Tuomas Aivelo

Tuomas Aivelo is a Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Faculty of Science. He serves as a supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Wildlife Biology and is associated with the Helsinki One Health (HOH), Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), and Institute for Urban Studies (Urbaria).

• Research: Ecology and evolutionary biology of pathogens/parasites, urban ecology, biology didactics.
• Teaching: Leads Introduction to Biology Teaching course, lectures on parasite ecology, urban ecology, science communication.
• Projects: Leads Helsinki Urban Rat Project (studying rat pathogens and urban coexistence) and collaborates on citizen science initiatives.

Research Trends: Recent articles focus on urban ecology, parasite dynamics, and science education, with interdisciplinary work bridging ecology, public health, and pedagogy.

Scientific Awards:

• Silver Merit Award of the Finnish Association of Biology and Geography Teachers (2017)
• J.V. Snellman Award (2019)
• Honorary Mention from the Lauri Jäntti Foundation (2019)
• Honorary Member of Symbioosi Association (May 2022)
• Tieto-Finlandia Award Nomination (2018)

Advising: Supervises master’s theses and co-supervised doctoral research on rodenticide resistance. Engaged in Biology Olympiad and Explore-Try-Develop competition.

Labs & Teams: Affiliated with the Global Change and Conservation Lab and collaborates with institutions like the Academy of Finland and Walter Ehrström Foundation.