My Research

RESEARCH:

My research career has been guided by a sustained interest in the ways individual choices and professional practices intersect with broader societal responsibilities. Trained in traffic psychology, I currently serve as a Docent in Traffic Psychology at the University of Helsinki. Over time, my academic focus has expanded to applied ethics, particularly questions of research integrity, peer review, and professional responsibility. This dual background in psychology and ethics allows me to address issues that transcend disciplinary boundaries, combining insights from the social sciences with conceptual perspectives from philosophy.

My recent publications and ongoing projects address ethical challenges such as conflicts of interest in peer review, editorial responsibility in academic publishing, the role of ethical codes in safeguarding psychology from pseudoscience, and the professional implications of conducting research in traffic safety. These studies reflect my broader aim: to contribute to both scholarly debate and societal understanding by clarifying how ethical norms can guide responsible research and professional practice.

Regarding traffic safety, my current research interests include driver fatigue, drunk driving, cycling, road traffic suicides, and methodological issues in traffic and sleep research. 

The main aims of my dissertation were driven by the existence of a globally unique fatal accident database (VALT) in Finland and the nature of Finnish traffic law, which forbids driving while tired.The dissertation has four main aims with several more focused research questions.

(a) To estimate the prevalence of fatigue/sleepiness problems while driving.

(b) To explore the recognition of fatigue/sleepiness problems while driving.

(c) To identify risk factors and driver groups at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel.

(d) To analyze the application of the position of fatigued driving in the Finnish legal system.

The thesis summary can be found at E-thesis site of the University of Helsinki.  

GRANTS:

During my scientific career, I was extremely lucky and honored with the financial support from the following foundations and organisations:

VALT/OTI: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019

Finnish Cultural Foundation: 2005, 2006/2007, 2008

Henry Ford Foundation: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010

Alkoholitutkimussäätiö: 2015

Kone foundation: 2016

Työsuojelurahasto: 2010, 2015

Trafikverket: 2013

University of Helsinki: 2007

PROJECTS:

Since the above grants were not sufficient for continuous funding of my PhD research, I was involved in a few projects within the Traffic Research Unit. These projects were funded by the Ministry of Transport and Communications Finland through its LINTU programme for road safety,the Central Organization for Traffic Safety (Liikenneturva), the Finnish Road Administration and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK).