The working title of the dissertation is "The role of the father in the best interests of the child". Tapio's legal research is in the field of international law and human rights. The study examines the role of parenthood in the best interests of the child from the perspective of European human rights law. It focuses in particular on the interpretation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to biological paternity.

The aim of the study is to examine the legal link between paternity and the rights of the child and to identify the approach of European human rights law and practice to biological paternity, child custody after divorce and unmarried parenthood, focusing on the legal position of biological fathers and its importance to the realisation of the rights of the child.

The event included a discussion on the scope of the work, the current state of play, the structure and conceptualization of the study and how the research will be taken forward. Hannele Tolonen from the University of Helsinki was the opponent. The event was an excellent discussion and useful for both the researcher and the other PhD students present.