معرفی
Anu Kajamaa, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor and Principal Investigator in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She also holds positions as an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter's College of Social Sciences and International Studies (UK) and as a Visiting Associate Professor at Aalto University in both the School of Business (Department of Management Studies) and the School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Department of Media). She serves as Co-Leader of the Learning, Culture and Interventions (LECI) expert group and Vice Director of the Doctoral Program of School, Education, Society and Culture (SEDUCE).
Dr. Kajamaa's research focuses on collective learning, creativity, organization and management, continuous learning, and change through interprofessional working and formative interventions. She is an expert in sociocultural- and practice-based theories, qualitative research methods, and participatory intervention techniques, particularly cultural historical activity theory and the Change Laboratory method. Her work spans multiple contexts including primary schools, teacher education, prisons, health and social care, and entrepreneurship hubs.
Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward educational innovation through makerspaces and the integration of technology in learning environments. The research shows increasing focus on AI-mediated learning processes, relational expertise development, and collaborative innovation practices across educational settings. Her work consistently applies sociocultural theoretical frameworks to examine how learning occurs in complex, real-world contexts.
- 2023: The Royal Society of Medicine and Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education Practitioners Award, UK
- 2022: Early Career Award, American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- 2021: The Clinical Teacher Journal Impact Award
- 2020: Editor's Choice Award (BERA and BJET)
- 2015: The Adult Educator of the Year, University of Helsinki
Dr. Kajamaa has secured significant research funding including an EU HORIZON 2020-MSCA-RISE project on collaborative working between correctional and mental health services, an Erasmus+ KA205 Strategic Partnerships project on media literacy, and an Academy of Finland-funded project on makerspaces. She coordinates the Nordic Research Network on Digitalising Childhoods and is a member of the Playful Learning Center ecosystem. As one of the founders of the European Centre of Excellence in Qualitative Study and Inquiry in Training and Education, she has established herself as a leader in qualitative educational research methodology.
Her international research collaborations span institutions including University College London, McGill University, Columbia University, and the University of Oulu. She has been a visiting researcher at numerous institutions worldwide including UC Berkeley, ESSEC Business School, and the University of Exeter. Her work with the Playful Learning Center and the Nordic-Baltic ISCAR network demonstrates her commitment to advancing educational research through international collaboration.
