Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Juha Tuunainen, Dr.Soc.Sc.

Email: juha.tuunainen@helsinki.fi
Tel.: +358 9 191 44230 and +358 9 191 23288
Fax: +358 9 191 44579

Postal address:
Department of Education
Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research
P.O. Box 26
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Personal home page:
www.valt.helsinki.fi/staf...

Current Activities

My doctoral thesis focused on the trajectory of a Finnish agricultural plant-biotechnology research group and its transformation into a university start-up company. The main body of the thesis was composed of four research articles, each analyzing a distinctive phase in the group’s developmental trajectory. Using conceptual resources drawn from cultural-historical activity theory, ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionism and other traditions focusing on social studies of scientific practices I investigated the interaction between the group’s research and society in general. The specific themes investigated in the thesis were 1) the transformation of experimental systems used at the early stages of the group’s research, 2) the complex organizational ecology of disciplines in the university department where the biotechnology group operated and 3) the regulation of the emergent spin-off company at the university. Finally, I united the empirical results and criticized the Mode 2 knowledge production thesis and triple helix model of university-industry-government relations.

At present, I am involved in research that focuses on the development of innovation networks in two Finnish biotechnology firms. This study is a part of a more extensive research project on the creation and maintenance of social capital and trust in software and biotechnology industries led by Professor Reijo Miettinen of the University of Helsinki.

My current research interests include:

- social studies of scientific practices
- biotechnology
- the commercialization of university research
- innovation networks
- trust and contracts

Short Biography

I graduated in 1994 from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki with sociology as my major. During my undergraduate studies, I worked for five years (1991-96) as a secretary for educational affairs both in the Student Union of Helsinki University and in the National Union of Finnish Students. While holding these positions I was closely involved with the administration of Finnish universities as well as the national higher education and science policy. After the administrative period, I worked at the Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki, before starting my PhD program at the Center of Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research in 1997. I defended my PhD thesis in sociology in August 2004. Currently, I am working as a resaerch co-ordinator at the Helsinki Institute of Science and Technology Studies while simultaneously being closely involved in research accomplished at the Center for the Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research.

Documents

		Tuunainen_Curriculum_Vitae Tuunainen_Curriculum_Vitae.doc	MS Word 50 KB
		Tuunainen_Publications Tuunainen_Publications.doc	MS Word 63 KB

Web Links

Helsinki Institute of Science and Technology Studies

Science Studies - an Interdisciplinary Journal for Science and Technology Studies

Tuunainen dissertation