Ilkka A. Hanski (born 14 February 1953) is a Finnish scientist, working in the field of ecology, at the University of Helsinki, Finland.The Metapopulation Research Group led by Hanski has been nominated as a Center of Excellence by the Academy of Finland. The group studies species living in fragmented landscapes and attempts to advance such research of metapopulation ecology that can be applied to preserving nature. Metapopulation ecology itself studies populations of plants and animals which are separated in space by occupying patches.He received Crafoord Prize, from Royal Swedish Academy in 2011 for his pioneering studies on how spatial variation affects the dynamics of animal and plant populations.