Hanna is a Research Director of urban studies and the Director of Turku Urban Research Programme. Her research interests include urban planning and design, urban and regional development and strategic planning. She has previously worked i.e. as Associate Professor (urban design) at Aalborg University, Visiting Professor/Associate Professor (planning geography, urban studies, Finnish studies) at the University of Minnesota and as a Senior University Lecturer (land-use planning and transportation engineering) at Aalto University. Hanna has also extensive experience of the practice of urban and regional planning and development.

Besides leading the Turku Urban Research Programme, Hanna currently leads a research project “Reconceptualizing justice in planning: A recognition-theoretical approach to diversity-sensitive urbanism” (RECURB, 2025–2029), funded by Kone Foundation. Previously, she has led for instance the research consortium “Transforming anatomies of democratic planning: Combining planning-theoretical and legal perspectives on flexible regulation in Finnish land use law” (TRANAPLAN, 2020–2024), funded by the Research Council of Finland.