I am a specialist in cognitive linguistics, syntax and semantics, as well as contrastive linguistics (Finnish–Estonian). Most of my research is based on the methodologies of cognitive and functional linguistics. I have studied the semantics of Finnish local-case setting adverbials, the case alternation in the marking of Finnish subject, object and predicate adjective phrases and the effects of this alternation in the clause-level meaning, aspect, clause constructions and verb semantics. My work in contrastive linguistics includes analyses on word order in written Finnish and Estonian, as well as works on Finnish and Estonian adposition constructions and clause types.

My current research projects are: 1) COMET, COnstrual of means and time, a project focusing on the grammar and aspect of Finnish motion metaphors of time, funded by the Academy of Finland (2015–2020), together with scholars from the University of Helsinki, 2) an international typological project on partitive cases and related categories, coordinated by prof. Silvia Luraghi (Pavia, Italy), and 3) a large Finnish–Estonian–Hungarian cognitive linguistics project, with participants at the Universities of Turku, Helsinki, Tartu and Budapest (ELTE).