I am a Senior Lecturer (Sport Science) and working to expand research and development opportunities in the high-performance sports in Finland.
My research focuses on optimising the training and health of athletes. I am particularly interested in issues affecting female athletes, such as how the menstrual cycle affects performance, recovery and training adaptations. At the moment I am running a research project on relative energy deficiency in sports (NoREDs).
In January 2018, I defended my PhD thesis on training and inflammation. The particular focus of my dissertation was on the effect of strength training on inflammatory markers in healthy young men. I also investigated and developed ways to predict and further reduce upper respiratory symptoms in endurance athletes.
I have a Master's degree in Sport Science from the University of Jyväskylä. I majored in exercise physiology and physical education. As part of my studies in physical education, I completed formal pedagogical training. As a PhD student and university lecturer at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, teaching was part of my responsibilities. I taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses that focused mainly on human physiology, fitness testing (strength and endurance), nutrition, skill acquisition and coaching.
Due to my academic background, I have a comprehensive understanding of both basic and applied physiology. I am knowledgeable in body composition measurements (dxa, bioimpedance and skinfolds) and fitness testing (strength and endurance). I am a registered nurse and have planned, developed and performed various blood, urine, muscle biopsy and saliva analyses. Currently, I am also working with topics related to mental health of athletes.
I am always open to discuss my research topics or sport in general.
Links to the RDI projects that I have been / am involved in
https://www.jyu.fi/sport/fi/tutkimus/hankkeet/noreds
https://www.jyu.fi/sport/fi/tutkimus/hankkeet/naisqs
https://www.jyu.fi/sport/fi/tutkimus/hankkeet/naisurheilija-2.0
https://www.jyu.fi/sport/fi/tutkimus/hankkeet/training-room
https://www.jyu.fi/sport/fi/tutkimus/hankkeet/fyysinen-kuormitus-jalkap…
https://kihu.fi/mita-teemme/urheilun-tutkimus-kehitys-ja-innovaatiot/tk…
https://www.jyu.fi/fi/hankkeet/kohti-tasa-arvoista-urheilua-yhteinen-ma…
Tutkimukseni keskittyy urheilijoiden terveyteen ja suorituskykyyn. Käynnissä olevat tutkimusprojektit / hankkeet 1) Urheiluravitsemus ja matala energiansaatavuus urheilijoilla (NoREDs tutkimus) 2) Kuukautiskierron ja hormonaalisen ehkäisyn vaikutukset hyvinvointiin ja suorituskykyyn (NaisQs/Mendex tutkimukset) 3) Fyysinen suorituskyky palloilulajeissa 4) Naiset valmentajina (yhteistyöhanke Suomen Valmentajien kanssa) 5) Infektiot urheilijoilla 6) Synteettisen datan mahdollisuudet liikuntatieteissä
Lisäksi toimin aktiivisesti useissa urheiluun liittyvissä TKI-verkostoissa.www.tkiverkosto.fi
