10 top women in science – University of Oulu researchers work for a better future

In honour of International Women's Day, which is celebrated on 8 March, we have compiled in this article leaders, researchers and professors working at the University of Oulu. All of these are top women in their fields. And are they not only pioneers in their fields, they also work in fields that have traditionally been considered masculine. In this way, these women also renew the image from their fields.

Above all, these people are current examples of top experts working at the University of Oulu who work for a better future.

Thora Herrmann

Professor Thora Herrmann works in the Biodiverse Anthropocenes research programme at the University of Oulu, combining science and art in her work. She initiated herself into this field of research in cultural geography already as a child and says that she was aware of the beauty and vulnerability of nature and wanted to work for the benefit of nature.

For more than twenty years, Thora Herrmann has studied the effects of environmental change on animal and plant species, as well as on the lifestyles, cultures and traditions of indigenous peoples in the Arctic. In the protection of endangered species, the researcher's work is guided by geographical, ecological and socio-cultural dimensions.

Pauliina Rautio

Professor Pauliina Rautio describes herself as a professor of biodiversity. At home, she takes care of injured wild birds and at work leads the multidisciplinary research group AniMate, which includes researchers in education, sociology, anthropology and biology. The group explores how people grow into humans and share everyday life with other animals, combining ecological citizen science with multispecies education, cultural human-animal research, and art such as sci-fi literature or dance. As the principal investigator of AniMate, she leads several large research projects on multispecies everyday life. These include the proof-of-concept project ELOTILA, the research project More than just human homes – HOMINGS, the consortium project (Un)learning with other species and Fellow Feelings.

Marja Matinmikko-Blue

Research Director Marja Matinmikko-Blue works at the University of Oulu's centre for multidisciplinary research Infotech Oulu and also as the Director of Sustainability and Regulation at the 6G Flagship. She also holds Adjunct Professor position radio spectrum management at the Centre for Wireless Communications (CWC) at the University of Oulu in the field of telecommunications technology. Marja Matinmikko-Blue conducts interdisciplinary research on future mobile communication networks by combining perspectives from business, technology and regulation in close collaboration with the academia, industry and regulators. She contributes to sustainable development across the board in the field of information and communication technologies. She has published more than 170 scientific articles and, among other things, participated in frequency regulation in Europe (CEPT) and at the international level (ITU).

Mariella Särestöniemi

Adjunct Professor Mariella Särestöniemi works in the 6GESS research programme at the University of Oulu. She conducts multidisciplinary research and develops new innovations and methods for health technology. Särestöniemi's research focuses on the development of wireless diagnosis and monitoring solutions, and she is an example of how women are leading the development of healthcare technology. She studies the propagation of radio signals in the body and develops self-diagnosis tools, such as a breast cancer screening vest. In 2020, Särestöniemi defended her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering on the topic "Ultra-wideband in-body propagation and radio channel characteristics for wireless body area network applications" and in 2024 at the Faculty of Medicine on the topic "Human body twins for realistic modeling of microwave technique towards its medical use". Särestöniemi has received an award from the Finnish Society for Telemedicine and eHealth for her work in promoting digital healthcare.

Riikka Isoaho-Nousiainen

Postdoctoral Researcher Riikka Isoaho-Nousiainen is part of a research group that studies the history of security of supply. Security of supply and securing people's smooth everyday lives have been key issues in Finland's history. As a result of recent events in world politics, the question of preparedness for emergency conditions has become even more important and research has become even more topical.
The aim of the research group is to produce new information on Finland's security of supply and its history. As a researcher, Riikka Isoaho-Nousiainen is generally interested in the early modern and modern history, especially from the perspective of women's and gender history. At the moment, she is working on a history book called Naisten Oulu (Women's Oulu).

Saija Luukkanen

Professor Saija Luukkanen, Director of the Oulu Mining School and her working group will create information on how the mining industry can operate more responsibly. She has worked as a professor of enrichment technology at the Oulu Mining School since 2015. She transferred to her current position from the consulting company Pöyry, where she worked in the Mining and Metals Business Unit as business development director in both Peru and Finland. During her career, Saija Luukkanen has also worked at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK Mintec) as a team leader in flotation and separation and as a project manager at Lafarge in France. Her background is in physical chemistry and she received PhD in 2000.

Ulla Lassi

Professor and Head of Research Unit Ulla Lassi's research areas include materials chemistry in industrial applications, such as hydrogen, battery chemicals, the development of battery materials and catalytic materials – which is also currently in the focus of investments in the national economy and the business sector. During her career, Ulla Lassi has supervised dozens of doctoral dissertations and published more than 200 scientific publications. In addition to her research work, she is active in several scientific and educational societies and working groups, and she holds several prestigious positions of trust in her field.

Anita Aikio

Professor of Space Research Anita Aikio from the Space Physics and Astronomy Research Unit works in a field of science where the earth and the sky are visible. Space physics is a field of science that studies the sun, solar wind, heliosphere, magnetospheres and upper atmospheres of the planets in the solar system, and their interactions. The goal of astronomy is to describe and understand the universe as a whole, as well as to study objects observed in the universe, such as planets, stars and galaxies. Anita Aikio's current research interests include the aurora borealis and their impact on the earth.

Anna-Maria Pirttilä

Professor Anna-Maria Pirttilä and her working group are looking for answers to topical questions in environmental protection and medicine. Anna-Maria Pirttilä is interested in symbiotic interactions, and she and her research group study, among other things, the impact of microbes on plant development and microbial communities in different environments. Mosses are no strangers either.

Anna-Maria Pirttilä has worked as a Research Council of Finland's Academy Research Fellow and was nominated for the Academic of the Year award in 2016 and the Women's Innovation Award in 2019. The research results have been reported in several news articles and broadcasts and, for example, in the prestigious international journals Nature Biotechnology and Nature Chemical Biology.

Eija Tanskanen

Eija Tanskanen, Director of the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory and Professor of Space Physics, leads the SafeEarth research programme, which studies security themes. In recent years, she has spent her time understanding the sun's activity and the effects of its magnetic storms. Magnetic disturbances affect, among other things, navigation, communication and electricity distribution, as well as the related functions of society. Eija Tanskanen wants to understand these functions even better. During her career, Eija Tanskanen has worked in various research, teaching and management positions both in Finland and abroad. At NASA's Goddard Space Research Center, she had the opportunity to follow the management of international space projects up close and participate in the brainstorming of new projects. At the University of Bergen, Tanskanen's duties included research on geomagnetic disturbances and their effects, as well as the development of new analysis and measurement methods.