Selected earlier employment

• 2015-2020 Academy Research Fellow, University of Turku
• 2014-2015 Professor of gerontology, University of Tampere
• 2013-2015 Senior Researcher, University of Turku
• 2010-2013 Senior Researcher, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Turku / Helsinki
• 2007-2009 Visiting Post-doctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
• 2004-2007 Researcher, National Public Health Institute, Turku

 

Ongoing studies as a PI

Finnish Retirement and Aging study (FIREA), 2013– (www.utu.fi/firea ).

• Aim: Examine changes in health behaviors, health, and functioning before and after retirement transition
• Funders: Academy of Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture, Juho Vainio Foundation, Hospital District of Southwest Finland

REACT intervention (Enhancing physical activity and healthy aging among recent retirees – Randomized controlled in-home physical activity trial, NCT03320746), 2017–

• Aim: Examine and evaluate the effectiveness of technology-supported physical activity intervention among recent retirees

• Funders: Academy of Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture, Juho Vainio Foundation

Factors predicting extension of working life among aging workers, 2018–

• Aim: Predictors and health consequences of extended working life
• Funder: Finnish Work Environment Fund

Awards and other honors

• Prize for Promising researcher in gerontology, the Nordic Gerontology Federation, 2014.
• Paper award, 2nd place, Finnish Society of Sport Sciences, 2016.

 

International research visits

• Visiting Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston, MA, USA, June 2017 – July 2017
• Visiting Scientist, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA, September 2012 – October 2012
• Visiting Post-doctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA, November 2007 – November 2009

 

Publications

• 119 in international peer-reviewed journals and 5 in Finnish peer-reviewed journals
• 34 first authorship, 17 last authorship
• H index 26

 

Other academic activities

Editorial board membership

• Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences
• Scandinavian Journal for Work, Environment & Health

Positions of trust

• Member of Advisory Board, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen
• Member of Research Faculty at the Medical Faculty in University of Turku
• Member of Scientific Committee, Nordic Gerontological Federation (NGF)

 Research training merits

• Experience in supervising PhD students (2 completed, 10 ongoing) and postdoctoral fellows
  
• Opponent (4 times) or examiner for PhD thesis (3 times) 

 Grant reviewer

• Expert reviewing panel in the Swedish Research Council
• Several other grant reviews for international funding institutes