Asiantuntijat – VME Interaction Design Environment

Woman wearing VR headset

Tervetuloa VME Interaction Design Environmentin asiantuntijasivulle!

VME on vuorovaikutussuunnittelun ympäristö kaikille – startupeille, teollisuuden kumppaneille, opiskelijoille ja tutkijoille.

Toimintamme perustuu monialaiseen asiantuntijaverkostoon eri yliopistoissa ja oppilaitoksissa. Ydintiimi vastaa laboratorion opetuksen, tutkimuksen ja projektityön johtamisesta. Asiantuntijoiden yhteystiedot saat klikkaamalla heidän profiilikuvaansa.

	Emmanuel Anti will defend his PhD in Information Systems, School of Technology and Innovations, in December, 2025. His research explores information systems with a focus on insider threats and deviant behaviors in cybersecurity. His work emphasizes user-centered approaches, behavioral cybersecurity, and cybersecurity management, aiming to understand and mitigate human factors that compromise digital security within organizational contexts.
	Heini Pensar (D.Sc. Econ.) works as a University Lecturer and Vice Dean at the School of Management, University of Vaasa. Her research interests focus on psychological and social well-being, with a particular emphasis on neuroinclusivity. Heini also works as a neuropsychiatric coach, supporting students in personalizing their studies and study methods.
	Jani Boutellier Jani Boutellier is acting as an Associate Professor at the University of Vaasa, and his research interests include computer vision and machine learning, more specifically 3D vision, image anomaly detection, embedded and distributed AI
	Johanna Ylipulli is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and interdisciplinary scholar. Her focus area is digital media, digital economy and green transition. Navigating the intersections of anthropology, design, and HCI, her work investigates the transformative capacity of urban digitalization and emerging technologies. She is especially interested in participatory and speculative design methodologies that enable communities to conceptualize diverse futures. Her research contests traditional norms and self-evident ‘truths’ by incorporating critical anthropological viewpoints into design and technology development, redefining how we engage with digital societies and smart cities.
	Joni-Roy Piispanen is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Vaasa and the laboratory manager of VME whose work bridges human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence. With roots in computer science and ethics, he explores how affective technologies shape human experience, accessibility, and agency. His research spans the contexts of healthcare, workplaces, organizations and industry. He has worked in the realms of emotion AI, social chatbots, AI ethics, AI for healthcare, AI and neurodiversity, as well as AI and sustainability. At VME, he oversees experimental research, development and innovation in an interdisciplinary environment.
	Juho-Pekka Mäkipää, PhD, is a University Lecturer in Information Systems at the School of Technology and Innovations, University of Vaasa, Finland, and a Visiting Researcher at the Asia AI Institute, Musashino University, Japan. His research focuses on human factors in socio-technical human-computer interaction, including biological, psychological, and social dimensions, as well as the design of information systems and interaction artifacts. He is particularly interested in multidisciplinary research related to accessibility, user experience, co-creative innovation, and digital artifact design.
	Krista Penttilä holds a Master of Arts in Technical Communication, and she studies realms of human-computer interaction, user experience and terminology. Her special interest lies in human-data interaction, and its themes such as self-tracking, data visualization and learning through data.
	Laura Havinen is a University Teacher in Information Systems. Her work bridges human-computer interaction, user experience, and digital ethics. Her research focuses on deceptive design and on user experience in the context of learning technologies. She teaches the courses Introduction to Human Computer Interaction and User Experience.
	Liisa Mäkelä is a Professor of Business Economics, especially Leadership. She is interested in themes related to well-being and the reconciliation of work and private life. Her research explores these phenomena among various types of employees, including remote workers, frontline supervisors, and international experts. She also works on topics related to leadership and career development. She is particularly interested in development interventions that focus on well-being and leadership. Her research has been published in both international and domestic scientific journals as well as in book chapters.
	Masud Fahim is pursuing a PhD in Deep Learning at the University of Vaasa, Finland (MSc South Korea, BSc Bangladesh). He specializes in self-supervised learning, generative AI, and deep learning theory to advance understanding of natural human behavior.
	Merja Koskela is the Dean of the School of Marketing and Communication, and Professor of Communication Studies, University of Vaasa. Merja’s areas of expertise are related to text analysis, discourse analysis and professional discourse. Her specific research interests are expert communication, organizational communication, financial discourse, and popularization of science and technology.
	Minna-Maarit Jaskari is a Senior University Lecturer in Marketing at the School of Marketing and Communication at the University of Vaasa. Minna-Maarit has expertise in consumer research, service design, design thinking, sustainability, Lego serious play, and gamification.
	Rayko Toshev is a University Lecturer in Production at the School of Technology and Innovations at the University of Vaasa. Rayko is responsible for the 3D workspace at the VME with expertise in 3D and XR environments and production.
	Rebekah Rousi is an Associate Professor in Communication and Digital Economy. Rousi takes an embodied semiotic approach to examining human experience in the context of technology design. She has specialized in user experience ranging from human-robot interaction to user interface design. Key topics central to her studies include emotions, trust and ethics. Rousi also has a background in cultural studies and as a performance artist.
	Satu Rantakokko holds a PhD in Communication Studies at the School of Marketing and Communication at the University of Vaasa. Satu currently works as a postdoctoral researcher in the BUGGED (Emotional Experience of Privacy and Ethics in Everyday Pervasive Systems) project. Her research interests relate to extended reality (mixed reality and virtual reality), and extended reality as a medium for technical instructions and affordances of technical instructions.
	Sebastian Laitila is a University Teacher in Digital communication at the University of Vaasa. Sebastian is specialized in software and game development in XR environments, game research, content creation, and service design. His research interests are in engagement and usability in interactive systems, and games as an art form.
	Tanja Sihvonen is a media studies scholar who is also heavily involved in game studies. She works as professor of communication studies at the University of Vaasa, Finland. She has published articles in academic journals, book chapters, edited books, translated book chapters, worked in editorial boards of journals, written reviews of all kinds of things, and taken part in several journalistic projects as well as various organisational activities. She has also been teaching at various higher education institutions since 1999.
	Tinja Myllyviita a Master’s student in Communication Studies with a focus on digital media and works as a research assistant for the BUGGED project. Myllyviita’s research interests revolve around HCI, parasocial behaviour, and affective interaction with evolving tech and social media.
	Vaiva Stanisauskaite is a Doctoral Candidate whose research interests include entrepreneurship, networks, open innovations, user innovations, business incubators, additive manufacturing, fab labs, makerspaces, virtual reality, augmented reality.
	Ville Vakkuri’s research touches upon various topics in intersection of applied ethics and technology. Vakkuri work includes topics from empirical software engineering, AI ethics and HCI. He has also worked as ethics expert both in national and international research projects. Currently Vakkuri works in two Research Council of Finland projects BUGGED, Emotional Experience of Privacy and Ethics in Everyday Pervasive System and MisLead Misleading Consumers.