Kristian Meissner

Development manager
+358 29 525 1422

Duties

Development and coordination of the unit's operations, first deputy of the unit director, administration, performance agreement processes and extensive projects

Subject area

Water
Sea
International
Research

Education and academic titles

Docent, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Phd Zoology, University of Oulu, Finland

MSc Hydrobiology and limnology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Specialist Vocational Qualification in Management, Jyväskylä Educational Consortium

Specialist Vocational Qualification in Business, competence area human resources, Management Institute of Finland

Research and expertise

I have over 20 years of dedicated experience in water quality research and environmental management. I have successfully led international research projects aimed at modernizing environmental monitoring practices. In 2021, I coordinated the renewal of the national environmental monitoring strategy for the period 2022–2030, on request of the Ministry of the Environment. Currently, I also coordinate our organization's water resource management portfolio funded by the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry which includes over 50 individual projects. In addition, I work in expert roles related to strategic development.

Keywords: Aquatic, freshwater, marine, environmental monitoring, bioassessment, biodiversity monitoring, eDNA, machine learning, international method standardization, international research networks. 

Memberships and networks

ISO TC 147 / SC5 / WG13 “eDNA, DNA and RNA methods”, Convenor of WG 13 (2024)

CEN TC230/ WG 28 “DNA and eDNA methods”, Convenor of WG (2018)

Partnership for European Environmental Research, PEER, Syke's coodinator (Since 2015)

EURAQUA, Syke's coordinator (2015 - 2018)

International eDNA Standardization Taskforce, iESTF, Co-chair and founding member (2024)

IUCN Global macroinvertebrate sampling protocols task force, GLOSAM , Advisory board member (2022)

Related websites

ORCID iD Google Scholar LinkedIn

Recent projects I am involved in

MERLIN: Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a Landscape context: Innovation, upscaling and transformation.

eDNAqua-Plan: Supporting aquatic biodiversity monitoring systems.

DNAquaIMG: Innovating transnational aquatic biodiversity monitoring using high-throughput DNA tools and automated image recognition.

Selected highlights from recent publications

Jones, J. I. W., Arnold, A., Buchner, D., Murphy, J. F., Childress, J. N., Beja, P., Altermatt, F., Meissner, K., Adams, I., Anderson, M., Borrell, Y. J., Briscoe, A. G., Bruce, K., Chaves, C., Conyers, C., Deiner, K., Elbrecht, V., Fueyo, Á., Goodall, T., Granero-Castro, J., Hartmann-Fatu, C., Jones, E., Mächler, E., Martins, F. M. S., McGreig, S., Pereira-da-Conceicoa, L., Pretty, J. L., Read, D. S., Price, B., Leese, F. and Blackman, R. C. (2025). Sources of uncertainty in DNA metabarcoding of whole communities: Implications for its use in biomonitoring. Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Laamanen T. Norros V., Vihervaara P., Jerney J., Kortelainen P., Kujala K., Lambert S., Mäyrä J., Nikula L., Palmroos I., Tolkkinen M., Vuorio K., Meissner K. (2025). Technology Readiness Level of biodiversity monitoring with molecular methods – where are we on the road to routine implementation? Pensoft Publishers.

Simaika J., Stribling J. , Lento J., Bruder A., Poikane S., Moretti M., Rivers-Moore N., Meissner K. and C. Macadam (2024) Towards harmonized standards for freshwater biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment using benthic macroinvertebrates, Science of The Total Environment.

Hyvärinen H., Skyttä A., Jernberg, S., Meissner K., Kuosa H. and L. Uusitalo (2021). Cost-efficiency assessments of marine monitoring methods lack rigor – A systematic mapping of literature and an end-user view on optimal costefficiency analysis, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

Høye T., Ärje J., Bjerge K., Hansen O. L. P., Iosifidis A., Leese F., Mann H. M. R., Meissner K., Melvad C. and J. Raitoharju (2021) Deep-learning and computer vision will transform entomology, Proceedings of National Academy of Science.

Mack L., Attila J., Aylagas E., Beermann A., Borja A., Hering D., Kahlert M., Leese F., Lenz R., Lehtiniemi M., Liess A., Lips U., Mattila O-P., Meissner K., Setälä O., Strehse J.S.,Uusitalo L., Willstrand Wranne A. and S. Birk (2020). A synthesis of marine monitoring methods with the potential to enhance the status assessment of the Baltic Sea.Frontiers in Marine Science.

Kahlert M., Eilola K., Mack L., Meissner K., Sandin L., Strömberg H., Uusitalo L., Viktorsson L. and A. Liess (2020): Gaps in current Baltic Sea environmental monitoring - science versus management perspectives. Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Ärje J., Raitoharju J., Iosifidis A., Tirronen V., Meissner, K. , Gabbouj M., Kiranyaz S. and S. Kärkkäinen (2020): Human experts vs. machines in taxa recognition. Signal Processing: Image Communication.

Ärje J., Melvad C., Rosenhøj Jeppesen M., Agerskov Madsen S., Raitoharju J., Strandgård Rasmussen M., Iosifidis A., Tirronen V., Gabbouj M., Meissner K. and T. Høye (2020): Automatic image-based identification and biomass estimation of invertebrates. Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Koski V., Kotamäki N., Hämäläinen H., Meissner K., Karvanen J. and S. Kärkkäinen (2020): The value of perfect and imperfect information in lake monitoring and management. Science of the Total Environment.

Daza Secco E., Haimi J., Vähäkuopus T., Ojala A., Valpola S. and K. Meissner (2020): Testate amoebae as a potential tracer of organic matter dislodged from peat extraction areas. Boreal Env. Res. 25: 19–37.

Published 30.1.2025 / Updated 12.9.2025