Keynote Speakers

Day 1.

Vadim Kononenko

EU Interinstitutional Relations and Strategic Foresight Expert, European Environment Agency

Vadim Kononenko leads on strategic foresight at the European Environment Agency. In his work, he explores emerging trends, risks, and opportunities shaping Europe’s climate and environmental policies. His work spans a range of topics, supporting policy-makers navigating uncertainty through futures thinking, horizon scanning, and scenario development to deliver on environmental, social and economic sustainability and long-term resilience.  Vadim worked previously at the European Parliament’s Research Service and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He was a senior visiting fellow at the Egmont Royal Institute in Brussels, and a visiting fellow at the International Institute for Security Studies.

Day 2.

Timo Muotka

Professor of Aquatic Ecology, University of Oulu

Timo Muotka | Stream Ecology Research Group

Timo Muotka defended his doctoral thesis at University of Jyväskylä in 1994 and continued as an assistant professor in Jyväskylä until 2002. He then moved to SYKE Helsinki where he spent two years as a senior scientist before being appointed to a professorship in aquatic ecology at University of Oulu in 2004. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 29 PhD theses in various fields of freshwater biodiversity research. His current research focuses on (i) consequences of intensified land use on stream biodiversity and (ii) instream and catchment-scale restoration of stream and river ecosystems.