Miia Rainio profile picture
Miia
Rainio
Docent, Department of Biology
Senior Research Fellow, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Ph.D

Contact

Areas of expertise

Antioxidants
birds
Colorado potato beetle
ecology
ecophysiology
ecotoxicology
glyphosate
gut microbiota
metals
nest microbiota
oxidative stress
pollution
ROS

Biography

  • 2022-2025 Senior researcher, University of Turku
  • 2021- 2022 Post-doc researcher, University of Turku
  • 2021 Title of Docent in Ecophysiology, University of Turku
  • 2016 - 2021 Post-doc researcher, University of Turku
  • 2017 - 2018 Visiting researcher, University of Jyväskylä
  • 2013 - 2014 Post-doc researcher, University of Turku
  • 2013 PhD, University of Turku
  • 2008 - 2013 PhD student, University of Turku
  • 2006 - 2007 Research assistant/researcher in University of Jyväskylä
  • 2005 Master of Science, University of Jyväskylä

Teaching

Teaching:

  • Giving lectures in the master program courses, Dept. of Biology, UTU: Principles of Ecotoxicology (responsible teacher 2020, 2022-23), Presenting and Publishing Scientific Data in Biology (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Environmental Ecology (2019), Environmental Chemicalization (2019, Open University lecture)

Supervision:

  • Supervisor of the 2 PhD theses 2022-2027, Dept. of Biology, University of Turku
  • Supervisor of the 3 MSc. theses 2019-2022, Dept. of Biology, University of Turku
  • Co-supervisor of the Bachelor thesis 2021, University of Jyväskylä
  • Supervisor of the MSc. thesis 2017-2018, University of Turku/University of Jyväskylä
  • Supervising a student in a “working in the research group” -course (2018 Dept. of Biology, UTU)
  • Supervision of MSc students and trainees in Department of Biology (field and laboratory work, 2008-2024 Dept. of Biology, UTU)

Evaluations:

  • 1 PhD thesis evaluation (2022)
  • 6 MSc theses evaluations (2013, 2019, 2021, 2023, UTU, HY)
  • Collaboration in the Evolution in Action project led by researchers from the University of Jyväskylä

Research

I'm working as a senior researcher in the University Turku, studying the effects of metal pollution on early-life microbial environment in birds to understand the interconnection and function between pollution and microbiota and to reveal whether changes in microbiota are related to the physiology and health of the birds. I'm broadly interested in ecotoxicology and ecophysiology as well as the effects of environmental changes on life-history traits and microbial communities in wildlife. In addition, I've been studying the effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on non-target organisms, more specifically the effects on life-history traits, physiological functions and microbiota in invertebrates and vertebrates.

My research interests have been to understand the human induced changes on animals from ecological, genetic and physiological perspective. I am broadly interested in ecological physiology and ecotoxicology as well as effects of environmental changes on on life-history traits and microbial communities in wildlife. I have a versatile background in ecotoxicology, ecophysiology and ornithology in broader scale. I have experience in handling and banding birds, rearing birds in captivity, and conducting field and novel world experiments at indoor aviaries. I have also experienced in performing rearing experiment in insects (plant-herbivore interaction studies) and various physiological measurements in laboratory (e.g. oxidative status measurements, microbial sequencing). I am keen to learn new methodologies in statistics and in the field of evolutionary ecology and ecophysiology.

Publications

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Does Glyphosate Affect the Human Microbiota? (2022)

Life
Puigbò Pere, Leino Lyydia I, Rainio Miia J, Saikkonen Kari, Saloniemi Irma, Helander Marjo
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))