Maija Lanas

Maija Lanas is a Professor of Education at the University of Oulu's Department of Education and holds a docent position in teacher education at the University of Helsinki. She serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Psychology. Her research bridges empirical and theoretical inquiry, focusing on discourses in education, childhood/youth dynamics in schools, and redefinitions of disturbance in educational contexts.

• Education: PhD (exact discipline unspecified), Docent in Teacher Education (University of Helsinki)

Research interests emphasize how teacher education constructs notions of childhood and youth, alongside critical analyses of institutional discourses around student behavior and emotional spaces in schools. She leads the Social Justice at the Focus of Education (SAFE) research group, which annually supervises 15 M.Ed theses and supports six PhD candidates.

Her work interrogates questions like: What constitutes 'disturbance' in schools? How do pedagogical frameworks shape perceptions of love and belonging? The SAFE group operationalizes social justice principles into educational praxis.

• Professional Activities: Thesis supervision, research leadership, deanship responsibilities