Dr. Silvia Gaiani (Senior Researcher)

Urszula Ala‑Karvia (doctoral researcher), University of Helsinki, Finland

Presentation topic: What is the Role of Bioeconomy in Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems? Benefits, Tensions and Trade-Offs 

Silvia Gaiani is a Senior Researcher at Ruralia Institute, University of Helsinki where she is currently leading a 10-year research on Innovations and entrepreneurship (2021-2031) towards a sustainable transition of the food system. She is also involved in a number of international and national projects related to Nordic food systems and food entrepreneurship. She teaches a course on Food Entrepreneurship, sustainability and innovation in Africa and Finland in the framework of UNIPID, the Finnish University Partnership for International Development. She is leading several EU funded projects (RegioFoods, GENGREEN and A Nordic Baltic Framework for Sustainable Food Systems) and is involved in regional and national projects on food systems sustainability and resilience. She is the organizer of Food Days, a yearly event which aims to raise awareness on food innovations in FInland and at supporting the Finnish and Nordic entrepreneurial culture. She is a member of Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), of the Sustainable Change Research Network (SUCH) and of the Finland China Food and Health Network. She is Secretary General at NJF, the Nordic Association of Agricultural Science. She is part of UNA EUROPA Sustainability Committee, representing University of Helsinki at EU level. Before joining Ruralia Institute, Silvia has worked for FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations at its headquarters in Rome, Italy and WMO, the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, mostly conducting research on food loss and waste. She has been working as Research Fellow at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna (Italy) teaching and conducting. 

Urszula Ala-Karvia is a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute assigned to Doctoral Programme in Political, Soci­etal and Regional Change. Next to the scientific work, Ala-Karvia enjoys cross-border networking and international cooperation. Her current scientific interests start with demographic changes, especially those in rural areas of Finland, and via provision of public services (meals), reach up to the sustainable food chains as whole. She has co-created the Sustainable Public Meal Toolkit via StratKIT project funded by InterregBSR. She holds a Master of Sciences (Econ.) title from University of Szczecin, Poland. She is a Student Member of the HELSUS (Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science), Member of Finnish Demographic Society and Vice-chair of the Seinäjoki Region Finland-Poland Association.

Dr. Malgorzata Pink

Presentation topic: Beyond Markets And Borders: On The Community Of Values Among Producers In The Bioeconomy

Małgorzata Pink, PhD, graduated from the University of Economics in Krakow in 2002 with a degree in International Management (Faculty of Economics). In 2004, she completed Comparative Civilisations Studies at Jagiellonian University (Faculty of Philosophy). In 2013, she obtained a PhD in Economics. Since 2014, she has been employed at the University of Agriculture in Krakow, in the Department of Economics and Food Economy. Her research focuses on the economics of sustainable development, and the values and ethics of economic life. Since 2017, she has been actively involved in promoting knowledge of the bioeconomy and conducting research in this area.