Curriculum vitae

Anne Birgitta Pessi is a Professor at the University of Helsinki, a position she has held since 2012. A passionate advocate for the exploration of humanness, compassion, and human connection, her academic expertise spans Wellbeing Sociology, Theology, and Organizational Studies. Currently, she directs a Research Council of Finland funded project (2023-2027) focused on safety and sense of safety, particularly in relation to minorities, the arts, and religious communities. She also directs a project, funded by Blood Service Research Fund, examining motivations and existential wellbeing behind blood, stem cell, and organ donation (2025-2027).

Pessi is the Director of the Doctoral School of Theology and Religious Studies. Pessi is a partner at CoHumans Ltd. and a sought-after keynote speaker on topics such as trust, psychological safety, and the transformative power of compassion to various organizations, including workplaces and NGOs.

She has been a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters since 2012. She has received several prestigious academic awards, including the Nils Klim Prize (2008) and the Jutikkala Prize (2013). Her doctoral dissertation, which received recognition from the International Society for Third-Sector Research (2006), was awarded multiple honors. Pessi has held research positions at prominent international institutions, including Stanford University (2016–2018), Boston University (2010), the London School of Economics (2005-2006), and UC Irvine (2013) as a Tobis Fellow.

Pessi directed the CoPassion project ("The Revolutionary Power of Compassion") from 2015 to 2017, a multidisciplinary research initiative that she designed for, and was funded by, Business Finland with a budget of €1.7 million. She has also led several Academy of Finland funded projects, including RiTS (Religion in Transforming Solidarity, 2008–2011) and CoCare (Cooperation in Care: Meaning Systems, Chances, and Conflicts, 2014–2018). Throughout her career, Pessi has contributed to numerous international research projects (e.g., an EU-funded “Welfare and Values in Europe” project, in 2006–2009, and Church in Today’s European Society project 2011–2015).

Pessi’s research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including compassion, volunteering, altruism, civil society, solidarity, the theology of altruism, and experiences of the good life and the sacred. She has published extensively, with over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 250 publications in total.