New tenure track positions to the flagship
Kreeta Niemi started a tenure track Assistant Professor position at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, on June 1, 2026. The position is in the ULearn Research Profiling Area, which focuses on variation in learning and the role of interaction and developmental contexts in learning and is closely connected to EDUCA Flagship RA4.
Previously, she worked as an Academy Research Fellow. Niemi’s research focuses on learning, teaching, and interaction in contemporary educational contexts. Using multimethod approaches, she examines how pedagogical practices, interaction, and learning environments shape participation and learning, with attention to learner diversity.
Another recently joined tenure track Assistant Professor (Sociology of Education) is Satu Koivuhovi, who started at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) at the University of Jyväskylä. She completed her PhD in Education at the University of Helsinki in 2021. Before joining the University of Jyväskylä, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the INVEST Research Flagship Centre at the University of Turku.
In her research, she is particularly interested in the contextual factors that shape students’ motivation, learning, and educational pathways. Her work bridges educational psychology and sociology, with a particular focus on understanding how social contexts, grouping practices, teachers, and peer environments influence students’ development and educational experiences.
"At the moment, much of my time is devoted to my Academy Research Fellow project, MixEd, in which we examine how different forms of student grouping shape students’ learning, motivation, and educational educational pathways in the Finnish comprehensive school system. I also enjoy learning new research methods and applying them to questions related to learning, motivation, and educational inequality", Satu says.
Pilvi Peura appointed to InterLearn
A third tenure-track position has also been appointed at the Centre of Excellence in Learning Dynamics and Intervention Research (InterLearn), with which EDUCA Flagship collaborates.
Pilvi Peura will start to work as an Assistant Professor (Learning variability and response to support) on 1.8.2026. Her research focuses on educational support practices especially for reading and math difficulties and motivational and socioemotional factors contributing to variability in learning, such as learning related self-beliefs and emotions.
"Currently, I focus on studying the factors explaining student responsiveness to educational support, with the aim to develop better educational support practices for schools in the future."
A warm welcome to all new Assistant Professors!