Dr. Satu Valkonen is University Lecturer in Educational Sciences in the University of Helsinki. Her research focuses on sustainable development in early childhood education and care. She developed PROSUS tool for promoting sustainability in early years setting with her colleague Ann-Christin Furu. She is particularly interested in enhancing high-quality pedagogy and teachers’ professional practice, especially those aspects that involve equality, equity and social justice.

Her research interests include marketization in early years education and transnational nature of education governance, media education and multiliteracies and social interaction in the digital age. Valkonen is affiliated with AGORA – the Study of social Justice and Equality in Education (University of Helsinki) and PERLA (Tampere Centre for Childhood, Youth and Family Research (University of Tampere) and working actively in diverse networks in order to foster the relevance of her research in society. She is also a member of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS).

Valkonen received her doctoral thesis The Significance of the Television in Children’s Everyday Lives on social psychology at University of Tampere in 2012. During her doctoral studies, she completed a Masters on Arts (Education) at University of Helsinki in 2011. She also has Bachelor degree on Early Childhood Education at University of Tampere, in 2002. As part of her studies, she accomplished the pedagogical studies for teachers and has general teacher qualification.