Heikki Patomäki is professor of world politics at the University of Helsinki, Finland since 2003. Previously he worked at the Nottingham Trent University, UK (1998-2003), RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (2007-2010) and in 2012, as a visiting professor at the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. He was a founding member of NIGD (Network Institute for Global Democratisation, NIGD); also took part in the founding meeting of international Attac in Paris in 1998 and has chaired Attac Finland on two occasions. He sits on the Board of Left Alliance and is running for the European Parliament in 2014.