Hello there... Suvi Ruuskanen!

Submitted by Michi on 4 November 2023.

Meet another member of our editorial board - Suvi Ruuskanen. Suvi has a broad area of expertise covering environmental ecology, behavioural ecology, evolutionary ecology, ecophysiology and epigenetics. Read the short interview with Suvi below and learn what she is up to right now and what she likes doing in her spare time.

You are an assistant professor at the University of Jyväskyla in Finland - what is your research focusing on right now?
We have many exciting projects running! One of our main projects is focusing on understanding the role of the gut microbiome in host responses to environmental challenges, such as temperature variation and different pollutants. It is fascinating how gut microbes seem to be associated with almost all phenotypic traits.

You were the head of the scientific programme committee for the recent conference of the European Ornithologists' Union - did your experience as an editor help in this role?
Yes, it certainly helped as being an editor also exposes you to research outside your own area, and therefore makes it easier to see the big picture of the state of  the avian research and the research trends. A fair bit of organizational skills is needed in both tasks as well.

Enough about work - what do you enjoy doing most in your spare time?
A couple of years ago I started horse-back riding, which is a great get-away from hectic academia as one needs to focus 100%. Walking in the forest with horses is perfect for observing and enjoying nature.

What are you looking most forward to over the next year (personally or professionally)?
Professionally, it will be great to see two PhD students graduating next year. I am looking forward to also new results from a project on paternal effects, which we recently started.  Personally, I am planning to continue developing our back-yard garden with my kids, as this is the first time we have a proper garden.

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