Ontto-Panula (Lehkonen), Henry-Paul
My obsession is popularizing research with comics. I’m currently a student in sociology finishing my bachelor’s and beginning my master’s.
Education
2022 – (2026) University of Turku, Bachelor of Social Sciences (2025), Master of Sociology
2012 – 2016 Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, basic studies, Graphic Design (55ECTS)
2010 – 2011 Liminka school of Arts, basic studies, graphic storytelling, (50ETCS)
2006 – 2011 Centria University of Applied Sciences, basic & intermediate studies, Community Educator (168ECTS)
2003 – 2006 Kauhajoen Lukio, ylioppilas
Publications
Grimm, Carmen. Kela, Juulia. Ontto-Panula, Henry-Paul. (2024). Texturing ethnography: On the co-creation of an ethno-graphic anthology of criminalisation research, in “Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, Rivista quadrimestrale” 3/2024, pp. 491-512, doi: 10.3240/115359
Ontto-Panula, Henry-Paul. (2023) Queer-aika ja tulevaisuus. Hybris.
Conferences and other events
January 2025, Conference presentation: Kupliva tiede ja populaari viestintä. Tervahartiala, Marika. Ontto-Panula, Henry-Paul. Lehtimaja, Lissu. Chair: Seija Kairavuori. Tieteen päivät, Helsinki.
June 2023, Session talk: Translating and transgressing research on criminalized fields via the ethno-graphic collaboration. Grimm, Carmen. Kela, Juulia. Ontto-Panula, Henry-Paul. Ethnography and qualitative research international conference, 9th edition. University of Trento.
March 2023, Seminar presentation: Datasta sarjakuvakäsikirjoitukseksi: Tutkijan työ taiteilijan kanssa / From data to a comic script: A researcher working with an artist. Lehkonen, H-P. Tampere Kuplii goes Academic -seminar: Comics, translation and accessibility. University of Tampere.
June 2022, Session talk: Cooperation between social scientists of criminality and graphic novelists – CrimScapes and the ‘ethnographic novel’. Kela, Juulia. Lehkonen, H-P. FSSTS science studies symposium: Collaboration as Social Practice. University of Helsinki.
February 2020, Artist guest panelist: Artist roundtable, Olsson, Sofia. Hemmingson, Nina. Romanova, Moa. Lehkonen, H-P. Pičukāne, Ingrīda. Moderated by Vuorinne, Anna. Antola, Laura. NSU Winter Symposium: Comics and Feminism. Södertörn University.
Work Experience
February 2025, Turun sarjakuvagalleria (pop-up), producer
I produced a month long comics event and exhibition in Turku. The event raised funds for Finnish comics sociaty and Turku comics society organizations. I curated the exhibition and organized 20 different evening programs.
May 2024 – July 2024, INVEST Research Flagship Centre, communications intern
I assisted in organizing a conference, marketing events and doing social media analysis. I also pitched a marketing idea for the MPInvest master’s programme and organized it.
May 2024, Uhmaa ja utopioita -event, Turku University, exhibition curator and advisor.
I assisted the organizing of a Uhmaa ja utopioita: suomalaista sateenkaarisarjakuvaa eri vuosikymmeniltä -event that consists of a panel discussion and a comics art exhibition. My job was to curate the exhibition and advice on finding contemporary queer comics artists.
2022 – 2024, Finnish Comics Society, teacher, “From data to comic script”-course
I built the course and pitched it to the Finnish Comics Society. Now I hold the course twice a year, teaching researchers on how to use comics in popularizing research.
August 2023, Turku university, WORK2023 conference assistant
I was streaming the panels and sessions and taking care of speakers.
2022 – 2024, CrimScapes, University of Helsinki and Berlin Humboldt University, consulting
My job was to lead and edit an ethnographic-novel book. This consisted of doing workshops with artists and researchers, book editing and administrative tasks.
2023 – 2024, EU Webtoon, Finnish Comics Society + international collaborators, local project manager
My job was to be the Finnish project manager for international comics art project funded by Creative Europe.
2019 –, DigiComix oy, entrepreneur, visual communication, web design and graphic design
This work is project based. Some of my favorites have been doing biodiversity comics for a Biodiful biodiversity research project newsletter (Turku University) and building and managing the website, social media, crowdfunding, and web store of a Finnish feminist comics artist Sara Valta.
2008 – 2019, Freelancer, comics artist
I have worked in several different comics projects, biggest ones being two LGBTQ+ comics anthologies I edited and two web comic publications I authored for webtoon.com.
Additional Skills
Software
Microsoft office – Excellent
Adobe – Excellent
Stata – Basics
Languages
Finnish – Native
English – Excellent
Swedish – Conversational
French – Limited (reading skills are good, other limited)
Other merits
2025 – Secretary, KULTVA (Cultural Interaction Researcher Network), Turku university
2022 – 2024 Chairman, Finnish Comics Society
2022 Kunnallistoimikunta member, Vantaa Left Alliance
2022 – 2023 Chairman, Maansatama ry
Grants and Stipends
2025 Kone foundation (8mo), working artist, Työstäkieltäytymisen filosofia comic book, exhibition and performance.