022). Forsberg has a broad interest in IR theory including interdisciplinary research, social theory and has recently explored psychological approaches to IR and Foreign Policy Analysis (co-authored book The Psychology of Foreign Policy, 2021). His ongoing research deals with the European transformation after the end of the Cold War in the 1990s combining primary archival sources and psychological theories.”

Hiski Haukkala, Finnish Institute of International Affairs | May 19 – May 23, 2025

  • Dr. Hiski Haukkala is the Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He is also an Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University, Finland, and a Senior Research Associate at RAND Europe. Before joining FIIA in November 2024, he worked as a Professor of International Relations at Tampere University. Until spring 2024, Haukkala was the Secretary General and Chief of the Cabinet at the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland. Haukkala has previously held positions at the University of Turku, Tampere University, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, as well as visiting positions at the University of Oxford, the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., the College of Europe in Natolin in Warsaw, the EU Institute of Security Studies in Paris, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the University of Stirling in Scotland. He is the author of numerous books and articles on EU foreign policy, Russia and international relations.  (From https://fiia.fi/en/)

Anni Kangas, Tampere University | May 26 – May 30, 2025

  • At UW, “Dr. Kangas plans to continue her current research project, which investigates critical raw material value chains from Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, to the European Union. Her work is grounded in global political economy, with a particular focus on the promises and pitfalls of the just transition discourse within the context of EU-Central Asia critical raw material collaboration.”
  • “One of the central questions Dr. Kangas investigates is how authoritarianism intersects with the EU’s attempts to “derisk” its critical raw material supply chains. Her research examines the activities of various European actors involved in these value chains, aiming to identify practices that hinder genuine discussions on themes like corporate social responsibility and inadvertently legitimize authoritarianism globally. This theme is highly relevant beyond the EU-Central Asian context, providing valuable insights into broader geopolitical dynamics.”