Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Doctoral Programme in Language Studies (English unit), University of Helsinki. Degree received on 26.01.2021. Dissertation passed with distinction. Title: Generic and Nonbinary Pronouns: Usage, acceptability and attitudes.
Master of Arts, English Philology, University of Helsinki. Degree received on 22.05.2015. Eximia cum laude approbatur. Minors: German philology and Nordic languages.
Bachelor of Arts, German Philology, University of Helsinki. Degree received on 15.03.2013. Minors: English and Nordic languages.
Current positions
2024-2028: Academy research fellow, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki. Project FINGEL.
2024-2026: Postdoctoral researcher, English unit, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki. Project LAIF.
Visiting scholar, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Languages Studies, Tampere University. Project LINDA.
Past positions (selected)
2023: Postdoctoral researcher, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Languages Studies, Tampere University. Project LINDA.
05/2021–05/2022 Postdoctoral researcher, Applied Linguistics, Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä.
2019 Grant researcher, English unit, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki (PhD). Jutikkala grant.
07/2017–12/2018 Salaried doctoral candidate, English unit, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki.
2015–2022 Various positions as research assistant/project researcher at the University of Helsinki
2017–2021 Various contracts as an hourly-paid teacher (part-time) at the University of Helsinki.
Grants and prizes
Suomalainen Konkordia-liitto, personal grant in 2016 (6000 €).
Eino Jutikkala Fund, personal grant in 2018 (25 000 €).
University of Helsinki PhD finishing grant in 2020 (4500 €).
PhD award for feminist research from Naistutkimuksen tuki-rahasto in 2021 (5000 €).
Afinlandia PhD prize, awarded by The Finnish Association for Applied Linguistics (AFinLA) (500 €), 2022.
(Research group funding from Koneen säätiö for the LAIF project (400400 €), 2022, PI Elizabeth Peterson.)
The Biennial Brian Spitzberg JLSP Outstanding Reviewer Award, awarded by the Journal of Language and Social Psychology (2024).
Research Council of Finland, Academy research fellow (445 617€), 2024.
Teaching merits and courses
Formal education: University pedagogy 1 and 2 (10 study credits), University of Helsinki.
Teaching Academic Writing, University of -Helsinki
Teaching Survey Research Methods from A to Z (remote teaching), University of Helsinki.
MA writing group (“gradupiiri”) teacher for three years, University of Helsinki.
Co-teacher for Language and gender (three times), University of Helsinki.
Co-teacher for Critical Thinking and Knowledge production, University of Jyväskylä.
Several guest lectures at University of Helsinki and University of Jyväskylä.
Assisting in supervision of MA theses and assessment of MA theses as second reader, University of Helsinki.
Laura Hekanaho 