Saarikallio Suvi

Saarikallio Suvi serves as Professor of Music Education at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, leading research and teaching across music education, psychology, and therapy domains. Her institutional leadership extends to key roles including Chairman of the Finnish Society for Music Education (FiSME), Vice-President of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), and European Commissioner for the ISME Research Commission.

• Principal Investigator for ERC-funded MUSICONNECT project: Music as youth empowerment
• Co-Principal Investigator for Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body & Brain

Her research centers on music's role in emotion regulation, emotional development, interpersonal interaction, and wellbeing enhancement, with particular focus on youth empowerment through musical engagement. Current projects investigate neural and psychological mechanisms connecting musical participation to self-identity formation and social cohesion.

Prof. Saarikallio directs a multidisciplinary research team examining music's therapeutic applications in educational settings, with emphasis on evidence-based interventions for emotional development. Her ERC-funded MUSICONNECT project represents significant competitive grant acquisition, while the Centre of Excellence collaboration bridges cognitive science, neuroscience, and music pedagogy.

The research collective she leads operates at the intersection of music psychology and educational practice, developing frameworks for music-based wellbeing programs in schools and community settings. Their work integrates empirical studies on musical emotion processing with practical applications for youth development.