Projects per year
Personal profile
Short bio
Carolyn Cole is a Research Scientist in VTT's Quantitative Science and Technology Studies team under the Foresight and Data Economy research area. She is also pursuing a doctoral degree in Economics and Business Administration at LUT School of Business. Her research focuses on the private sector's interaction with sustainability and social responsibility, with special attention to the role of public funding and policy mechanisms. Her work involves quantitative foresight methods and the development of methodologies integrating large language models (LLMs) into qualitative and quantitative research. This has included the development and implemented of LLM applications to augment expert-led workflows with AI tools. Recent applications have included technological foresight, social life cycle assessment, alternative economic scenarios, innovation policy, and energy justice.
Prior to VTT, Carolyn's work covered sustainable finance and ESG reporting intiatives with a focus on EU regulation. She has previously worked on antitrust economics at NERA Economic Consulting, where she designed and implemented predictive and inferential models for federal competition policy cases. Carolyn holds an MSc in Social Policy and Social Research and a BA in Economics & Mathematics. Her master's research investigated the relationship between fuel poverty and domestic carbon emissions in the UK. Carolyn's current research interests cross topics of innovation, technology, social and environmental sustainability, and new economic paradigms.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Master of Science, Social Policy and Social Research (Quantitative), University College London
2020 → 2021
Award Date: 1 Dec 2021
Bachelor of Arts, Economics/Mathematics, Reed College
2015 → 2017
Award Date: 15 May 2017
Doctorate, Economic and Business Administration, Lappeenranta University of Technology, School of Business
15 Aug 2024 → …
Skills and expertise
- Data Analysis
- Statistical Analysis
- Econometrics
- Quantitative Methods
- Policy Analysis
- Social Research
- Social Policy
- Sustainable Finance Regulation
- Innovation Systems
- Strategic Foresight
- Spatial Analysis
- Entrepreneurship
- R/Stata/Python/SQL
- Azure
- Large Language Models
- Artificial Intelligence
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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REPower-CEST: Clean Energy System Transition (REPower-CEST)
Koljonen, T. (Participant), Lindroos, T. J. (Participant), Similä, L. (Manager), Halonen, M. (Participant), Koponen, K. (Participant), Aittoniemi, E. (Participant), Ala-Juusela, M. (Participant), Cole, C. (Participant), Correia, S. (Participant), Eerolainen, L. (Participant), Forsström, J. (Participant), Gutierrez, A. W. (Participant), Hiltunen, P. (Participant), Ikonen, J.-P. (Participant), Ikäheimo, J. (Participant), Jasiunas, J. (Participant), Jokinen, T. (Participant), Järnefelt, V. (Participant), Kanto, T. (Participant), Karlsson, T. (Participant), Kirppu, H. (Participant), Koreneff, G. (Participant), Kurki, S. (Participant), Lauhkonen, A. (Participant), Lehtilä, A. (Participant), Markkanen, J. (Participant), Niemi, A. (Participant), Rämä, M. (Participant), Sassi, J. (Participant), Sundqvist, H. (Participant), Vainikainen, S. (Participant), Vainio, T. (Participant), Åkerman, M. (Participant) & Åman, R. (Participant)
1/01/24 → 30/06/26
Project: Finnish government project
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DS2: DataSpace, DataShare 2.0
Soininen, J.-P. (Manager), Luoma, R. (Participant), Ford, R. (Participant), Cole, C. (Participant), Hajikhani, A. (Participant), Vehmas, K. (Participant), Pussinen, P. (Participant), Kalaoja, J. (Participant), Suksi, J. (Participant) & Halme, J. (Participant)
1/01/24 → 31/12/26
Project: EU project
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W2W: A Wood-to-Wood Cascade Upcycling Valorisation Approach
Martins, J. (Manager), Ashouri, S. (Participant), Cole, C. (Participant), Hajikhani, A. (Participant), Oksanen, J. (Participant) & Leinonen, A. (Participant)
1/01/24 → 31/12/27
Project: EU project
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MultiFutures: Multidimensional Transition Pathway Analysis for Sustainable Futures: Exploring Alternative Paradigms and Broadening Policy Options through Innovative Scenario Development
Koljonen, T. (Manager), Vainikainen, S. (Participant), Ashouri, S. (Participant), Seisto, A. (Participant), Hajikhani, A. (Participant), Cole, C. (Participant), Lehtilä, A. (Participant), Järnefelt, V. (Participant) & Eerolainen, L. (Participant)
1/01/24 → 30/06/27
Project: EU project
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EC-OECD STIP Compass enhancement using Large Language Models
Hajikhani, A. (Participant), Deschryvere, M. (Participant) & Cole, C. (Participant)
1/05/24 → 30/09/24
Project: Research
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Anticipatory governance of emerging technologies: White paper
Lehenkari, J., Lähteenmäki-Smith, K., Leväsluoto, J., Hämäläinen, H. & Cole, C., 3 Mar 2025, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. 24 p. (VTT White Paper, Vol. 2025).Research output: Book/Report › Report
Open AccessFile184 Downloads (Pure) -
A Critical Review of Large Language Models: Sensitivity, Bias, and the Path Toward Specialized AI
Hajikhani, A. & Cole, C., 2024, In: Quantitative Science Studies. 5, 3, p. 736–756 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open Access6 Citations (Scopus) -
Identification of Emerging Trends Utilizing Large Language Models
Ashouri, S., Cole, C., Arnold, M., Hajikhani, A. & Tahvanainen, A.-J., 2023, (Unpublished).Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference Abstract › Scientific
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Use of AI tools and its impact on the future of work
Hajikhani, A. & Cole, C., 20 Oct 2023, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. 30 p.Research output: Book/Report › Report
Open Access
Equipment
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SFINNO 2.0 – Advancing the Database of Finnish Innovations
Hajikhani, A. (Manager), Deschryvere, M. (Contact), Cole, C. (Administrator), Rytky, M. (Administrator), Vainikainen, S. (Administrator) & Schmidt, R. (Administrator)
Quantitative science and technology studiesFacility/equipment: Service
Activities
- 3 Keynote or plenary presentation
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Advanced research methods by AI
Hajikhani, A. (Speaker), Cole, C. (Speaker) & Schmidt, R. (Speaker)
10 Mar 2025 → 11 Mar 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Keynote or plenary presentation
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Advanced Research Methods by AI
Cole, C. (Speaker) & Hajikhani, A. (Speaker)
28 Aug 2024 → 29 Aug 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Keynote or plenary presentation
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AI for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy” (AI4STIP) EU-SPRI Early Career Researcher Winter School
Hajikhani, A. (Speaker) & Cole, C. (Speaker)
13 Nov 2023 → 17 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Keynote or plenary presentation