Hanken receives over two million euros from the Research Council of Finland to recruit top international researchers
Together, the group will explore humanitarian operations and their connection to local disaster resilience.
“The researchers will, in particular, focus on the performance of humanitarian operations with regards to efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. They will also examine the relations between disasters and humanitarian operations with climate change and the sustainable development goals”, says Gyöngyi Kovács, dean of research at Hanken.
The team will further strengthen the COMPASS project (Comprehensive Security with Partnered Supply and Sustainability), which focuses on comprehensive security, with a particular focus on economic resilience and security of supply. The funding will also solidify the global profile of the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Research Institute (HUMLOG) at Hanken.
In connection to this, Adriana Leiras will join Hanken as professor in disaster management and resilience from 1 April 2026. Leiras’ long-standing research focuses on improving humanitarian operations and strengthening societal resilience. She designs and evaluates strategies to develop more efficient and fairer humanitarian operations and explores how climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals relate to humanitarian work and influence disaster preparedness and response.
“The driving force of my work is how we can design and operate complex humanitarian operations systems more sustainably. I am very excited about joining Hanken and contributing to the Profi9 initiative. The opportunity to strengthen research on sustainable and resilient supply chains in close collaboration with excellent colleagues and international partners is truly motivating”, Leiras comments.
The Research Council of Finland has allocated a total of 27.5 million euros for the recruitment of top-level researchers from outside Finland. With the funding, eleven international researchers will transfer to Finnish universities to take up professorships and establish their own research teams.
Learn more about the funding from the Research Council of Finland:
Funding by Research Council of Finland brings international top researchers to Finnish universities
Text: Jessica Gustafsson och Marlene Günsberg
Picture: Kico Santos