Research Team
GEHO would not exist without its members.
Our research team consists of researchers with diverse backgrounds in different disciplines. We have experts in forest ecology, remote sensing, forest entomology, computer science, ecophysiology, and quantitative ecology. A common nominator among us is the interest in solving ecological challenges that we face in a warming climate.
EINARI HEINARO
Postdoc
einari.heinaro@uef.fi
Einari Heinaro is a postdoctoral researcher working in the “Environmental thresholds for drought- and heat-related tree mortality (DRYTREE)” project at the University of Eastern Finland. He received his M.Sc. (Tech.) degree in geoinformatics from Aalto University in 2018 and his Ph.D. from the Department of Forest Sciences of the University of Helsinki in 2023.
Einari is interested in applying computer vision approaches for mapping tree mortality and biodiversity hotspots from remotely sensed data. His doctoral research focused on developing automated methods for identifying individual dead trees from airborne LiDAR data.
Einari spends most of his free time either searching for controls in the forest (orienteering) or climbing on walls and rocks.
ANIS UR RAHMAN
Postdoctoral researcher
anis.rahman@uef.fi
Anis Ur Rahman is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, focusing on the ERC-funded “Environmental thresholds for drought- and heat-related tree mortality (DRYTREE)” project. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from universities in France. Anis has also held positions as an Associate Professor at NUST-SEECS (Pakistan) and postdoctoral positions at the University of Malaya and the University of Jyväskylä.
At the University of Malaya, Anis contributed to developing simulation frameworks for smart farming ecosystems and optimizing resource use in fog computing for smart cities. In 2022, he joined the University of Jyvaskyla for an advanced biodiversity project, collaborating with high-performance computing experts to utilize LUMI for data processing.
Anis focuses on developing pattern-recognition algorithms and using remote sensing tools to map tree mortality across Europe and the US in the “DRYTREE” project. His research interests include image analysis, convolutional neural networks, and high-performance computing.
METE AHISHALI
Postdoctoral researcher
mete.ahishali@uef.fi
Mete Ahishali is a postdoctoral researcher working on “Environmental thresholds for drought- and heat-related tree mortality (DRYTREE)” project at University of Eastern Finland. He has received his Ph.D. in 2024 from Tampere University, specializing in machine learning and data science.
Mete’s research interests are diverse including computer vision, pattern recognition, sparse representation, and deep learning. He has received several awards and recognitions in his field from Nokia Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, and he has been elected as winner of Roche – TAYS – TAU Innovation Challenge twice consecutively in 2022 and 2023. He was also honored with the Publisher of the Year Award at Tampere University. Mete has been involved in various collaborative projects including multi-university, industry sponsored research centers and projects. He has contributed substantially to his field with publications in top-tier journals. Currently, he has been working on generative models for tree mortality mapping using remote sensing data.
ANTTI POLVIVAARA
PhD student
antti.polvivaara@uef.fi
Antti Polvivaara a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland with a Master of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) from the University of Helsinki. Antti is currently working on tree mortality mapping using novel detection and mapping methods.
In his research Antti works in varying scales utilizing different aspects of remote sensing methods and sensors from individual laser pulse canopy interactions to countrywide mortality mapping tasks from images.
His main topics of interest are forest ecology, forest health, remote sensing, forest resource management, laser scanning, photogrammetry, computer vision and geoinformatics.
NIVEDHITHA AJITHKUMAR
PhD student
nivedhitha.ajithkumar@uef.fi
Nivedhitha Ajithkumar is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. He is deeply passionate about contributing to climate change mitigation through remote sensing. Nivedhitha holds a Bachelor’s in Electronics and Communication Engineering and a Master’s in Geoinformatics. His expertise lies in earth observation and exploring various facets of satellite data, with hands-on experience in applications like agriculture, forestry, and hydrology.
In his current role, Nivedhitha focuses on applying remote sensing in forestry, investigating the impact of boreal forest dynamics, particularly plant-water interactions, on satellite microwave-derived product — Vegetation Optical Depth.
MINNA BLOMQVIST
PhD student
minna.blomqvist@helsinki.fi
Minna Blomqvist is a forest entomologist who specializes in various insect monitoring methods. Her research focuses on forest disturbances caused by insect pests and the interplay of environmental factors, natural enemies, and pests. Her expertise includes identifying visual symptoms of insect damage.
Recently, Minna has worked extensively on mapping and monitoring damage caused by bark beetles using remote sensing.
ANWARUL ISLAM CHOWDHURY
PhD student
anwarul.islam.chowdhury@uef.fi
Anwarul Islam Chowdhury is a doctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland and a visiting researcher at Luke. In his current role, he is focusing on the detection of biodiversity indicators using remote sensing and deep learning. His broader research interests include remote sensing, computer vision, carbon accounting, gap dynamics, forest health, and ecology.
He holds two master’s degrees through the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program—one in European Forestry from the University of Eastern Finland and another in Spatial and Ecological Modeling from the University of Lleida, Spain. Anwarul completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
With extensive research experience, he has contributed to various projects in both Bangladesh and Finland, including the AlphaWetland project. In his free time, Anwarul enjoys spending time with friends and family.
JESSE NOWAK
PhD student
jesse.nowak@helsinki.fi
Jesse Nowak is is currently a PhD student in the DRYTREE project at the University of Helsinki. He is focusing on satellite image time-series methods for detecting and timing tree mortality events. He completed his MSc studies in forest resource management and geoinformatics at the University of Helsinki in 2024.
In his master’s thesis, he developed a method for timing the death of individual trees based on dense satellite image time series to increase understanding of temporal tree mortality patterns.
JENNA KUNNAS
Creative Director
jennakunnas@gmail.com
Jenna Kunnas is a Finnish illustrator and artist known for her expressive style and nature-inspired themes. She has worked on a diverse range of commercial illustrations, but also with science journalism on environmental topics.
In GEHO Jenna is responsible for illustrations and visualizations of research topics and results. In her free time Jenna has studied nature, especially fungi, enabling her to better communicate scientific knowledge through her work.
JANNE JÄÄSKELÄINEN
MSc student
janne.j.jaaskelainen@helsinki.fi
Janne Jääskeläinen is working as a research assistant and master’s thesis worker in the DRYTREE-project at the University of Eastern Finland while finishing his forest resource management and geoinformatics studies at the University of Helsinki.
For his master’s thesis, he is working with a computer vision model to detect forest canopy mortality using satellite imagery.
Janne is interested in building a better understanding of the ongoing changes to natural ecosystems for better decision-making and ecosystem protection.
HELMI LILLEBRG
MSc student
helmi.lilleberg@helsinki.fi
Helmi Lilleberg is a Forest Science Masters student at the University of Helsinki with a Bachelor’s in Agriculture and Forestry. She is interested in boreal forest ecology, remote sensing and sustainable forest management.
Currently, Helmi is developing a remote sensing method for detecting aspens.
NIINA PALOKUNNAS
MSc student
niina.palokunnas@helsinki.fi
Niina Palokunnas is working as a research assistant in the DRYTREE project at the University of Eastern Finland. Her bachelor’s thesis focused on the impacts of climate change-induced drought in Finnish boreal forests, and she received her bachelor’s degree in forest science from the University of Helsinki in 2023.
Currently, she is working on her master’s degree in forest ecology. She has a keen interest in understanding the complex interactions between forest ecosystems and changing climatic conditions. She is inspired by the potential of forestry practices to mitigate climate change, enhance biodiversity, and promote ecosystem resilience.
ROSA LOIKKANEN
Research assistant
rosa.loikkanen@helsinki.fi
Rosa Loikkanen is studying forest sciences in a master’s program at the University of Helsinki. She is interested in the multi-functionality of forests and different silvicultural methods.
In her master’s thesis, she examines how water management and ash fertilization in Finnish peatland forests could help climate change mitigation and adaptation. To answer how climate change is affecting peatland ecosystem services, Rosa is using a mechanistic simulation model called SUSI (SUoSImulaattori, in Finnish).
Rosa currently works on the DRYTREE project as a research assistant.
KASPER HOLM
Research assistant
kasper.holm@helsinki.fi
Kasper Holm is working as a research assistant in the DRYTREE project at the University of Eastern Finland. He is a B.Sc. student in forest sciences, focusing on GIS and forest technology, and keen on environmentally conscious methods of operating in forests.
He is interested in currently undiscovered economically, environmentally, and sociologically beneficial methods of conservation. Passionate about restoration of more self-sustainable biotopes and growth environments for endangered plant species and wildlife.
