I am broadly interested in community ecology, especially in linking general theory in community ecology to empirical research. In my PhD project I studied how human-induced environmental changes affect wood-inhabiting fungal diversity and assembly processes at different spatial scales, and how these processes are related to functional traits and interaction networks. During my postdoc at the Centre of Biodiversity Dynamics in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, I expanded my core research by taking part into the development of statistical methods, in particular joint species distribution models, which enable community ecologists to more efficiently link theory to empirical data. Thanks to gaining expertise in joint species distribution modelling, I established collaborations with empirical researchers working on a broad range of taxonomical groups, such as birds, insects, mammals and plants. In my current postdoctoral project funded by the Academy of Finland, I investigate how interspecific interactions change and determine community structure under environmentally stressful conditions, using root-associated fungi as a model system.