Katja Maria Upadyaya

Katja Maria Upadyaya is a University Lecturer at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Education. Her primary affiliations include leadership in research projects funded by the Research Council of Finland, EU Horizon programs, and NordForsk. Her work focuses on socio-emotional skills, educational well-being, climate change impacts on youth, and pandemic-era educational challenges.

Research interests span adolescent development, school engagement dynamics, parental involvement strategies, and principal job crafting. Notable projects include TeensGoGreen (climate anxiety studies), UNIFAMN (family formation flux), and ClimComp (climate literacy in education). She supervises doctoral students like Ida Huttunen and Maria Towns, and collaborates internationally through visiting scholar programs.

Key contributions include pandemic-era studies on bullying, principal well-being, and skill development. She actively participates in policy recommendations for educational systems and hosts educational podcasts on mental health and climate resilience.

• Funding: Multiple projects from 2021–2028 with €10M+ in grants
• Leadership: Director of Mind Hub research group
• Media: Host of 'Kasvatuspsykologiaa kaikille!' podcast series