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CURRICULUM VITAE


Name: Sinikka Sassi

Employer: University of Helsinki
Department of Communication
P.O.Box 54 (Unioninkatu 37)
FIN-00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
tel. +358-9-191 24840
fax: +358-9-191 24849
e-mail: Sinikka.Sassi@helsinki.fi


Present position: Professor
University of Helsinki, Finland

EDUCATION

1994 Licentiate of Social Sciences,
University of Helsinki, Finland

2000 Doctor of Social Sciences.
University of Helsinki, Finland

BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF EMPLOYMENT

1975-1985 Information officer, researcher, Helsinki University of Technology
1985-1990 Researcher, deputy assistant, University of Helsinki
1990-2002 Assistant, University of Helsinki
2001- Senior Lecturer, University of Helsinki
2002- Professor, University of Helsinki

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

1994-1997 Board member of Finnish NORDICOM


NOMINATIONS TO GOVERNMENTAL COMMITEES

1987-1989 Researcher of the media education project group, within the media culture committee, Ministry of Education


MEMBER OF EDITORIAL BOARD

1988-1990 Tiedotustutkimus, Finnish communication journal


ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Special interest areas: net communication, civil society, democracy

Since the early 1980's the research interests of Dr. Sassi have focussed on the digital technologies, in particular the information and communication networks and their impact on the citizenship and democracy. In the beginning of the 80's one of the very first computer-aided communication systems, COM, was installed in Helsinki University of Technology where Dr. Sassi worked as an information officer. While acting as the moderator of the program she also studied its usage and social consequences. From early on she was concerned with the societal and democratic aspects of information and communication technologies. In the middle of the 80's she was involved in a broad-based research project financed by the Ministry of Communications. Although with different perspectives, all her academic studies, the master's, licentiate, and doctoral thesis concern the role and meaning of the new technology in modern societies and modern ways of living.

Currently she is involved in a research project with a variety of social scientific traditions and with the aim of understanding the information society in an urban locality. Originally the study was confined to one specific city-part, Kallio, but later a few other urban areas were included as well. Negotiations concerning collaboration and resources are under way with Sitra, the Finnish National Fund for Research and Development, and City of Helsinki Urban Facts. In close cooperation with some researchers of the group, she worked out a research proposal concerning the theoretical framework, presuppositions and aims of the project.

 

 

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