Meet the University’s new professors and hear about their research at the inaugural lectures on 2 December

Kaksi tohtorinhattua ikkunalaudalla.
Bulletin 10.11.2026

The University’s new professors will give their inaugural lectures on 2 December from 14.30 to 16.30 in the Main Building lecture rooms at Fabianinkatu 33. The lectures will also be livestreamed. An inauguration ceremony for the new professors, open to all, will follow in the Great Hall at 17.00.

Professor of International Law René Urueña will give his inaugural lecture at the ceremony that closes the University’s day of inaugural lectures on 2 December. The ceremony will last about an hour and be followed by a reception in the Main Building foyers, where everyone in the audience is welcome to join us.

The full programme for the day, including livestream links for each lecture room, is available on our website Inaugural lectures of new professors. Please note that the lectures will not be recorded.

New professors and lecture topics (titles in the lecture language)

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry

  • Johan Ekroos, Professor of Agroecology: Agroekologia: maatalouden kestävyystutkimusta (Room F3005 at 15.30)

Faculty of Science

  • Mikael Granvik, Professor of Planetary Astrophysics: Asteroidit pintaa syvemmältä (Room F3017 at 15.30)
  • Mika Kortesniemi, Professor of Medical Physics: Lääketieteellinen fysiikka - näkökulmia tulevaisuuden tekniikkaan ja dataohjattuun sairaalamaailmaan (Room F3017 at 14.30)
  • Johanna Salminen, Professor of Solid Earth Geophysics: Supermantereet (Room F3017 at 15.00)
  • Zoltán Zimborás, Professor of Quantum Algorithms: TBA (Room F3017 at 16.00)

Faculty of Humanities

  • Lieven Ameel, Professor of Literary Studies: Mitä kirjallisuus voi kertoa tulevaisuudesta? (Room F3010 at 15.00)
  • Nikolay Hakimov, Professor of Russian Language: Literacy instruction reshapes syllabification in Russian.(Room F3010 at 15.30)
  • Tuomas Tepora, Professor of History: Historia tässä hetkessä (Room F3010 at 14.30)

Faculty of Social Sciences

  • Juha Herkman, Professor of Media and Communication Studies: Populistinen viestintä ja kamppailu sanojen merkityksistä (Room F4050 (Small Hall) at 16.00)
  • Ville-Pekka Sorsa, Professor of Social Policy: Mikä tekee yhteiskuntapolitiikasta kestävää? (Room F4050 (Small Hall) at 15.30)

Faculty of Law

  • Jaakko Salminen, Professor of Sustainability Law: A Governance Theory of Private Law for a Global, Digital, and Circular Economy (Room F4050 (Small Hall) at 15.00)
  • René Urueña, Professor of International Law: Thinking of the future through international law (Great Hall at 17.00)

Faculty of Medicine

  • Veli-Pekka Harjola, Professor of Emergency Medicine: Akuuttilääketieteen koulutus ja tutkimus – päivystystoiminnan kehittämisen perusta (Room F3020 (Studium) at 15.30)
  • Liisa Myllykangas, Professor of Neuropathology: Mikroskopiaa ja tekoälyä – moderni neuropatologian tutkimus laajentaa ymmärrystä dementiasairauksien monimuotoisuudesta  (Room F3020 (Studium) at 15.00)
  • Jukka Putaala, Professor of Neurology: Tunnetut ja vähemmän tunnetut tekijät työikäisten aivoinfarktin taustalla (Room F3020 (Studium) at 14.30)
  • Johanna Snäll, Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Murtuneet kasvot: yhteiskunnan jäljet kasvovammoissa (Room F3020 (Studium) at 16.00)

Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy

  • Charles Brenner, Professor of Metabolic Regulation: From a rum and coke to the brown bears of Finland: insights into common fuel partition mechanisms from rare disease (Room F3003 (Tekla Hultin) at 16.00)

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Medicine

  • Johanna Lindahl, Professor of Zoonotic Virology: Zoonotic viruses: Why we need a One Health Approach (Room F3003 (Tekla Hultin) at 15.30)

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

  • Claudio Oliviero, Professor of Production Animal Medicine: Small Beginnings, Big Impact: How Early-Life Care Shapes Animal Health and Public Health — Implications for One Health and Sustainable Pig Production. (Room F3003 (Tekla Hultin) at 15.00)
  • Tarja Pitkänen, Professor of Environmental Health: Puhdas vesi turvaa elinympäristöjen terveellisyyttä (Room F3003 (Tekla Hultin) at 14.30)

Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences

  • Halley Froehlich, Professor of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture: Blue Food for a Rapidly Changing Planet (Room F3005 at 15.00)
  • Roosa Laitinen, Professor of Plant Genetics: Kasvit muutoksessa (Room F3005 at 14.30)

Faculty of Educational Sciences

  • Kaiju Kangas, Professor of Technology Education: Kekseliäs teknologiakasvatus (Room F4050 (Small Hall) at 14.30)

Café Civis and Helsinki University Museum Flame, at Fabianinkatu 33, will be open to the public until 17.00. Coats can be left in the staffed cloakroom in the entrance lobby of the Main Building at Aleksanterinkatu 5. The dress code is neat, everyday clothing for the inaugural lectures and festive attire for the evening celebration.

We warmly invite you to join us and meet the University’s new professors!

Accessibility

If you have any individual requirements you would like us to accommodate, please contact unievents@helsinki.fi.

For information on the accessibility of the facilities, see Accessibility at the Main Building.

Photo: Pekka Lähteenmäki (University of Helsinki)