I am an ecologically minded multidisciplinary researcher (PhD Candidate) at the at the University of Helsinki. My research interests include environmental behaviour and cognition, socio-cognitive aspects of ecological crises, ecological and environmental psychology, complex systems and philosophy of science. My thesis is titled Steps to a Sustainable Mind.
I am affiliated with the Environmental Policy Research Group, the WISE project, the Social Values Research Group and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science.
In my free time I am an amateur musician who loves nature, hiking and coffee. I also write popular science and am a columnist for indie mag The Conventions.
Find my CV here. I am actively looking for new collaborations, so if you find my work interesting or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Young Scientists Summer Program, 2019
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Advanced Systems Analysis
Doctoral Candidate, Environmental Policy Research Group, 2017
University of Helsinki
Environmental Policy and Sociology (M.Soc.Sc.), 2016
University of Helsinki
Philosophy of Science, Sociology, 2014
University of Melbourne
Social Policy and Sociology, 2012
University of Edinburgh
From clay tablets to digital ones, libraries have always evolved. But what’s next? Read my thoughts here in an article for The Conventions.
From clay tablets to digital ones, libraries have always changed and evolved. What's next?
— Roope Kaaronen (@RoopeKaaronen) June 1, 2019
In my new @TheConventions piece, I argue that libraries have a broader role to play in providing consumption-free public space and avenues for social interaction.https://t.co/SvtMMcEsnG
Our letter “Concerns of Young Protesters are Justified” was published in Science. The letter can be read here and signed here.
In a #LetterToScience, researchers call for the support of recent grassroots mobilization of young #climate protestors, writing, “their concerns are justified and supported by the best available science.” https://t.co/PpJIYq3XSP #ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/oRsXGohQqQ
— Science Magazine (@sciencemagazine) April 11, 2019
I wrote an article on climate strikes, experiential education and envrironmental activism. Read it online here at The Conventions.
“Above all, the growing activism of youth is an indicator that democratic education is, in fact, working just fine, and that children are, in the words of late David Bowie,”quite aware of what they’re going through”“. Article by @RoopeKaaronen. https://t.co/7KHbtKFluE
— The Conventions (@TheConventions) February 18, 2019
A couple of months ago I did my first podcast episode with Adam Robbert from The Side View. Give it a listen here.
TSV Episode 5 with @RoopeKaaronen is now live. We talked about affordances, ecological psychology, and James Gibson; predictive processing, niche construction, and evolution; sustainable design, decentralization, the Anthropocene, and more: https://t.co/16XelGvBJ4
— The Side View (@TheSideViewCo) October 29, 2018
I wrote another essay for The Side View. This time, it’s on the phenomenology (cognition, perception and heuristics) of mushroom foraging. Read it online here!
I wrote an essay about my favourite autumnal activity: Mushroom foraging.
— Roope Kaaronen (@RoopeKaaronen) November 6, 2018
Digging deep into the cognitive, traditional and perceptual qualities of a dear activity is very rewarding, so I hope you enjoy the read! https://t.co/JhLH4mNy70
The Side View is a fascinating new multimedia platform edited by Adam Robbert. I wrote an essay for The Side View titled The Ecology of Design. Read it online here!
I wrote a piece on The Ecology of Design for @thesideviewco.
— Roope Kaaronen (@RoopeKaaronen) October 4, 2018
The essay discusses Roman highways, Darwin's earthworm studies and a roadmap to sustainable society.
Can you connect the dots? Give it a read!
[Keywords: affordance, niche construction]https://t.co/cUBOIRAHs7
Feeling inspired by an arts exhibition on magical realism, I wrote a piece on the need for imagination in environmental politics. Read it online here at The Conventions.
“We must be wary of associating realism with uniformity, or absence of alternatives. Realism is not a political stance to be assumed by the unimaginative.”
— Roope Kaaronen (@RoopeKaaronen) August 13, 2018
My new thought-piece for @TheConventions.https://t.co/wkezFwPq3e
Why aren’t we behaving sustainably despite our best intentions? Our behavioural environment requires “too much reading instructions and too little perceptual guidance” by well-designed affordances. My thoughts here at The Conventions.
Here's my piece for @TheConventions on why we aren't behaving sustainably despite our best intentions.
— Roope Kaaronen (@RoopeKaaronen) July 22, 2018
Our behavioural environment requires “too much reading instructions and too little perceptual guidance” (#affordance's).https://t.co/uh5knEkXw0
I have recently written two book reviews (A Mind at Play and Surfing Uncertainty) for The Conventions. Find them here, more to come soon!
“In a simple twist to more traditional takes on cognition, which often portray a one-directional flow of information from environment to organism, Clark suggests that what we actually perceive is our best guess of the world.” Review by @RoopeKaaronen. https://t.co/uhIroCnAwp
— The Conventions (@TheConventions) July 13, 2018
What do we mean when talking about “impact” in science or society? I wrote a critical analysis for the new online mag The Conventions. Read it online here, and follow The Conventions for more.
“Science has easily been one of the most impactful of institutions. So where does this suspicion of non-impactful science emerge from?” Article by @RoopeKaaronen. https://t.co/GBXZxgriMS
— The Conventions (@TheConventions) June 28, 2018