Ville-Pekka Niskanen

I work as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Social and Health Management at the School of Management, University of Vaasa. I hold a Doctor of Administrative Sciences and defended my doctoral dissertation in June 2025. My dissertation examined multi-actor governance during the COVID-19 crisis, with a particular focus on the role of the Finnish Government, the media, and public trust.

My research explores how societies and the actors operating within them organize, build shared understanding and meaning, and collaborate in times of crisis. My scholarly approach is distinctly interdisciplinary, and my work is situated at the intersections of public administration, political science, media studies, and societal resilience research. Methodologically, my strengths lie in qualitative research methods as well as applied mixed- and multi-method approaches.

In addition, I study concepts and discourses related to societal security and resilience in international politics, as well as the local manifestations of disinformation and misinformation, particularly in the context of the green transition. I have also conducted research on coordination practices and the backgrounds of political state secretaries within the Finnish Government. I have actively participated in several research and policy-oriented projects, including Lessons from the pandemic crisis (Finnish Government), RELIEF (Strategic Research Council), Welgo (Strategic Research Council), IRWIN (Research Council of Finland), Civil Preparedness Together (Siviilivalmius yhdessä, Prime Minister’s Office VN TEAS), and Ohjaus2020 (VN TEAS).

By May 2026, I have published eight peer-reviewed articles in academic journals and edited volumes, including Hallinnon Tutkimus, Scandinavian Political Studies, Kosmopolis, and publications by Palgrave Macmillan. I have also contributed as an author to numerous research reports, policy briefs, and other scholarly texts. In addition, I actively publish texts on academic skills and research practices aimed especially at students on my Tiede & toteutus blog, where I also draw on my practical expertise in media culture.

Alongside my academic research, I have extensive experience in stakeholder and commissioning collaboration, for example through the Civil Preparedness Together project commissioned by the Finnish Government’s Analysis, Assessment and Research Activities.

I also serve as the Coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Preparedness and Resilience at the University of Vaasa and as the course leader for Systems Thinking and Complexity-Aware Methodologies. In addition, I supervise Bachelor’s theses and Master’s theses.

I hold a MSc. degree from the University of Helsinki, from the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability, with a major in Global Sustainability. Based on my Master’s thesis, I have published the article “Wicked problems in Africa: A systematic literature review”. If you have questions regarding the article-based Master’s thesis format, feel free to contact me.

Beyond my research, Nordic cooperation and bilingualism in Finland are important to me. I have long been involved in the activities of Kielilähettiläät ry – Språkambassadörerna rf as a language ambassador conducting school visits (a total of 122 lessons delivered by May 2026). I also serve as a member of the organization’s board.

Jag är öppen för samarbetsmöjligheter på svenska, både i Finland och med nordiska samarbetspartners. Hör gärna av er!