Jaana Erkkilä-Hill appointed as Vice Rector for Research at the University of the Arts Helsinki
Doctor of Arts Jaana Erkkilä-Hill has been appointed as Vice Rector responsible for research and doctoral education at the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki). Erkkilä-Hill secured the position with her management experience, merits in acquiring research funding and versatile knowledge of the arts. The decision was made by the Uniarts Helsinki Board on Tuesday, 12 February 2019.
“Over the past few years, collaborative research between different fields of arts has begun to play an increasingly important role within Uniarts Helsinki. Thanks to Jaana Erkkilä-Hill’s extensive experience, we will have all the better possibilities to contribute to society with new insights and fresh perspectives on art and to strengthen the impact of our research”, says Rector of Uniarts Helsinki Jari Perkiömäki.
Uniarts Helsinki’s focus areas in research are art pedagogy, art history and artistic research. Erkkilä-Hill points out that by enhancing multidisciplinary and multi-artistic cooperation, the university will be able to strengthen the role of research in society even further.
“Uniarts Helsinki has the opportunity to further raise the profile of artistic research as part of multidisciplinary research, which still hasn’t utilised the full potential of artists’ voice and unique perspective generated by their experiential knowledge. Uniarts Helsinki’s research centres as a whole as well researchers as individuals have a lot to give both to academic research and to the public debate going on in society”, says Erkkilä-Hill.
Erkkilä-Hill’s primary research interests include the impact of art on people’s world view, wellbeing and human interaction.
Jaana Erkkilä-Hill is the current Vice Dean and Professor of Visual Arts at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland. She has a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts from 2000 as well as a Doctor of Arts Degree from Aalto University from 2012.
Erkkilä-Hill has gained the management experience needed as a Vice Rector also by previously serving as the Director of Research and Development at the Department of Art and Culture at Novia University of Applied Sciences and as the Rector of the Nordic Art School. Erkkilä-Hill has an extensive publication record and continues to work also as an artist.
Erkkilä-Hill will begin her five-year term on 1 April 2019.
Media contacts:
Eveliina Olsson, Director of Communications and External Relations, Uniarts Helsinki
tel. 050 598 6492
eveliina.olsson@uniarts.fi