From research to developing responsible assessment
I started working as a Coordinator for Responsible Research Assessment at the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV) in 2024. I joined TSV from the University of Jyväskylä, where I worked as a university teacher in political science. I completed my doctoral degree in 2023. In my dissertation, I studied how ways of speaking borrowed from football are used in Italian political language.
I enjoyed research and teaching, but I wanted to keep the door open to different career opportunities. At TSV, I can work for the benefit of the research and academic community in a role other than that of a researcher.
A research background helps me understand assessment
My background in political science and rhetoric has provided useful perspectives for my work on researcher assessment. Researcher assessment is not merely about technical indicators. It also involves negotiation and choices about what we value in research and researchers’ work. In other words, assessment is not neutral.
The development of assessment also intersects with perspectives from rhetoric. Assessment reform seeks to move away from practices in which journal- and publication-based metrics are used as indicators of research quality or impact. This means that contextual judgement, argumentation and interpretation play an increasingly important role in assessment. An understanding of rhetorical approaches therefore provides useful tools not only for researchers and evaluators but also for those developing assessment practices.
Working with the Finnish and international research community
I coordinate development work related to researcher assessment. My work involves collaborating with researchers, higher education institutions, research organisations and other members of the research community in Finland and internationally.
The extensive network of partners makes the work particularly interesting. I get to discuss with different stakeholders how researcher assessment should be developed and which perspectives should be considered in the reform.
The international nature of the work is another source of inspiration. Assessment practices are being reformed simultaneously in many countries, and the topic is a subject of lively international debate. The language and intercultural studies I completed during my degree have proved highly valuable in my current role.
Assessment affects researchers’ daily lives
Assessment has very tangible effects on researchers’ work and career opportunities. For example, it influences which kinds of contributions are valued within the research community, which achievements researchers are encouraged to pursue and which career paths become available to them.
Our aim is to develop assessment practices that recognise the diversity of researchers’ work and expertise while taking different career stages, roles and disciplines into account more effectively.
Development work requires continuous learning
Continuous learning plays an important role in my work because research assessment is evolving rapidly. My role requires me to follow numerous parallel discussions, projects and international developments.
This development work is also highly collaborative. Assessment practices cannot be reformed from a single perspective. The work requires us to reconcile and carefully consider different views and engage in ongoing dialogue.
A diverse work community supports professional growth
I find it motivating to work with colleagues who have a wide range of experience and expertise. Their knowledge complements my own, and working together helps us approach issues from several different perspectives.
The historic setting of the House of Science and Letters in Helsinki’s Kruununhaka district also makes it a particularly pleasant place to work.
The language of assessment reform interests me
In the future, I would like to apply perspectives from political science and rhetoric to the study of assessment reform.
Responsible research assessment has its own language and conceptual vocabulary, which are used to explain and justify the reform’s objectives. Even when there is broad agreement on shared principles, they must always be translated into practice. This requires us to interpret what responsible assessment means within a particular organisation, assessment context or discipline.
There is always room for interpretation, and the same principles can justifiably be applied in different ways. I would be particularly interested in exploring these interpretations and arguments in greater depth.