World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Best Female Scientists
2025
Award Badge
Neuroscience
Finland
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
133
Citations
61476
World Ranking
314
National Ranking
5

Neuroscience

D-Index
134
Citations
62716
World Ranking
244
National Ranking
1

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Neuroscience in Finland Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Neuroscience in Finland Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Neuroscience in Finland Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Neuroscience in Finland Leader Award
  • 2004 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1993 - Member of Academia Europaea

Overview

Riitta Hari is affiliated with Aalto University in Finland and conducts research primarily in the field of neuroscience. Their work spans multiple subfields, including cognitive neuroscience, experimental and cognitive psychology, psychiatry and mental health, sensory systems, and anesthesiology and pain medicine.

Hari's research covers several main topics such as neuroscience and music perception, EEG and brain-computer interfaces, neurobiology of language and bilingualism, anxiety, depression, psychometrics, treatment, cognitive processes, psychosomatic disorders and their treatments, aesthetic perception and analysis, and olfactory and sensory function studies.

Among recent significant publications are:

  • Brain activity reflects the predictability of word sequences in listened continuous speech, 2020, NeuroImage
  • Brain and behavioral alterations in subjects with social anxiety dominated by empathic embarrassment, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Bodily feelings and aesthetic experience of art, 2023, Cognition & Emotion
  • Imaging Real-Time Tactile Interaction With Two-Person Dual-Coil fMRI, 2020, Frontiers in Psychiatry
  • Somatotopic disruption of the functional connectivity of the primary sensorimotor cortex in complex regional pain syndrome type 1, 2023, Human Brain Mapping

Frequent co-authors in their collaborations include Rashmi Vishwakarma, Lauri Nummenmaa, Pratiksha Thakur, Bidhan C. Roy, and Miika Koskinen.

Publications have appeared in venues such as NeuroImage, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cognition & Emotion, Frontiers in Psychiatry, and Human Brain Mapping.

Riitta Hari has received recognition including membership in the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and membership in Academia Europaea in 1993.

Best Publications

  • Magnetoencephalography—theory, instrumentation, and applications to noninvasive studies of the working human brain

    Matti Hämäläinen;Riitta Hari;Risto J. Ilmoniemi;Jukka Knuutila

  • Activation of human primary motor cortex during action observation: A neuromagnetic study

    R. Hari;N. Forss;S. Avikainen;E. Kirveskari

  • Bodily maps of emotions

    Lauri Nummenmaa;Enrico Glerean;Riitta Hari;Jari K. Hietanen

  • Spatiotemporal characteristics of sensorimotor neuromagnetic rhythms related to thumb movement.

    R. Salmelin;R. Hari

  • Temporal dynamics of cortical representation for action

    N. Nishitani;R. Hari

  • Human cortical oscillations: a neuromagnetic view through the skull

    Riitta Hari;Riitta Salmelin

  • Brain Basis of Human Social Interaction: From Concepts to Brain Imaging

    Riitta Hari;Miiamaaria V. Kujala

  • Impaired processing of rapid stimulus sequences in dyslexia

    Riitta Hari;Hanna Renvall

  • Cortical Control of Human Motoneuron Firing During Isometric Contraction

    Stephan Salenius;Karin Portin;Matti Kajola;Riitta Salmelin

  • Cognitive Response Profile of the Human Fusiform Face Area as Determined by MEG

    Eric Halgren;Tommi Raij;Ksenija Marinkovic;Veikko Jousmäki

  • Functional Segregation of Movement-Related Rhythmic Activity in the Human Brain

    R. Salmelin;M. Hámáaláinen;M. Kajola;R. Hari

  • Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.

    Lauri Nummenmaa;Enrico Glerean;Mikko Viinikainen;Iiro P. Jääskeläinen

  • The Compassionate Brain: Humans Detect Intensity of Pain from Another's Face

    Miiamaaria V Saarela;Yevhen Hlushchuk;Amanda C de C Williams;Martin Schürmann

  • Seeing speech: visual information from lip movements modifies activity in the human auditory cortex

    Mikko Sams;Reijo Aulanko;Matti Hämäläinen;Riitta Hari

  • Functional Organization of the Human First and Second Somatosensory Cortices: a Neuromagnetic Study

    Riitta Hari;J. Karhu;M. Hämäläinen;J. Knuutila

  • Auditory evoked transient and sustained magnetic fields of the human brain. Localization of neural generators.

    R. Hari;K. Aittoniemi;M. L. Järvinen;T. Katila

  • Responses of the primary auditory cortex to pitch changes in a sequence of tone pips: neuromagnetic recordings in man.

    Riitta Hari;Matti Hämäläinen;R. Ilmoniemi;E. Kaukoranta

  • On the human sensorimotor-cortex beta rhythm: sources and modeling

    Ole Jensen;P. Goel;Nancy Kopell;Mikko Pohja

  • Involvement of Primary Motor Cortex in Motor Imagery: A Neuromagnetic Study

    Alfons Schnitzler;Stephan Salenius;Riitta Salmelin;Veikko Jousmäki

  • Altered central sensorimotor processing in patients with complex regional pain syndrome

    Kirsi Juottonen;Maarit Gockel;Teija Silén;Heikki Hurri

Frequent Co-Authors

Veikko Jousmäki
Veikko Jousmäki Aalto University
Mikko Sams
Mikko Sams Aalto University
Nina Forss
Nina Forss University of Helsinki
Matti Hämäläinen
Matti Hämäläinen Harvard Medical School
Lauri Nummenmaa
Lauri Nummenmaa Turku University Hospital
Riitta Salmelin
Riitta Salmelin Aalto University
Lauri Parkkonen
Lauri Parkkonen Aalto University
Martin Schürmann
Martin Schürmann University of Nottingham
Xavier De Tiege
Xavier De Tiege Université Libre de Bruxelles
Iiro P. Jääskeläinen
Iiro P. Jääskeläinen Aalto University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Neuroscience can open doors to diverse academic and career options, especially if you’re considering online learning. Many students are interested in fun majors in college that pay well. Neuroscience and related biological sciences consistently appear on these lists, offering both personal satisfaction and excellent earning potential.

For those concerned about affordability, choosing an online school that accepts fafsa is essential. This can help ease the cost of tuition and make pursuing your degree more attainable, especially if you plan to study part-time or balance work and family commitments.

If you’re looking to upskill or specialize, there are also online certificate programs in neuroscience, health sciences, and related fields. These can help you enter the workforce quickly or advance your current career.

Finally, those seeking a faster route may consider easy degrees to get online. While neuroscience can be challenging, a strong interest in the subject can make studying more enjoyable and rewarding.

Best Scientists Citing Riitta Hari

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles