I grew up in the small rural town of Kokemäki in the province of Satakunta in south-western Finland. When I was about to start my third year of primary school, I knew that one of my new subjects would be English. I must admit that I found this a daunting prospect at the time, little knowing that I’d really enjoy learning languages (and learning about languages) – and, ten years later, enter university to study English (language, linguistics and literature).
After finishing upper secondary school I moved a hundred kilometres south, to the city of Turku. I entered the University of Turku to study English and Swedish, and later added General Linguistics to my programme; I have also studied Adult Education and University Pedagogics. After graduation, I became a postgraduate student, which turned into a series of university jobs: I started as an intern, was later employed as a full-time researcher within an Academy of Finland project, and now have a permanent position as a university lecturer in the School of Languages and Translation Studies. From Autumn 2012 to Summer 2016, I devoted myself to full-time research at Turku (and at Tampere), with funding from the Academy of Finland, and returned to my post as a lecturer in August 2016. In 2022, Åbo Akademi University granted me the title of Docent in English Language.
Work takes up a lot of my time and energy, but there’s more to me than the courses I teach and the papers I write. My hobbies and interests include theatre and fiction, gym, walks in national parks, and travelling. Recent new destinations abroad include Naples, Reykjavik and – finally – Oslo; and I try to go to the UK every now and then.