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Elisa Vilhunen joined the Young Academy Finland as a new member

Young Academy Finland, which operates under the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, has nominated EDUCA Flagship postdoctoral researcher Elisa Vilhunen from the University of Helsinki as its new member for the next four-year term (2025–2029). This year, 18 new members from various scientific fields were invited to join.

Young Academy Finland is a multidisciplinary organization for young researchers that aims to promote research and strengthen the status of science and scholarship in society.

The aim is to create dialogue between different disciplines and between researchers and society in general. Young Academy Finland actively participates in science policy advocacy (Statements and reports). It also publishes a magazine called "Mene ja tiedä".

Members meet regularly to discuss their research and science, and they have for example created a service called “Meet A Researcher” ("Tutkija tavattavissa"), which aims to make researchers’ school visits as easy as possible, regardless of geography or financial resources.

This is how also Elisa Vilhunen became familiar with the activities. In 2024, she wrote an evaluation report on the “Meet A Researcher” service and presented the results at Young Academy Finland. She knew their activities also because a researcher colleague, University Lecturer Lauri Hietajärvi from EDUCA Flagship research area 4, has been a member since 2022.

Members are nominated by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

It's possible to apply for membership if you are an early-career researcher who is able to demonstrate a high level of excellence in his/her discipline (academics, who have had a doctorate within 5 years and who are younger than 40 years of age are eligible).

Elisa Vilhunen was very pleased to be chosen. In her motivation letter she for example called for more openness and responsibility in scientific publishing.

"Scientific publishing is currently unsustainable in many ways. I would like to be able to influence the openness and responsibility of science in particular."

As a mother of three, she is also concerned about combining an academic career with family life.

"At present, the requirements for academic merit and competition for scarce resources do not encourage young researchers to start a family. All in all, many of the problems in the academic world are such that an individual researcher cannot do much to influence them. National and international cooperation is needed."

Elisa Vilhunen is part of EDUCA Flagship research area 2 and 4, and her research is at the moment focusing on situational classroom phenomena and commitment to studying. Find more information on University of Helsinki Research Portal.