Curiculum vitae, Laura Uusitalo

Personal information

• Born 19 March 1977
• Married, 2 children (b. 2007 & 2009)
• Address: Anianpellontie 17 E 75, FIN-005700 Helsinki, Finland
• Telephone: +358 50 304 9593
• email: laura.uusitalo@iki.fi

Education

• PhD (fishery science), University of Helsinki, 2007
• MSc, University of Helsinki, 2001 (Limnology major, Fisheries science and Computer science minors)
• Studies in computer science, mathematics, and statistics, University of Helsinki
• Matriculation examination, Tikkurila high school in Vantaa, 1996

Professional experience

• Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute's Marine Research Centre, 2/2011 ->
• Development on biodiversity indicators for Baltic Sea plankton communities
• Research coordinator, researcher, University of Helsinki, 2006-2011
• Model development and research in several projects
• Planning and management of research group's projects. Nearly all of the projects are international co-operation projects, funded by EU throught the Framework Programmes and Interreg, and the Academy of Finland
• Management and reporting of EU 6th Framework Programme projects POORFISH and PRONE, the latter in the role of the project coordinator
• Communicating wih national and international partners from across Europe and Africa
• Research trainee (PhD student) at Biological Interactions Graduate School, 2002-2005
• Limnology assistant at University of Helsinki, January - April 2001
• Research trainee at Dept. of Limnology and Environmental Protection, Univ. of Helsinki, nine months during June 1999 - December 2001

Special interests

• Baltic Sea
• Modelling, computational techniques, efficient and robust use of data
• Risk assessment
• Bayesian networks

Teaching, tutoring, supervising

• Teaching the use of Bayesian networks:
  • Advanced courses in University of Helsinki, several occasions 2003-
  • International workshops for environmental scientists: Helsinki, Kotka, Bergen, Dakar, Saaremaa 2003-
• Teaching assistant in undergraduate statistics courses, University of Helsinki, 2002-2003
• Teacher in water chemistry laboratory class for limnologists, University of Helsinki, 2001-2003
• Teacher tutor for limnology and fisheries science freshmen, 2006-2007
• Student tutor for limnology and fisheries science freshmen, 1999
• Thesis supervisor
• Inari Helle, PhD thesis in fishery science, 2009-
• Kirsi-Maaria Hoviniemi (neé Järvenpää) 2008: Bioeconomic analysis of the Mauritanian cephalopod fishery. MSc thesis in fishery science.

Knowledge of languages

• Finnish, native language
• English, fluent
• Swedish, moderate
• German, basics
• Spanish, basics

Computer skills

• Operating systems: Windows, Linux, Unix
• Use of software:
  • Office software: Fluent
  • Bayesian networks: Hugin: Fluent; other software (Netica etc): moderate
  • Bayesian MCMC modelling: Win/OpenBUGS: Fair
  • R: fair
  • Statistical programs (SAS, SPSS): moderate
  • Matlab: moderate
• Internet: html and CSS, wiki systems
• Fast learning of new programs

Positions of trust

• Member of PhD tribunal of Jose Antonio Fernandes Savador, University of Basque Country, Spain, 6 May 2011
• Reviewer for
• ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2008-
• Environmental Modelling & Software, 2008-
• Ecological Modelling, 2009-
• Scientia Marina, 2011-
• Water Science and Technology, 2010-
• PLoS ONE, 2011-

Scientific publications

Articles in refereed journals:

• Uusitalo, L., Kuikka, S., Kauppila, P., Söderkultalahti, P., and Bäck, S. 2011. Assessing the roles of environmental factors in coastal fish production in the northern Baltic Sea: A Bayesian network application. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, in press.
• Michielsens, C.G.J., McAllister, M.K., Kuikka, S., Mäntyniemi, S., Romakkaniemi, A., Pakarinen, T., Karlsson, L. and Uusitalo, L. 2008. Combining multiple Bayesian data analyses in a sequential Bayesian framework for quantitative fisheries stock assessment. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 65: 962-974. pdf
• Uusitalo, L. 2007. Advantages and challenges of Bayesian networks in environmental modelling. Ecological Modelling 203(3-4): 312-318.
• Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., Horppila, J., Uusitalo, L., and Niemistö, J. 2008. Spatial variability in the abundance of pelagic invertebrate predators in relation to depth and turbidity. Aquatic Ecology 42(1): 25-33.
• Uusitalo, L., Kuikka, S., and Romakkaniemi A. 2005. Estimation of Atlantic salmon smolt carrying capacity of rivers using expert knowledge. ICES Journal of Marine Science 62(4): 708-722.
• Uusitalo, L., Vehkalahti, K., Kuikka, S. and Söderkultalahti P. 2005. Studying species associations from commercial catch data: a Baltic Sea application. Fisheries Research 72(2-3): 301-310.
• Horppila, J., Tallberg, P., Alajärvi, E., Eloranta, P., Nurminen, L., Uusitalo, L. and Väisänen A. 2005. Variations in the species composition and seasonal dynamics of cladocerans among adjacent lake basins. Advances in Limnology 59: 67-84.
• Uusitalo, L., Horppila, J., Eloranta, P., Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., Malinen, T., Salonen, M. and Vinni, M. 2003. Leptodora kindti and flexible foraging behaviour of fish - Factors behind the delayed biomass peak of cladocerans in Lake Hiidenvesi. International Review of Hydrobiology 88(1):34-48.
• Horppila, J., Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., Malinen, T., Salonen, M., Tuomaala, A., Uusitalo, L., and Vinni, M. 2003. Mysis relicta in a eutrophic lake: Consequences of obligatory habitat shifts. Limnology and Oceanography, 48(3):1214-1222.
• Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., Horppila, J., Malinen, T. and Uusitalo, L. 2002. The seasonal dynamics and distribution of Chaoborus flavicans (Meigen) in adjacent lake basins of different morphometry and degree of eutrophication. Freshwater Biology 47(7):1283-1296.

Theses:

• Uusitalo, L. 2007. Environmental factors and uncertainty in fisheries management in the northern Baltic Sea. PhD thesis (fishery science). University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biosciences.
• Uusitalo, L. 2001. Expert knowledge based Bayesian Belief Network for estimation of salmon smolt carrying capacity in the Gulf of Bothnia wild salmon rivers. MSc thesis (fishery science). Department of Limnology and Environmental Protection, University of Helsinki.
• Uusitalo, L. 2001. Selkärangattomien petojen Leptodora kindti (Focke) ja Mysis relicta Lovén merkitys Hiidenveden ravintoverkossa. (The role of Leptodora kindti (Focke) and Mysis relicta Lovén in the food web of Lake Hiidenvesi. In Finnish.) MSc thesis (limnology). Department of Limnology and Environmental Protection, University of Helsinki.

Other publications:

• Järvenpää, K-M., Uusitalo, L., Antti-Poika, V.-P., Mäntyniemi, S., Brahim, K., Kuikka, S. 2006. Bioeconomic analysis of Mauritanian cephalopods fishery. ICES CM 2007/O:14.
• Failler, P. et al. 2007. Probabilistic assessment, management and advice model for fishery management in the case of poor data availability: the EU POORFISH project. ICES CM 2007/O:25.
• Uusitalo, L., Kuikka, S., Kauppila, P., Söderkultalahti, S., Bäck, S. 2006. Bayesian impact analysis of geographical environmental factors: predicting the effects of climatic change and water quality management on fish productivity. ICES CM 2006/C:04.
• Member of the editorial staff of Ainutlaatuinen Itämeri. Luonto-liiton Itämeriopas. (The Extraordinary Baltic Sea. Guide to the Baltic Sea for schools.) 2006.
• Mäntyniemi, S., Romakkaniemi, A., Uusitalo, L., Arjas, E. 2003. Predicting salmon smolt abundance using a simple hierarchial Bayesian model. ICES WGBAST 2003 Working paper nr. 10.
• Pakarinen, T., Romakkaniemi, A., Kuikka, S., Uusitalo, L. and Ikonen, E. 2001. Evaluation of the quality of biological reference points of Baltic salmon management. ICES CM 2001/M:01.
• Kjellman, J., Lappalainen, J., Vinni, M., Uusitalo, L., Saren, J. and Lappalainen, S. 2000. Occurrence of burbot larvae in a eutrophic lake. In: Paragamian, V.L. and Willis, D.W. (eds.): Burbot biology, ecology and management. American Fisheries Society, Fisheries Man. p. 105-110.
• Rask, M., Horppila, J., Lehtovaara, A., Väisänen, A., Nurminen, L., Uusitalo L., Alajärvi, E. and Eloranta, P. 2000. Hiidenveden, Rusutjärven, Tuusulanjärven ja Äimäjärven äyriäisplankton vuosina 1997-2000. (Crustacean Plankton in Lakes Hiidenvesi, Rusutjärvi, Tuusulanjärvi and Äimäjärvi in 1997-2000.) In: Olin, M. and Ruuhijärvi, J. (eds.): Rehevöityneiden järvien hoitokalastuksen vaikutukset. (Effects of Mass Removal of Fish in Eutrophic Lakes). Kala- ja riistaraportteja 227. (Report of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute 227.) pp.119-128.

Recreation

Dancing, reading, knitting and other handicraft, photography, hiking, fishing, music.