Spotlight on SafeNet Researcher: Mira Kajanus Featured by University of Jyväskylä
In July 2025, the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Mathematics and Science featured Dr Mira Kajanus, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the SafeNet Project, in their Instagram Story series. The feature introduced Mira’s research, her daily work, and her motivation for contributing to forest conservation and biodiversity across Europe.
Mira is part of the Predictive Community Ecology research group at the university’s Department of Biological and Environmental Science, where she works on developing models to forecast future biodiversity. In the story, she explained:
“This new project is called SafeNet, an EU-funded Horizon project. Its goal is to identify existing old-growth forests across Europe and also where future old-growth forests could be,” Mira explained in the story.
The feature also offered a glimpse into Mira’s workday, describing the balance between coordination and research in her day-to-day work:
“One part involves coordination and bureaucracy related to the project, and the other part is the actual research. At the moment, for example, I am running models with our test data and writing up results from a previous project. I am also producing reports for the global LIFEPLAN project.”
When asked what she enjoys most about her job, Mira shared:
“Definitely the variety, and it is great that I have built such a broad network of contacts with colleagues. It is wonderful to work with nature, and even though I work on a computer, I want to do it for the benefit of nature. Seeing concrete results would be absolutely amazing.”
We are proud to see Mira’s work recognised and shared with a wider audience. Her contribution to SafeNet reflects the dedication and curiosity that drive the project forward.
