Sanna Ahvenharju
PhD, M. Soc.Sc., Deputy Director
sanna.ahvenharju@utu.fi +358 29 450 4094 +358 50 320 1149 Rehtorinpellonkatu 3 Turku Office: 3.29 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7613-5110 |
Futures consciousness; Futures research & Futures research methods; Environmental & Natural resource policy; Sustainable consumption policy; Sustainable development; Innovation policy; Ecoinnovations; Municipal environmental management; Sustainable transport and mobility; Policy and strategy development; Project management; Facilitation methods; Public participation & Communications;
Sanna works at the FFRC as a Senior Research Fellow on projects related to futures consciousness and future thinking, as well as biodiversity protection, overconsumption and environmental policies. She has developed the five-dimensional concept of Futures Consciousness and the Futures Consciousness Scale together with her colleagues.
From the time before joining the FFRC 2014, Sanna has over 20 years of experience in sustainable development policy and governance. As a consultant she has been responsible for leading complex projects related to sustainable development and innovation policy and assessment processes that were commissioned by the government, ministries or state agencies. She has also worked in NGOs with municipal level sustainability policies in Finland, Germany and Lithuania.
Sanna's research interests cover futures consciousness and future thinking and their development through education and other interventions. She works also with many wicked problems, such as overconsumption, and biodiversity loss, especially from the point of view of governance: potential changes in policies, new policy instruments and their acceptability.
Current responsibilities:
Master's degree courses in Futures Studies on Wicked problems and Hybrid futures research methods.
Lectures on futures learning with the help of futures consciousness and using futures consciousness scale. Supervising master's students.
- Addressing the biodiversity crisis via leadership – An interdisciplinary review, concept development & research agenda
(Presentation at the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference (CRRC) 2023) (2023) Teerikangas Satu, Sääksjärvi Ilari, Räikkönen Juulia, Salo Matti, Uusitalo Outi, Pecoraro Maria, Onkila Tiina, Puustinen Sari, Uusitalo Ville, Mäkelä Marileena, Unkila Milla, Salo Mia, Tyrväinen Liisa, Hopia Anu, Rouhiainen Henna, Svels Stina, Grenman Miia, Kuhmonen Irene, Ahvenharju Sanna, Lauttamäki Ville, Järviö Natasha, Tuomasjukka Saska, Turunen Marja, Veijalainen Anu, Sorakunnas Esko, Lappalainen Roni, Lappalainen Otto, Walhsten Aliisa, Luoma Tommi, Hakulinen Anna, Oksanen Hanna, Möksy Juulia, Kervinen Ville, Lehtovaara Katri
(Other (O2)) - Coolest Student Papers at Finland Futures Research Centre 2022-2023 - Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskeskuksen valittuja opiskelijatöitä 2022–2023
(2023) Heino Hanna, Ahlqvist Toni, Ahvenharju Sanna, Ferreira-Aulu Marianna, Kaboli Akhgar, Lehtiö Kati, Puustinen Sari, Pöllänen Markus, Shaw Morgan, Siivonen Katriina, Taylor Amos, Arvonen Anne
(Editorship of a scientific special issue, book or conference proceedings (C2)) - Evaluation of Sitra’s Sustainability Solutions theme – Part 2
Insights for possible future priorities (2023) Hjelt Mari, Ahvenharju Sanna, Lauttamäki Ville, Järvinen Jasmin, Moisio Matleena, Jyrälä Minna, Saukkonen Tuuli
(Published development or research report or study (D4)) - Sitran Kestävyysratkaisut-teeman arviointi – Osa 1
Vaikutusten arviointi ja ennakointia hyödyntävät johtopäätökset (2023) Hjelt Mari, Moisio Matleena, Jyrälä Minna, Järvinen Jasmin, Saukkonen Tuuli, Sepponen Susanna, Halonen Mikko, Ahvenharju Sanna, Lauttamäki Ville
(Published development or research report or study (D4)) - Why Do We Fail in the Sustainability Transformation and What Should Be Changed? The Case Biodiversity Loss in Finland
(Perestation at the 23rd Futures Research Conference: EMPOWERING FUTURES – Long-term Governance, Democracy and Futures Research) (2023) Puustinen Sari, Lappalainen Otto, Lauttamäki Ville, Ahvenharju Sanna
(Other (O2)) - Coolest Student Papers at Finland Futures Research Centre 2021–2022. Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskeskuksen valittuja opiskelijatöitä 2021–2022 (2022) Aalto Hanna-Kaisa, Ahlqvist Toni, Ahvenharju Sanna, Balcom Raleigh Nicolas, Jokinen Leena, Lauttamäki Ville, Marjamaa Maili, Parkkinen Marjukka, Puustinen Sari, Siivonen Katriina, Tapio Petri, Tomas Martinez Carmen, Villman Tero, Arvonen Anne
(Editorship of a scientific special issue, book or conference proceedings (C2)) - Futures Consciousness as a Human Anticipatory Capacity – Definition and Measurement (2022) Ahvenharju Sanna
(Doctoral dissertation (article) (G5)) - Tulevaisuustietoisuus ja tulevaisuuslukutaito – kuinka kohtaamme, kuvittelemme ja käytämme tulevaisuutta? (2022) Tulevaisuudentutkimus tutuksi – Perusteita ja menetelmiä Ahvenharju Sanna, Pouru-Mikkola Laura
(Article in a professional research book (D2)) - Acceptability of radical consumption policies – Utilising futures consciousness to understand elite preferences (2021)
- Futures
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Aware of the Future? Adaptation and Refinement of the Futures Consciousness Scale (2021)
- Psychological Test Adaptation and Development
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Being future-conscious during a global crisis: The protective effect of heightened Futures Consciousness in the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)
- Personality and Individual Differences
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Coolest Student Papers at Finland Futures Research Centre 2020–2021. Tulevaisuuden tutkimuskeskuksen valittuja opiskelijatöitä 2020–2021 (2021) Aalto Hanna-Kaisa, Ahlqvist Toni, Ahvenharju Sanna, Heikkilä Katariina, Kaboli Akhgar, Kiviluoto Katariina, Marjamaa Maili, Minkkinen Matti, Puustinen Sari, Pöllänen Markus, Ruotsalainen Juho, Siivonen Katriina, Tapio Petri, Arvonen Anne
(Editorship of a popularised journal, book or conference proceedings (E3)) - Ennakoivan päätöksenteon solmukohtia (2021) Ahlqvist Toni, Ahvenharju Sanna
(Other (O2)) - Individual futures consciousness: Psychology behind the five-dimensional Futures Consciousness scale (2021)
- Futures
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Tiedolla tulevaisuuteen: Selvitys tutkimuksen, korkeakoulutuksen ja yhteiskunnallisen vuorovaikutuksen tulevaisuuden ilmiöistä ja muutostekijöistä. (2021) Ahvenharju Sanna, Villman Tero, Saarimaa Riikka, Taylor Amos, Suomalainen Kaisa-Maria, Granlund Maria, Sivonen Risto, Witoon Siyada, Nguyen Hoa
(Published development or research report or study (D4)) - Tulevaisuustiedon lähteillä: analyysi ennakointiraporteista ja tulevaisuuden ilmiöistä (2021) Ahvenharju Sanna, Pouru-Mikkola Laura, Minkkinen Matti, Ahlqvist Toni
(Published development or research report or study (D4)) - Pääkirjoitus: Kohtuullistamalla toivottuun tulevaisuuteen (2020)
- Futura
(Article or data-article in scientific journal (B1)) - Potential for a radical policy-shift? The acceptability of strong sustainable consumption governance among elites (2020)
- Environmental Politics
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Aware of the Future?: Development and Validation of the Futures Consciousness Scale (2019)
- European Journal of Psychological Assessment
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1)) - Futures consciousness and its impacts on the individual’s readiness to make radical policy choices – study on Finnish regime members (2018) FTA2018 - Future in the making Sanna Ahvenharju
(Professional conference proceedings (D3))