Welcome Julia Kemppinen – New SE
Submitted by editor on 18 November 2024.
We are happy to welcome Dr. Julia Kemppinen from the University of Helsinki, to the Oikos Editorial Board. To know more about her, read our interview below!
Website: helsinki.fi/biodiversity-change
What's your main research focus at the moment?
I enjoy working with tundra plants and their microclimates. I am interested in revealing the mechanisms and general patterns in plant-environment relationships, particularly concerning microclimates and geomorphology. I investigate how plants respond to local temperature, moisture, and snow conditions, and how these factors influence within-species variations and functional compositions of tundra plants and their communities. Climate change motivates my study of the spatial and temporal patterns of taxonomic and functional variations in tundra plants.
Can you describe your research career?
In 2013, I worked as a research assistant conducting plant surveys in the tundra. Since then, I have conducted field work on a yearly basis and I do absurd amounts of field work, because the field is where I get my best ideas. Together with Pekka Niittynen, we have collected extensive datasets on tundra plants and their functional traits, alongside data on microclimates, snow, soil, and geodiversity. Our paper Kemppinen & Niittynen 2021 Oikos best represents the type of research I truly enjoy.
Now, I am an assistant professor in biodiversity change at the University of Helsinki, Finland. My postdoctoral research focused on biodiversity-geodiversity relationships at the University of Oulu, where Jan Hjort’s lab is renowned for geodiversity research. During my postdoc years, I did several research visits to plant ecology labs, including Peter C. le Roux’ lab at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Kari Anne Bråthen’s lab at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway. I completed my PhD, MSc, and BSc in physical geography at the University of Helsinki, and during my BSc, I did an exchange in Arctic geology at the University Centre of Svalbard, Norway.
I have been fortunate with opportunities and possibilities. While my research career may appear logical and straightforward, it has been shaped by both hard work and, at times, pure luck.
How come that you became a scientist in ecology?
I am a physical geographer by training. During my BSc studies, I worked with a postdoc, Peter C. le Roux, who introduced me to plant ecology. Since then, my research has focused on tundra plants. Other significant influences on my ecological perspective also came from Vigdis Vandvik and Brian Enquist, from whom I took a plant functional trait course during my PhD and later had the opportunity to teach. Therefore, I would describe myself as a geographer who ask ecological questions and enjoys collaborating with plant ecologists.
What do you do when you're not working?
When I'm not working, I enjoy writing, reading, and walking, and I cherish time spent with my loved ones. Depending on the season, I also enjoy skiing, swimming, berry picking, and mushroom hunting.
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