D.Soc.Sc. Johanna Mäkelä is the Professor of Food culture at the University of Helsinki. At the moment, she is the Dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences. Her field of expertise lies in sociology and food and consumer studies with a focus on social and cultural aspects of eating. Mäkelä has been particularly interested in meal studies and styles and practices of eating. In her research she has used both quantitative and qualitative methods and data.

Mäkelä has worked in research projects that explored e.g. future food consumption, responsibility of the food chain, consumers’ food classifications and practices in everyday life contexts, Nordic eating habits, and fat wars.