Eija Raatikainen

Eija Raatikainen is a Professor at Hyundai University (since 2011) and holds a Docent title from the University of Eastern Finland's Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics. Her research focuses on trust in organizations, qualified empathy, transversal skills, and psychological safety in workplaces. She leads the RDI project team and has coordinated major international initiatives like COMHOM (combating homelessness through data-driven solutions) and PALLIAKID (palliative care projects). Her work emphasizes social sustainability and international collaboration, having managed 15+ national/international projects since 2014. She is a licensed social worker (VALVIRA) and active in fields like WEKCEA (Kenyan women's empowerment through agriculture) and NEST (governance for healthy living).

Key research areas include:

• Trust dynamics in educational/social sectors
• Empathy training for social workers
• Psychological safety frameworks
• Transversal skills development in higher education

Recent publications highlight workplace trust (2023), youth emotional experiences (2020), and transversal skill frameworks (2025). Her pedagogical contributions include co-authoring textbooks like Sosionomi Ammattina (2020) and designing educational interventions for empathy competency.

Grants and awards: While no specific prizes are listed, her extensive project portfolio reflects sustained scholarly impact. Advisory work includes mentoring social work students and cross-sector stakeholders.