Heini Kainulainen got her PhD in law from the University of Helsinki in 2009. From 1996 to 2013 she worked as a researcher at the National Research Institute of Legal Policy (Institute of Criminology ang Legal Policy). From 2013 to 2020 Kainulainen worked at the Faculty of Law of Turku University. She has been researching and lecturing in the fields of criminology and the sociology of law since 1998. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the criminal control of drug users. In her current research she has examined the position of female victims in the criminal justice system. She has been an active member of several research networks focusing on theoretical, methodological and ethical issues related to criminological research. She has been a member of the board in the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies and A-Clinic-Foundation. 

Doctor of Laws, University of Helsinki, 2009; Docent of Criminology, University of Helsinki, 2011; Researcher, National Research Institute of Legal Policy, 1996-2013 (-2017); Senior Lecturer, University of Turku, 2013-2019 (-2020); Docent of Criminology, University of Turku, 2019; Professor of Criminal Law, University of Turku, 2019-2020, Senior Researcher at the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman 2021-.

Her doctoral dissertation focused on the criminal control of drug users. In her current research she examines the position of female victims in the criminal justice system. Kainulainen has been an active member of several research networks focusing on theoretical, methodological and ethical issues related to criminological research.

My teaching philosophy is based on a constructivist notion of learning, where students are actively encouraged to contribute to discussions and learning activities. As a teacher I want my role to be supportive and interactive. I use several strategies and tactics to stimulate discussion so everyone is willing to share perspectives, ideas and experiences.