Leena Vastapuu

Academy Research Fellow @ Tampere University

About

I work as an Academy Research Fellow at the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), University of Tampere. My research concentrates on gendered inequalities in crisis and conflict, with a particular focus on militarisation of daily life on the one hand and marginalised groups such as child and female soldiers on the other. Currently, I lead the HomeFront project (2025–2029), which investigates everyday militarisation in Finland following its NATO membership. On leave from a position of Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University, I conduct multi- and cross disciplinary research while also drawing from my background as a crisis and peace practitioner in EU civilian crisis management, non-governmental organisations, development cooperation and independent consulting. Author of Liberia’s Women Veterans: War, Roles and Reintegration (Zed Books 2018), and an array of other academic and policy publications, I remain committed to understanding how individuals, especially those often overlooked, steer their lives in preparation for, during, and in the aftermath of crisis and war. "Everything you're sure is right can be wrong in another place." – Barbara Kingsolver

Country

City

Finland

Industry

International Affairs

Skill

Research, Project Management, Gender Analysis, Human Rights, Child Abuse Prevention, M&E, DDR, Humanitarian Assistance, Visual Anthropology, International Relations, Consulting, Popular Science, Cultural Sensitivity, Data Analysis, Presentation Skills, Information Gathering, Lobbying, Cross Cultural Management, Analytical Skills, Disarmament

Experience

Academy Research Fellow

Tampere University

2025-9 - Present · 1 yr 1 mo

Senior Lecturer (leave of absence 9/2025-)

Försvarshögskolan - Swedish Defence University

2025-5 - 2025-9 · 5 mos

Assistant Professor

Försvarshögskolan - Swedish Defence University

2021-8 - 2025-5 · 3 yrs 10 mos

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden

Senior Researcher

Turun yliopisto - University of Turku

2024-8 - 2025-9 · 1 yr 2 mos

Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

From August 2024 to December 2025, I work part-time at the "Lessons from the Pandemic Consortium" (PAKO) at the University of Turku. In the project, we provide the first comprehensive overview of the pandemic crisis in Finland by paying particular attention on high-level crisis management, societal resilience as well as on mapping out gaps in existing research. My research focus in the project is on intersecting inequalities.

Planning and Reporting Officer

EU CSDP Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic (EUAM RCA)

2020-3 - 2021-5 · 1 yr 3 mos

Bangui, Central African Republic

Consultant

Plan International Finland - Plan International Suomi

2019-12 - 2020-2 · 3 mos

Planning and conducting a study on how to enhance gender equality and equity in Finnish foreign policy.

Consultant

Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

2019-4 - 2019-6 · 3 mos

• Producing several reports on megatrends in Africa • Main responsibility over the reports on migration patterns, population growth and technological development

Visiting Researcher

Tampere Peace Research Institute

2018-6 - 2019-3 · 10 mos

• Continuing my previous research project during a parental leave

Postdoctoral Researcher

Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI)

2017-9 - 2018-5 · 9 mos

Tampere

• Teaching: gender, state fragility, Sub-Saharan Africa, peacebuilding, M.A. supervision • Research: West African DDR programmes from a gendered perspective

Short-Term Observer

European Union Election Observation Mission to Liberia

2017-10 - 2017-11 · 2 mos

Monrovia, Zwedru & Fishtown

• Observing the Presidential and House of Representatives elections in rural Liberia

Scientific Director

Metal Women project

2015-1 - 2017-8 · 2 yrs 8 mos

Turku & Tampere

• Acting as the scientific head in a project that aims to spread information on female (child) soldiers to the general public through contemporary art exhibitions (e.g. Gallery Huuto, Gallery Rajatila) • Funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (50,000€)