Personal profile
Curriculum vitae
I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. I consider myself a multidisciplinary human scientist. I’m interested in how cultures and technologies evolve, and how people — past and present, across cultural boundaries — have solved everyday problems.
My work sits at the intersection of cognitive science, (cognitive) anthropology, cultural evolution, complexity science, and sustainability science. Regarding the latter, I (try to) apply my research to help preserve a more ecologically and culturally diverse world. I am a part of the Past Present Sustainability Research Unit (PAES).
I am interested in the broad methodological palette, ranging from computational methods to ethnographic research.
Fields of Science
- 6162 Cognitive science
- 5143 Social and cultural anthropology
- 6160 Other humanities
- Cultural Evolution
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One Earth + One Health: An Agile, Evolutionary, System-of-Systems Convergence Paradigm
Little, J. C., Kaaronen, R. O., Muthukrishna, M., Elsawah, S., Bennett, M. S., Khayal, I., Hukkinen, J. I., Barton, C. M., Jakeman, A. J. & Farid, A. M., 7 Apr 2026, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 60, 13, p. 9725-9743 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Tangible Mathematics: Ethnotopology and Ethnometrology as Frameworks for Cross-Cultural Ethnomathematical Research
Kaaronen, R. O., Jan 2026, In: Journal of Mathematics and Culture. 20, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Living in the Mycelial World: A global cross-cultural ethnomycological review
Kaaronen, R. O., 30 Apr 2025, In: Topics in Cognitive Science. 47 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Supply chain imaginaries of the green transition: Resource governance in the Finnish battery cluster
Räisänen, H., Hakala, E., Ahokas, J., Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A., Parviainen, T., Toivanen, T. T., Vaden, T. & Eronen, J. T., Oct 2025, In: Futures : The journal of policy, planning and futures studies. 173, 15 p., 103668.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
The effect of the 8.2 ka cold event on Fennoscandian hunter-gatherer metapopulation inferred from climatic, environmental, and archaeological signals
Manninen, M. A., Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Tallavaara, M., 25 Apr 2025, In: Quaternary environments and humans. 2025, 3, 100065.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Projects
- 4 Finished
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H-DOUBT: Heuristics of Doubt: Information Foraging in Digital Media Environments
Gritsenko, D. (Principal Investigator) & Kaaronen, R. O. (Co-Principal Investigator)
01/01/2023 → 31/12/2024
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)
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Multi-method synergies for studying human decision-making
Gritsenko, D. (Principal Investigator), Kaaronen, R. O. (Participant) & Nagatsu, M. (Participant)
01/01/2023 → 31/12/2023
Project: Research project
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Ajattelua ympäristön kanssa: nyrkkisäännöt ja ihmisen adaptaatio holoseenista antroposeeniin
Kaaronen, R. O. (Project manager)
01/09/2022 → 31/08/2025
Project: Research Council of Finland: Postdoctoral Researcher
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LONGRISK: Decision support to manage the long-term growth of environmentally induced multi-hazard risks in urban areas (LONGRISK)
Eronen, J. T. (Project manager), Hukkinen, J. I. (Project manager), Lehtonen, T.-K. (Project manager), Pulliainen, J. (Project manager), Gustafson, K. A. (Participant), Kaaronen, R. O. (Participant), Laine, E. J. (Participant), Parviainen, T. (Participant), Salomaa, A. (Participant) & Suutarinen, I. M. (Participant)
SUOMEN AKATEMIA Vähäkylä Leena
21/08/2020 → 30/11/2023
Project: Research Council of Finland: Targeted Academy Project
Prizes
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Honorable Mention for exceptional effort at the 2019 Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA
Kaaronen, R. O. (Recipient), 13 Jan 2020
Prize: Prizes and awards
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The University of Helsinki doctoral dissertation award
Kaaronen, R. O. (Recipient), Jun 2021
Prize: Prizes and awards
Activities
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Mycological rationality: Heuristics and problem solving in mushroom foraging
Kaaronen, R. O. (Speaker)
29 Jul 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Kaaronen, R. O. (Visiting researcher)
5 Mar 2023 → 11 Mar 2023Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Academic visit to other institution
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EAA Annual Meeting 2023
Manninen, M. A. (Speaker: Presenter), Eronen, J. T. (Attendee), Kaaronen, R. O. (Attendee) & Tallavaara, M. (Attendee)
1 Sept 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars
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Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Biological Sciences (Journal)
Kaaronen, R. O. (Reviewer)
1 Sept 2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review of manuscripts
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Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution
Kaaronen, R. O. (Speaker)
Sept 2022Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
Press/Media
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Los mismos nudos aparecen a lo largo de 12 milenios
Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Manninen, M. A.
28/06/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Intrecci dal passato. La cultura si conserva anche nei nodi
Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A. & Eronen, J. T.
13/05/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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In knots, archaeologists see evidence of cultural exchange, and perhaps the early sparks of cognition
Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A. & Eronen, J. T.
01/04/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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String figures: our shared history of play, culture, and mathematics
Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Manninen, M. A.
04/12/2024
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media