Description of research and teaching

I run interdisciplinary research projects concerning urban nature, socio-ecological systems related to it, and nature conservation under climate change. My background is in plant ecology, but I have grown to think holistically – systems thinking is needed in order to successfully bring the findings of science into practice. For example, decaying logs might be good for biodiversity and green roofs might be beneficial in cities, but both can proliferate only if they can be seen as visually appealing, safe, affordable and otherwise acceptable.

My research covers plant and invertebrate ecology, horticulture, soil microbes, environmental aesthetics, user perspectives, recreational psychology, jurisprudential perspectives, life cycle analyses, economy, geography and philosophy, this far. More perspectives are welcome whenever they seem to be interesting or necessary. I am at home with both theoretical and empirical thinking and research, as well as with both quantitative and qualitative methods. This is not to say that I am an expert in everything, but my expertise lies in connecting things and asking key questions to help focus on the right things.