I am a professor of environmental change at the University of Helsinki, member of HELSUS, as well as Vice-Dean of Societal Interaction of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences. My major research topics include climate change and its ecological and societal impacts, with particular reference to longer-term climatic and environmental changes, carbon cycling, black carbon, peatland dynamics and Arctic regions. I have more than 120 publications in international peer-reviewed journals on these topics (WoS H index = 39). I belong to the Editorial Boards of Journal of Paleolimnology and Quaternary International. I have succefully supervised or co-supervised 12 PhD students and I have been external examiner for 12 PhDs, internationally. I’m a Board member of the Environment Programme of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), President of the Paleoclimate Commission of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), and Steering Committee member of international C-PEAT programme and HELSUS. My former activities included e.g. Memberships of the Boards of the Nordic Committee on Bioethics (NcBio) and the Research Council for Biosciences and Environment of the Academy of Finland, and I have acted as the coordinator of international IGBP PAGES Arctic2k Programme. I’m Fellow of the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA) and have acted as consultant and adviser for several companies/enterprises in climate matters. I am actively involved in the public debate on climate change and its policy options. My hobbies include reading, listening music, cooking, running, travelling, and pilgrimage walks. I love existentialistic French and Russian literature as well as books on devotion.