Dr. Riina Vuorikari is a leading expert in the fields of digital competence, digital education and learning technologies. She has over 20 years of working experience making significant contributions to the field. Most recently (2021-2022), while working at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, she led the update of the Digital Competence framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2) and contributed to the update of the EU’s Digital Skills Indicator (DSI 2.0). Since 2022-present, Dr. Vuorikari chairs the ITU’s subgroup on ICT skills as part of the Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators Forum.
All throughout her career, Dr. Vuorikari has worked with policy-makers, practitioners and researchers. Between 2013-2022 she worked as a senior scientific officer at EU’s Joint Research Centre focusing on evidence-driven policymaking, and led and contributed to research projects in the area of digital competence (e.g. conceptual framework, assessment, measurement) and learning technologies (e.g. AI and emerging technologies in education). From 2000 to 2012, Vuorikari worked on digital education at European Schoolnet, a not-for-profit network of Ministries of Education, where she worked on several EU-funded projects aimed at promoting the use of new technologies in schools. She also conducted research on the use of digital learning materials and the design of online learning environments.
Vuorikari obtained Masters of Education from the University of Eastern Finland in 1998 and later pursued a Ph.D. from the Dutch research school for Information and Knowledge Systems (2009). Dr. Vuorikari publishes in academic journals and conference proceedings, and contributes to numerous books and reports the field. She also works as an independent expert based in Helsinki, Finland, and is actively involved in promoting digital upskilling for education and for active participation in society.