Suvi Huttunen

Suvi Huttunen is a Full Professor in Social Sciences at LUT School of Engineering Sciences, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT University). She also holds a position as Leading Researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), where she works on societal change and sustainability governance. Her academic work bridges environmental policy, sustainability transitions, and public engagement, with a strong emphasis on justice and inclusivity.

• Full Professor, Social Sciences, LUT School of Engineering Sciences
• Leading Researcher, Societal Change, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)

Her research focuses on the governance of sustainability transitions, particularly how citizens and local stakeholders influence policy from planning to implementation. She has a special interest in just transitions, examining how equity and legitimacy are maintained during societal shifts toward carbon neutrality and sustainable food systems. Her recent work explores public participation, stakeholder engagement, and the social acceptability of environmental policies.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent interdisciplinary engagement across environmental policy, climate governance, and social sciences. Key themes include biodiversity offsetting, public deliberation, food system justice, and forest carbon policy. Her work often employs qualitative methods, discourse analysis, and participatory frameworks to assess policy legitimacy and social impacts.

• Biodiversity offsetting as an operational tool for a just sustainability transition – BOOST (Academy of Finland, 2021–2024)
• Leaving No One Lost in Transition: Citizens and the Legitimacy of Finland’s Transition to a Carbon Neutral Welfare State (Academy of Finland, 2020–2023)
• Just transition: tackling inequalities in sustainable food systems – JUST-FOOD (Academy of Finland, 2019–2022)
• Farming culture in transition to sustainable agriculture – a practice approach (Academy of Finland, 2014–2017)

She has contributed to numerous high-impact journals such as Environmental Policy and Governance, Land Use Policy, Biological Conservation, and Energy Research & Social Science. While formal advisees are not listed, her collaborative publications suggest active mentorship and team leadership. She is also a frequent peer reviewer for journals in environmental and sustainability fields. Her work is deeply embedded in policy-relevant research, contributing to both academic discourse and real-world governance challenges in Finland and the EU.