Meet the team

Team members

Katja Mäkinen Senior researcher, PhD

Key focus:
Coordinating monitoring efforts,
Developing research on reproductive biology,
Time-series analyses,
Lipids, fatty acids, herring physiology

Aarne Lauerma MSc student, Project researcher 2025

Thesis topic:
Maternal thyroid hormones, egg and larval traits

Saara Miinala MSc student

Thesis topic:
Mortality and loss of spawned Baltic herring eggs in the northern Airisto, Archipelago Sea

Laura Lammi MSc student, Research assistant 2025

Thesis topic:
The impact of environmental factors on the reproduction of Baltic herring males from the 1990s to the present.

Mikko Kaasinen MSc student, research assistant 2025

Thesis topic: Mapping the genetic diversity of Baltic herring populations by spawning area in the Bothnian Bay, Archipelago Sea, and southern Baltic Sea regions.

Tuuli Gustafsson BSc student, research assistant 2025

Thesis topic: Comparison of age determination of Baltic herring using scales and otoliths

Jari Hänninen Docent, PhD

Key focus:
Pelagic ecosystem dynamics,
Time-series analyses

Päivi Laine PhD, visiting researcher

Key focus:
Ecological aspects of spawning areas and
population dynamics,
Reproductive biology

Previous team members

The expertise and contributions of our former team members have been essential to our research. Their work has built a strong foundation for the project and greatly improved our understanding of Baltic herring and its marine environment.

  • Marjut Rajasilta, Doc. PhD
  • Johannes Sahlstén, MSc
  • Jan Eklund, MSc
  • Mikael Elfving, MSc
  • Ilppo Vuorinen, Prof. emeritus
  • Petri Vahteri, MSc
  • Juha Kääriä, PhD
  • Kari Ranta-aho, MSc

We also appreciate the valuable contributions of numerous summer interns, students, and short-term project researchers who have supported our work over the years.