A study by Danish scientist Hans Henrik Bruun, published in the journal Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, reports plant-feeding gall midges (Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) from Estonia for the first time. During a week-long field trip, he recorded 45 species new to the country. 

The study’s author, Hans Henrik Bruun, is a professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen, whose main research areas are community ecology, biodiversity, and conservation biology. Gall midges are one of his long-standing side interests: over the years, he has published a series of papers on new species records in his native Denmark and in other European countries such as Finland, Austria, Germany, and Spain, steadily adding species to those countries’ known checklists. The new study follows the same pattern, now extending it to Estonia. 

Bruun came to Estonia at the invitation of Kadri Runnel and Asko Lõhmus from the University of Tartu. He visited 18 sites across Estonia from 18 to 24 August 2025, surveying alvar grasslands, wooded meadows, salt marshes, floodplain wetlands, swamp forests, and urban areas, from Lääne-Nigula to Saaremaa and Muhu, and from Soomaa and Tartu to Põlva and Rae. Before his study, 152 gall midge species were known from Estonia, a number reached thanks to the Estonian Malaise Trap Project. All of them, however, belonged to subfamilies other than Cecidomyiinae. The mainly plant-feeding subfamily Cecidomyiinae had never been investigated in Estonia, and not a single species had been recorded from the country. 

Bruun’s own fieldwork yielded 45 species new to Estonia. By adding reliable records of further species from citizen science portals (iNaturalist and eElurikkus) and the GBIF database, he compiled a preliminary checklist of 70 species for Estonia, two of which were identified to genus level only. Eight of the species he recorded, among them Dasineura myosotidis, Geocrypta braueri, and Semudobia skuhravae, had not previously been known from any of the three neighbouring territories: Latvia, Finland, or Leningrad Province. 

Who are gall midges? 

Gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) are small flies (Diptera), usually only a few millimetres long, and belong to a species-rich family with diverse life histories and feeding niches. The adults are short-lived, usually surviving only a few days, and their main task is to reproduce. In plant-feeding species, the larvae live and develop inside a gall on the host plant: a deformed, often fleshy or woody growth that the larva induces through its feeding or through chemical substances. The gall provides the larva with both food and shelter from predators. Almost all plant-feeding species are narrowly specialised, tied to a single host plant and, in addition, to a single plant part (a bud, leaf, flower, stem, or similar), each producing a characteristic gall. As a result, species are often identified by the shape of the gall and the characteristics of the larva rather than by the appearance of the midge itself. 

The family is also one of the world’s least studied insect groups. The global checklist currently lists 6,887 species in 816 genera, but this number has been estimated to represent less than one per cent of the family’s true species richness. The European fauna is considered relatively well known by continental standards, but the level of knowledge varies greatly between countries. For plant-feeding gall midges, Estonia was until now a complete blank spot. 

According to Bruun, most gall midges have inconspicuous lifestyles and easily go undetected by untrained human observers. He points out that citizen science portals, where users’ observations documented with mobile phone photos can be identified, offer brand new opportunities for recording gall midges and other insect groups that are difficult to identify without specialist taxonomic knowledge. The 45 species found to be new to Estonia in just one week and the preliminary checklist of 70 species show how little is known about Estonia’s gall midge fauna. In Bruun’s words, the study is “but a first stab” at investigating it, and it calls for more intensive recording that combines traditional methods with modern DNA barcoding. 

The study “A first stab at investigating the Estonian fauna of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae)” appears in issue 4 of the 2026 volume of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (75(4), 280–284). 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3176/proc.2026.4.02 

Read the article in Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. 

The study was also featured on Novaator, the science news portal of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) (in Estonian).

On 13 October 2026, the Board of the Estonian Academy of Sciences appointed Professor Alar Konist of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) as the new Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Oil Shale, for a five-year term beginning on 22 October.

Alar Konist is Director of the Department of Energy Technology, Tenured Full Professor and Head of the Research Group of Sustainable Energy and Fuels at TalTech. His research focuses on areas including oil shale and biomass valorisation, carbon capture and utilisation technologies, and the development of sustainable energy systems.

Konist is well acquainted with Oil Shale, having served on its Editorial Board for several years. As the new Editor-in-Chief, he aims to increase the journal’s international visibility, attract more high-quality research papers, and streamline its editorial and publication processes.

“Alar Konist has an ambitious and well-considered vision for the journal’s development. Of particular importance is his commitment to raising its scientific standards and strengthening its editorial team,” said Marek Tamm, Vice-President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and Chair of the Publishing Council.

The Estonian Academy Publishers extends its sincere gratitude to the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Professor Andres Siirde, for his many years of dedicated work in developing Oil Shale. Professor Siirde has led the journal since 2019, having previously served as its Deputy Editor-in-Chief from 2008 to 2018.

We wish Professor Konist every success in his new role!

The Yearbook of the Estonian Mother Tongue Society (Emakeele Seltsi aastaraamat) has welcomed three new members to its Editorial Board, bringing additional expertise in linguistics and strengthening the journal’s academic network.

The new members are Geda Paulsen (Institute of the Estonian Language, Estonia; Uppsala University, Sweden), Kristiina Praakli (University of Tartu, Estonia) and Ann Veismann (University of Tartu, Estonia).

They join the existing Editorial Board, which brings together scholars from Estonia, Finland and Sweden.

The Editorial Board supports the Editor-in-Chief in maintaining the journal’s academic quality, identifying suitable reviewers, encouraging manuscript submissions and strengthening its visibility within the international linguistics community.

We warmly welcome the new members and look forward to their contributions to the continued development of the Yearbook of the Estonian Mother Tongue Society.

The Estonian Journal of Archaeology has renewed its Editorial Board, bringing together nine scholars from research institutions in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Germany.

Six scholars have joined the Editorial Board: Kristin Ilves (University of Helsinki, Finland), Giedrė Keen Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė (Vilnius University, Lithuania), Heidi Luik (Tallinn University, Estonia), Ragnar Saage (University of Tartu, Estonia), Uwe Sperling (University of Rostock, Germany) and Mari Tõrv (University of Tartu, Estonia).

Three members continue to serve on the Board: Aivar Kriiska (University of Tartu, Estonia), Lembi Lõugas (Tallinn University, Estonia) and Erki Russow (Tallinn University, Estonia).

The Editorial Board supports the Editor-in-Chief in maintaining the journal’s academic quality and strengthening its international visibility. Its members contribute by helping to identify suitable reviewers, encouraging manuscript submissions and promoting the journal within their academic networks.

We warmly welcome the new members and thank the outgoing members for their valuable contributions to the journal. We look forward to working with the renewed Editorial Board to further develop the Estonian Journal of Archaeology as an international platform for archaeological research.

TalTech doctoral student Artur Toikka has been named a laureate of the Estonian Academy of Sciences’ Three-Minute Science competition. A research article related to his work on the platform economy was published in issue 3 (2026) of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (PEAS).

Toikka took part in the final at the Estonian Academy of Sciences on 6 October with a presentation titled ‘The Divine Comedy of Platform Services’, in which he discussed services mediated by digital platforms and how platforms shape the roles and relationships of service providers and customers.

In his article ‘Sustainability paradox of platform companies: mediated legitimacy in public discourse’, published in PEAS issue 3 (2026), Toikka approaches the same field of research from a different perspective. He analyses Estonian media coverage, reader comments and corporate sustainability communication to examine how a platform company’s own sustainability claims interact and conflict with public perceptions of its responsibility and trustworthiness. The empirical material focuses on the Estonian mobility platform Bolt between 2019 and 2024.

Read Artur Toikka’s article in PEAS

Toikka was one of three laureates. Rait Rand of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Kelli Randmäe of the University of Tartu also received the award. With support from the Estonian Research Council, the laureates will have the opportunity to attend the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin in November 2027, which brings together researchers and leaders from science, innovation, business and society from around the world.

Sheep wool research offers another link to PEAS

Another PEAS author also took part in the Three-Minute Science final. Katrin Kabun, a researcher at the Estonian Academy of Arts, presented ‘Archaically high-tech: sheep wool in the context of contemporary design’. She was among five finalists recognised by the jury with the opportunity to take part in a study trip to Stockholm in spring 2027.

Kabun is one of the authors of ‘Revaluation of Estonian local sheep wool – impact of different wool types on textile material properties’, published in PEAS issue 1 (2026). Together with Liisa Torsus, Tiia Plamus and Urve Kallavus, she investigated the properties of different types of local Estonian sheep wool and how fibre characteristics affect yarn, knitted fabrics and knitted felted materials. The study addresses the problem that a large proportion of wool produced in Estonia remains unused, while wool for textile production is imported from abroad.

Read the article by Liisa Torsus, Tiia Plamus, Katrin Kabun and Urve Kallavus in PEAS

This year, 15 doctoral students and researchers from seven Estonian universities reached the Three-Minute Science final. Their task was to present their research clearly and accessibly in just three minutes. The competition was organised by the Estonian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Estonian Doctoral School and the Estonian Research Council.

‘We have grown from an early-adolescent post-Soviet national discipline into a mature, internationally engaged discipline of national significance,’ says Valter Lang, long-standing Editor-in-Chief of the Estonian Journal of Archaeology (EJA), Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, and Professor of Archaeology at the University of Tartu.

To start with a simple question: who is the little bone man who has graced the cover of the archaeology journal for years now?

Archaeology journals around the world adorn their front covers with an emblem that is theirs alone. The vast majority use an archaeological artefact for this. We, too, were looking for something that, firstly, had not already been used by others and, secondly, had been found in Estonia and was therefore distinctively ours. Thirdly, it had to be sufficiently ‘artistic’ to work as a design element. From among many candidates, we chose a human figurine made of bone, found at the Neolithic settlement site of Tamula. Such small-scale sculpture is known elsewhere in the forest zone of Eastern Europe as well, and its age goes back some five to six thousand years. This ‘Old Man of Tamula’ has no particular name, and at the time we chose him, he was among the oldest known depictions of people who once lived in Estonia. Today, of course, there are also other contenders for that title.

You have been Editor-in-Chief of EJA since its founding in 1997. How did the journal come about?

EJA was founded in 1997 together with the historians’ journal Acta Historica Tallinnensia. This happened after the social sciences series of the Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, where our archaeologists and historians had previously published their work, was discontinued. Fortunately, the Academy’s leadership at the time understood our need for such journals.

Then again, we ourselves did not yet know exactly what kind of journal we needed, or what publishing a scholarly journal actually involved. For instance, we argued with Jüri Engelbrecht, then President of the Academy, over whether one issue a year would be enough to make a proper journal or whether there should be at least four. Given our small community of archaeologists, who at the time were not all that keen to publish, four would clearly have been far too many. So I put a briefcase full of archaeology journals from across Europe on the table, all of them published once a year, and that was argument enough. For the first two years we did indeed publish one issue a year; then we moved to two issues, as is still the case today.

When did the journal switch to English?

At first, the journal’s main language was Estonian and its name was Eesti Arheoloogia Ajakiri, in English: Journal of Estonian Archaeology. We soon realised that this would not get us very far. So, we switched to English, while keeping summaries in Estonian. We also changed the name, so that the main title became Estonian Journal of Archaeology and the Estonian title Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri. Formally, the change was small, but its significance was great. And whereas in the early years, we quite often struggled to fill the journal on time, later on, especially after we were granted regional journal status (category B) in the European Science Foundation’s ERIH index, our pipeline has been more full than empty.

What has changed in 30 years?

I think EJA reflects fairly well the great overall change that Estonian archaeology as a whole has gone through, namely its coming of age. We have grown from an early-adolescent post-Soviet national discipline into a mature, internationally engaged discipline of national significance with extensive collaboration networks across Europe.

Where does Estonian archaeology stand in an international context today?

Estonian archaeology is in a strong position internationally, or at least so it seems to us here. This is shown by the many international projects and research networks our scholars take part in, sometimes as leading partners. Within Estonia, archaeology is now part of a national Centre of Excellence for the second time: first as part of the Centre of Excellence in Cultural Theory from 2008 to 2015, and in the current round within the ‘Estonian Roots’ consortium. That, too, attests to a consistently high standard.

Does archaeology in a small country have any advantages over that of larger ones?

None come to mind straight away, because, unlike our sister discipline of history, for example, archaeology is very expensive and resource-intensive. The larger archaeologies simply have bigger purses and therefore broader opportunities, for example for acquiring equipment, hiring staff, funding projects, and awarding scholarships. That said, compared with the other small countries of Northern Europe, we have nothing to be ashamed of; quite the opposite. And in the context of today’s conversation, let me stress that the same applies to the international comparison of archaeology journals: larger countries can boast more numerous and more substantial journals with a broader base of authors, which, admittedly, are not always better in terms of quality. EJA has no reason whatsoever to feel inferior to its sister publications.

You have long studied settlement and landscape archaeology in Estonia and the Baltic region, as well as the question of where the Estonians came from and when they arrived here. Which discovery or new insight has changed your understanding of Estonia’s past the most?

Archaeology as a discipline in Estonia already has more than a century and a half of development behind it, during which a very solid body of data for the study of prehistory has been gathered. A good deal of research has been carried out and many studies have been published, including general surveys of prehistory. The latest of these appeared as recently as 2020 as the first volume of ‘Eesti ajalugu’ (History of Estonia). As a result, it is practically impossible for any single new find or discovery to substantially change our understanding of the past. Admittedly, one does occasionally come across headlines of that kind in the press, but they are driven more by a hunger for sensation than by any genuine novelty of the find.

The development of science and the emergence of new paradigms (in the sense used by the American philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn) do not work that way. Or at least, in most cases they do not. Rather, new ‘bits of information’ gradually accumulate that do not fit an existing theory or interpretation. At first, they are ignored, as people try to squeeze them into existing frameworks as ‘exceptions’, until at some point they reach critical mass and a new, better-fitting explanation is found for why things are exactly as the new finds show. The public often fails to notice or appreciate this spotting and gathering of ‘negative bits of information’, which usually goes on quietly alongside other work.

So, is everything already fairly clear, with no more major discoveries to come?

We should bear in mind that the role of individual discoveries in the development of scientific thought can by no means be underestimated. But here, too, what matters is that the discovery is born into a context, one that is already loaded with those so-called negative bits of information that call for a new explanation. In other words, the discoverer has to know and understand what they have discovered. Or, to put the same idea a third way: even a blind hen can find a grain, but she has to understand what it is good for.

Could you give an example?

When two-thousand-year-old Celtic fields were discovered at Rebala in the early 1980s, they were indeed hailed as the oldest fields in the forest zone of the Soviet Union, but the interpretation went no further. The discovery did not fit the then prevailing view that plough agriculture and permanent fields had been adopted here only several centuries later. Ten years passed, and new Celtic fields were found at Saha-Loo and Proosa, which turned out to be as much as five hundred to a thousand years older. Only then did the penny drop: something in the existing picture of prehistory was seriously wrong. These discoveries did, however, fit very well with the general development of agriculture further west, that is, in southern Scandinavia and elsewhere in north-western Europe, showing that these developments ran in parallel.

Now, a quarter of a century later, I have begun to understand what may really lie behind these fields. Because some ‘bits of information’ gathered in the meantime give me no peace: why have such early Celtic fields not been found anywhere else on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea? Why do we not see any morphological development of these fields after the turn of the era (as we do, for instance, in Sweden)? It has begun to seem that the laying out of such fields in the Bronze Age should rather be viewed in the context of early Germanic immigration, which is also attested by stone-cist graves, cup-marked stones, and numerous imported bronze objects. Yet this interpretation only became possible thanks to new discoveries elsewhere, above all in the study of ethnic history.

The moral here is that the interpretation of prehistory is an ongoing process; it can never be completely ‘finished’. Every new discovery becomes a discovery only through context and interpretation.

‘Even a blind hen can find a grain, but she has to understand what it is good for.’

Valter Lang

Do you see new research directions or methods emerging (for example archaeogenetics, new dating methods, digital tools) that will significantly change the field in the near future?

A good few years ago, the phrase was coined that archaeology has entered its third scientific revolution (by Professor Kristian Kristiansen of the University of Gothenburg). Science here means the natural sciences, and the first two revolutions refer to the adoption of the stratigraphic method from geology in the 19th century and the introduction of radiocarbon dating in the 1950s. Both were extremely important for dating archaeological material. The driving force of the third, ongoing scientific revolution is archaeogenetics, above all ancient DNA analysis, but also many other fields of the biosciences. This is no longer about refining dating methods. The focus is instead on ancient people themselves and getting to know them better: for example, how they lived, what they ate, what diseases they suffered from, what they died of, and whether they migrated, and if so, where from and where to. Ancient society is increasingly opening up to us in all its diversity.

Archaeology is still associated with very physical things: excavations, bones, artefacts, and ancient monuments. At the same time, digital data and artificial intelligence are used more and more. How has new technology changed the way archaeologists study and interpret the past?

The basic tools of excavation, the spade and the shovel, are the same as in the early days of archaeology. Everything else has changed. Here we must not forget that every excavation involves the destruction of an archaeological site. So, if a site is to be destroyed, all possible information must be recovered and documented. Excavation techniques and instruments have changed beyond recognition since my younger days, which has also made excavations, together with the work that goes with them, time-consuming and very expensive. This, in turn, has led to a situation where excavations driven by research needs are carried out rarely and only on a limited scale.

Thanks to new technologies and methods, archaeology can obtain data about the past from areas that until recently seemed like science fiction, such as ancient DNA, diet, pathologies, and so on. All this opens up new possibilities for interpreting the processes of prehistory, although interpretation as such still takes place in the archaeologist’s head, as it always has. Artificial intelligence is not, at least for now, of much help here.

The journal is internationally indexed and recognised, but the wider public may not be very aware of it. Should the results of archaeological research reach Estonians more, and if so, how?

There are other channels of information for the wider public. In archaeology, I have in mind above all the journal Tutulus, which comes out once a year as a substantial, richly illustrated publication and gives an excellent overview of what is happening in Estonian archaeology. EJA is intended for an international audience of archaeologists and specialists, and as such, it has its own clear niche.

How do Estonian universities and the Estonian Academy Publishers cooperate in publishing the journal? What does this cooperation give the journal and Estonian archaeology?

The cooperation between the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, and the Academy’s publishing house in publishing EJA is extremely close; it would be inconceivable otherwise. The journal is made by university researchers, whether from Estonia or from neighbouring countries. The editorial board, too, consists solely of university researchers, and both the University of Tartu and Tallinn University also support the journal financially. The Estonian Academy Publishers provides high-level editing, publishing, and distribution of our research, for which the universities may not have the resources.

What would you advise a researcher who is considering submitting an article to the Estonian Journal of Archaeology? Why this journal in particular?

If your article deals with Estonia or the wider Baltic Sea region, contains new material and interpretation, and is written to the highest international standard, then EJA is the right place for it. The Estonian Academy Publishers ensures high-quality peer review and editing, as well as open access for interested readers around the world. The Academy’s publishing house is also one of the fastest I know when it comes to publishing articles.

What exciting topics await readers in the journal’s anniversary year?

To be honest, I haven’t given it any thought yet. Then again, the ground is full of archaeological surprises. Which of them will make it into print next year? Let that remain a surprise for now.

Looking even further ahead: what might the journal be like in 2052, when a hundred years will have passed since the Academy began continuous publication of scholarly journals?

The Academy’s publishing history actually goes back even further. As early as 1940, the 526-page Yearbook of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, edited by Julius Mark, was published; it was intended to appear regularly, once a year. The war upset those plans, and continuous publication of scholarly journals began only in 1952.

As for the future, the most important thing is that the journal still exists in 2052. Ending the publication of a good journal would be easy enough; a single bureaucratic decision on the grounds that there is no money would suffice. Creating such a journal, however, is immeasurably more complicated and time-consuming. It can be (re)founded by an official decision, but for a scholarly journal to actually work, it must win the trust of the relevant research community and achieve a high enough standard and prestige for anyone to read it and write for it at all. That takes years, even decades. For example, we obtained the ERIH B status (that is, regional journal status) I mentioned earlier only ten years after the journal was founded.

Will the printed journal disappear or survive?

Being an optimist by nature, I don’t believe scholarly journals will disappear. They may well change and take on new forms, but at least for now there is no alternative to them. And if it were up to me, I would certainly not want printed editions of journals to disappear. Our situation is probably different from that of the sciences geared towards rapidly changing information, where only the very latest knowledge counts, because there is not much to be done with the old.

In archaeology, as in the other humanities, old knowledge is just as important as new: old source publications, catalogues, typological studies, excavation reports, and the like may be even more valuable tomorrow than they are today. One may hope that all this will survive in digitised form alone. In my view, however, humanity has not yet reached a level of development at which it could give up a means of preserving culture that has proved itself over centuries: the printed word on paper.

Quick facts: Estonian Journal of Archaeology

• Published since 1997; volume 30 appears this year.
• In English since 2004; formerly titled Eesti Arheoloogia Ajakiri.
• Editor-in-Chief Valter Lang is a two-time winner of the Estonian National Science Prize (1997 and 2011) for research on the prehistory of Estonia and the Baltic region.
• More than 270 articles published in 30 years.
• Articles in English and German, each with a summary in Estonian.
• Indexed in, among others, Web of Science, Scopus, DOAJ, and ERIH PLUS; ranked in the highest category, 1.1, in the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS).
• Open access, free for everyone to read.
• Two issues a year; articles are published online as soon as they are ready.
• Published by the Estonian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the University of Tartu and Tallinn University.

 

OIL SHALE

The new issue of Oil Shale contains five articles, four of which are authored by researchers from China and one by researchers from Jordan.

The article by the Jordanian researchers, ‘Kerogen destruction and partial transfer of metals to shale oil: detection and quantification’ investigates the transfer of various metals, including Fe, V, Ni, Mn, and Pb, into shale oil during the pyrolysis of oil shale from the Attarat deposit. The experiments were conducted under a nitrogen atmosphere at different heating rates. The results demonstrate that the transfer of these metals into shale oil depends on the heating rate applied during oil shale pyrolysis.

Two of the articles by Chinese researchers are review articles. The article ‘Review and outlook on the application of thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling simulation in in-situ oil shale mining’ reviews the application of thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling simulations in in-situ oil shale mining, summarizes the relevant coupling theories and mathematical models, and analyses their significance for heat-injection mining, prediction of effective pyrolysis zones, and analysis of ground-surface deformation. It also summarizes key applications and future prospects, providing theoretical and technical references for optimizing in-situ oil shale mining and laying a foundation for subsequent research on thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical coupling.

The second review article by Chinese authors, ‘Well pattern-controlled heat transfer in in-situ oil shale conversion: a review of numerical modeling’, systematically reviews the current state of research on heat transfer during in-situ oil shale conversion. It clarifies the underlying heat-transfer mechanisms and discusses thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling models and recent research progress in in-situ extraction under well-pattern control.

We also recommend reading the other articles published in this new issue.

Contents and full texts of articles: Oil Shale, 2026, Vol. 43, Issue 3.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE ESTONIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The rapid development of digital technologies, the broad adoption of artificial intelligence, global sustainability challenges, and changing forms of work have led us to an era in which management can no longer be limited to efficiency, growth, and competitiveness alone. Increasingly important is to understand how to design and lead organisations in a way that simultaneously supports economic performance, human well-being, ethical decision-making, and environmental responsibility.

The journal explores a wide range of topics related to sustainable management in the digital era. It addresses people management practices, sustainability-related tensions in platform companies, challenges in human resource management and employee well-being, as well as the impact of digitalisation on employment and workplace risk assessment. The contributions approach sustainable management from multiple perspectives. They examine, among other topics, value-based leadership practices, managerial interventions in response to unethical workplace situations, psychological risk management in the digital era, and other emerging challenges in contemporary business management. Together, the articles highlight the interdisciplinary nature of sustainable management and contribute to a better understanding of how organisations can respond to the complex challenges of digital transformation and the transition towards a more sustainable economy. These issues are important not only for the effective and responsible functioning of organisations, but also for strengthening societal trust and supporting responsible economic development.

The current issue offers valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and all those interested in sustainable management, digital transformation, and responsible organisational practices.

Contents and full texts of articles: Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, 2026, Vol. 75, Issue 3.

Additional information:

Subscribe to journal alerts on our website to receive notifications of new issues.

Estonian Academy Publishers welcomes new manuscripts. Find more information here.

The latest special issue of the international open-access scientific journal Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (PEAS), produced in collaboration with Tallinn University of Technology, focuses on sustainable management in the digital era. 

Published in September 2026, the special issue’s guest editors are Merle Ojasoo, Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Responsible Economy and ESG at Tallinn University of Technology, and Karin Reinhold, Tenured Professor at Tallinn University of Technology. 

“Leaders in the digital era are increasingly expected to understand how technological change affects people, organisational culture, and society more broadly. With this special issue, we wanted to bring together research that explores sustainable management from multiple perspectives – from value-based leadership to the impact of digitalisation on employment. I believe it offers valuable reading for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike,” said Ojasoo. 

According to Ojasoo, the articles in the special issue help us to better understand the interdisciplinary nature of sustainable management in the context of a sustainable economy, and are important not only for the internal functioning of organisations but also for strengthening societal trust and promoting responsible economic development. 

The special issue brings together the perspectives of researchers and practitioners on how leaders can balance economic performance, human well-being, ethical decision-making, and environmental responsibility at a time when technological advances, the adoption of artificial intelligence, and changing forms of work are reshaping established management practices. 

Among other topics, the articles address people management practices in the digital era, sustainability-related tensions in platform companies, challenges in human resource management and employee well-being, the impact of digitalisation on employment and workplace risk assessment, value-based leadership and managerial interventions in response to unethical workplace situations, and psychological risk management in the digital era. 

The special issue of the Estonian Academy Publishers’ journal Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences will be presented in more detail by the guest editors at Tallinn University of Technology on 24 September at 15.00 in room SOC-309. 

All articles of the special issue are freely available (open access) on the journal’s website:  Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, 2026, Vol. 75, Issue 3.

The Estonian Academy Publishers is pleased to announce that Rainis Haller has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (PEAS), effective from 5 May 2026.

Rainis Haller has been Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Tartu since 2021 and a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences since 2025. His research is rooted in mathematics, and he has a strong record of scientific leadership, having served as President of the Estonian Mathematical Society from 2018 to 2022. He has been a member of the PEAS Editorial Board since 2024, bringing continuity and a clear understanding of the journal’s scope and values to his new role.

We sat down with Rainis Haller to ask him three questions about his vision for the journal.

You have been part of the PEAS Editorial Board since 2024 – what motivated you to take on the role of Editor-in-Chief, and what do you bring to this position?

Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences has a long history and a special place among journals connected with Estonia and our wider region. I accepted the role because I believe PEAS has a strong foundation and good opportunities to strengthen its position as a selective Academy journal with a clear profile.

As a mathematician, I have learned to value precise questions, solid arguments, and clear writing. These are also important in editorial work. I want to support a fair and careful review process, and to help keep the journal focused on papers that genuinely belong in PEAS.

What is your vision for PEAS over the coming years, and how would you like to see the journal develop, both in terms of scientific scope and its visibility within the international research community?

I would like PEAS to be recognised as a selective journal of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The journal should have a broad but well-defined scope and publish strong research in fields represented at the Academy, with particular attention to work connected with Estonia, the Baltic region, and Northern Europe.

This does not mean that PEAS should become a local journal. The aim is to publish research that is relevant internationally, while also reflecting perspectives and topics where our region has something distinctive to contribute.

In practice, I would like to build on what PEAS already does well by inviting more review articles and perspective papers, and by developing thematic contributions when they can bring together strong papers on a well-defined topic.

PEAS publishes original research across a wide range of disciplines. How do you approach the challenge of managing such broad disciplinary breadth, and what does a strong multidisciplinary journal mean to you?

A broad scope only works if the journal remains coherent. PEAS should not be simply a collection of papers from different disciplines. For every submission, the key question is simple: why should this paper appear in PEAS?

Rigorous peer review by specialists is essential, but it is not the whole story. The journal also needs careful editorial judgement at an early stage: whether a manuscript fits the profile, whether it has sufficient quality and relevance, and whether PEAS is the right place for it.

That is why I describe PEAS as a selective Academy journal with a broad but well-defined scope. The ‘Academy’ part should mean two things: high disciplinary standards and a wider perspective. The journal should publish papers that are not only technically sound but also meaningful beyond a very narrow specialist circle.

On 5 May 2026, the Presidium of the Estonian Academy of Sciences confirmed the new composition of the Publishing Council of the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

The Council is chaired by Marek Tamm, Academician and Vice-President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

The membership includes:

• Mart Saarma, Academician and President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
• Anne Kahru, Academician and Secretary General of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
• Piret Lukkanen, Director of Estonian Academy Publishers
• Jüri Allik, Academician, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Jarek Kurnitski, Academician, Department of Informatics and Technical Sciences
• Karl Pajusalu, Academician, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Maarja Öpik, Academician, Department of Natural Sciences and Medicine

The newly appointed Publishing Council brings together leading representatives of the Estonian academic community across disciplines, reflecting the publishers’ commitment to maintaining high scientific standards and supporting the dissemination of quality research.