Kaisa Väänänen

My profile and full CV is here: https://research.tuni.fi/kaisa-vaananen/

I am a full professor of Human-Technology Interaction in the unit of Computing Sciences. I lead the research group of Human-Centered Technology (IHTE, https://research.tuni.fi/ihte/), which is associated with the Tauchi research centre (https://research.tuni.fi/tauchi/), in the Computing Sciences unit. I work actively with international research groups, especially those active in the ACM SIGCHI communities.

My research interests cover, but are not limited to:

• Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI), especially user experience of AI systems and methods for AI application design
• Design research on HCI for societal purposes, both for social and environmental sustainability, for example in the urban contexts
• Embodied AI and its applications, for example Social Robots in youth participation and tangible AI interactions smart urban environments

I am passionate about gaining in-depth understanding of people’s needs and opportunities for technology and digital solutions to drive sustainability futures, both from the environmental and social perspectives.

Most of my research is design-relevant and qualitative in nature, with the emphasis on early phases of forming deep understanding of people’s needs for new technologies. I also strive to help create methods and tools that can be taken into use in the “real world”. We often work closely with industrial partners and cooperate with researchers from other interdisciplinary research groups.