Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology
Professor Arnold Pears
An Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy will be conferred upon Professor Arnold Pears.
Arnold Pears is a Professor at, and the Chair of, the Department of Learning Engineering Sciences at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He is also a co-founder and key member of the Uppsala Computing Education Research Group, UpCERG. Professor Pears is a well-known international researcher in engineering and computing education.
Collaboration between Professor Pears and colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland dates back more than two decades, starting with Professor Pears contributing to the Koli Calling conference and later serving as the Conference General Chair and as the leader of doctoral consortia. Professor Pears has on-going collaboration on the steering committee of a Strategic Research Council consortium. Professor Pears has also served as a longstanding collaborator and mentor for several University of Eastern Finland researchers.
Professor Pears was elected as the President of the IEEE Education Society, EdSoc, for 2025–2026, after serving on the EdSoc Board of Governors in 2018–2020, as VP Publications in 2021–2023, and on the Board of Governors of the IEEE Computer Society in 2012–2014.
Professor Walter Herzog
An Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy will be conferred upon Professor Walter Herzog.
Walter Herzog is a Professor at the University of Calgary and the Director of the Human Performance Lab. He is a well-recognised scholar of musculoskeletal system neuro-biomechanics.
Professor Herzog has collaborated with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland on several joint projects involving, e.g., animal models of osteoarthritis, and the measurement of biomechanical and biological responses of cells. He has authored more than 600 scientific articles, 40 of which have been co-authored with University of Eastern Finland researchers.
Professor Herzog has received several international awards in recognition for his work, including the Borelli Award of the American Society of Biomechanics (2006), the Career Award of the Canadian Society for Biomechanics (2006), the Geoffrey Dyson Career Award of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (2017), the Muybridge Award of the International Society of Biomechanics (2017), and the Killam Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts (2018).
Academician Markku Kulmala
An Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy will be conferred upon Academician Markku Kulmala.
Professor Markku Kulmala is a one of the world’s leading researchers of the physics and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols. Representing cutting-edge research globally, Kulmala has significantly enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to climate change. Under his lead, Finnish climate and atmospheric researchers have formed a close-knit community working together towards a common goal.
Professor Kulmala was awarded the title of Academician in 2017. He serves as a Professor of Aerosol and Environmental Physics at the University of Helsinki, and he was appointed as an Academy Professor for three terms in 2004–2021. Kulmala leads the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, INAR, whose research focuses on, e.g., aerosol physics and chemistry, air quality and climate change, and ecosystem-atmospheric interactions.
Professor Kulmala was involved in the establishment of the SMEAR stations, i.e., Stations for Measuring Earth Surface-Atmosphere Relations, one of which is located in Puijo, Kuopio. His role in Finland being selected as the headquarters of the ESFRI infrastructures Integrated Carbon Observation System, ICOS, and the Aerosol Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure, ACTRIS, has been instrumental. Research infrastructures that are crucial for climate change research conducted at the University of Eastern Finland are included in both ICOS and ACTRIS.
Professor Kulmala’s work has been recognised with numerous international awards and honorary doctorates.
Professor Emerita Aino Nevalainen
An Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy will be conferred upon Professor Emerita Aino Nevalainen.
Professor Emerita Aino Nevalainen is a well-renowned scholar of environmental health, particularly recognised for her research on indoor air quality. She has raised awareness of indoor air quality research, and its significance, among the public and decision-makers alike.
Professor Emerita Nevalainen conducted research into indoor air microbes at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and at its predecessor, the National Public Health Institute of Finland, from 1983 to 2011. She has also worked at the University of Kuopio, the Research Council of Finland, and the Universities of Cincinnati and Pennsylvania. In addition, she has served in expert capacity for the World Health Organization, WHO, the European Commission, and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Professor Emerita Nevalainen has made a significant contribution to education and research in environmental sciences and biosciences, with a substantial number of Finland’s indoor air quality experts having been trained by her.
In 2016, the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, ISIAQ, recognised Nevalainen with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Professor Lena Claesson-Welsh
An Honorary Doctorate in Medicine will be conferred upon Professor Lena Claesson-Welsh.
Serving as a Professor at Uppsala University, Lena Claesson-Welsh is a renowned pioneer in vascular biology. She has been involved in numerous significant research projects addressing vascular permeability and vascular formation, with her results published in the field’s leading journals. Her collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland is extensive, ranging from research collaboration to the organisation of international conferences, and to the supervision of doctoral students and serving as their opponent.
Professor Claesson-Welsh has also held several administrative and leadership roles in her university, including serving as a Head of Department and as a Dean for Research Education. She is also a past President of the European Vascular Biology Organisation, EVBO, a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, EMBO, a panel member for the European Research Council, a member of the Finnish Society of Science and Letters, and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Professor Claesson-Welsh has received numerous recognitions for her work, including the Eric K. Fernström Prize, the Anders Jahre Award for Young Researchers, the Swedish Cancer Society’s Cancer Researcher of the Year Award, and the Rudbeck Medal, and she has also been appointed as a Wallenberg Scholar by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Professor Emeritus Sven Frøkjær
An Honorary Doctorate in Pharmacy will be conferred upon Professor Emeritus Sven Frøkjær.
Professor Emeritus Sven Frøkjær has made an impressive career in academia and corporate leadership, as well as in various administrative roles. He has served as a Professor, Vice-Dean and Dean at the University of Copenhagen, and as the Rector of the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He has also held leadership positions at Novo Nordisk.
Professor Emeritus Frøkjær’s research is focused on drug delivery and the biophysics of biopharmaceuticals. He has actively collaborated with the DrugTech research community at the University of Eastern Finland, as a member of its scientific advisory board. In addition, he served on the University of Eastern Finland’s research evaluation panel in 2019 and 2023.
Professor Emeritus Frøkjær has received numerous recognitions and awards for his work, including the Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog (2007), the Industrial Prize of the Danish Science Academy (2010), the H.C. Ørsted Silver Award (2016), the Gold Medal of the Danish Pharmaceutical Science Association (2018), and he has been appointed as a Honourable Professor by Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in China (2020).
Professor Christian Haass
An Honorary Doctorate in Medicine will be conferred upon Professor Christian Haass.
Professor Christian Haass at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) is one of the world’s most renowned researchers of Alzheimer’s disease. His research in the field of neurosciences is focused on Alzheimer’s disease, as well as on the molecular, cellular and systems-level research of frontotemporal dementia.
Professor Haass has been involved in several significant research projects and he has actively collaborated with the Neuroscience research community and its researchers at the University of Eastern Finland.
Professor Haass’s research is widely recognised: he has received, among others, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2002), the Metlife Foundation Award (2015) and the Brain Prize (2018).
Dr Frederik Paulsen
An Honorary Doctorate in Medicine will be conferred upon Dr Frederik Paulsen.
Dr Frederik Paulsen has been a long-standing Chairman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ Board of Directors, currently serving as its Honorary Chairman. Dr Paulsen’s significance to the University of Eastern Finland, and to the City of Kuopio, is immense. Under his leadership, Ferring Pharmaceuticals has invested over 100 million euros in the biotechnology company FinVector in recent years, with the construction of FinVector’s new gene therapy production facility in Kuopio playing a key role. Over the years, Dr Paulsen has also provided significant support for the research conducted in the A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland.
Dr Paulsen is known as an avid supporter of cutting-edge research, culture and the conservation of the Arctic environment. He has, among other things, served as the Chariman of the University of the Arctic (UArctic) and on the Board of the Salk Institute, and he has funded research expeditions to Antarctica. He has received numerous recognitions from around the world, the most notable being the title Knight of the Order of St. John, awarded by Queen Elizabeth in 2020.
Professor Paula Sherwood
An Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences will be conferred upon Professor Paula Sherwood.
Professor Paula Sherwood at the University of Virginia is a distinguished scholar of nursing science, with her research focusing on the quality of care in patients with cancer, as well as on family interventions in patients with brain tumours. Before moving to the University of Virginia, she worked at the University of Pittsburgh for a long time, from 2004 to 2024.
Professor Sherwood was appointed as a Fulbright Professor at the University of Eastern Finland from 2012 to 2013. She has collaborated extensively with researchers at the Department of Nursing Science, including in the project Excellent Research and Expertise of Quality of Cancer Care by Internationally Trained Staff, INEXCA, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Professor Sherwood has co-authored articles with University of Eastern Finland researchers, and she has also supervised doctoral researchers and served as a mentor for postdoctoral researchers at UEF.
Professor Sherwood has served in leadership capacity in several scientific organisations, including the US National Institute for Nursing Research, the US National Cancer Institute, the Oncology Nursing Society and the Neuroscience Nursing Foundation. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including being appointed as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and receiving the CANS Investigator with a Brilliant Future Award, the New Investigator Award of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, as well as the Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.
Professor Emeritus Jaakko Tuomilehto
An Honorary Doctorate in Medicine will be conferred upon Professor Emeritus Jaakko Tuomilehto.
Professor Emeritus Jaakko Tuomilehto is one of Finland’s most internationally renowned scholars of public health. His specialties include diabetes, hypertension and arterial diseases. Tuomilehto has been involved in several pioneering research projects and his life’s work has made a significant contribution to advancing medicine and public health both in Finland and across the globe. Many of his studies have contributed to the scientific basis for the prevention of chronic diseases, and to the related clinical care guidelines, in Finland and globally. He is the most cited Finnish researcher in medicine, and among the top 50 most cited medical researchers in the world.
Professor Emeritus Tuomilehto’s academic career began in the North Karelia Project coordinated by the University of Kuopio in 1973, and he earned his doctorate in medicine from Kuopio in 1975. He had a long career at the National Public Health Institute of Finland, and he served as a Professor of Public Health at the Universities of Kuopio and Helsinki. His supervision and research have led to the completion of more than 130 doctoral dissertations, 36 of which have been completed at the University of Eastern Finland and its predecessors.
Professor Emeritus Tuomilehto has held part-time professorships in Spain, Austria, China, Colombia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United States, and he has served on numerous international and domestic panels of experts, as well as in various scientific organisations. He has been recognised with an impressive 35 awards for his scientific achievements, including the Claude Bernard Award, which is the most prestigious scientific award in the field of diabetes. Furthermore, he is a past nominee for a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
Author Sirpa Kähkönen
An Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences will be conferred upon Author Sirpa Kähkönen.
Born in Kuopio, Sirpa Kähkönen is known as an author depicting social and historical themes. Her works often portray the fates of civilians, women and children during times of social upheaval and crises.
Kähkönen has studied literature and history at the Universities of Tampere and Helsinki, and her most well-known novels, Mustat morsiamet (1998), Rautayöt (2002), Jään ja tulen kevät (2004), Lakanasiivet (2007), Neidonkenkä (2009), Hietakehto (2012), Tankkien kesä (2016), Muistoruoho (2019) ja Vihreä sali (2021), are set in Kuopio.
Kähkönen’s literary production is comprised of prose, plays and non-fiction. Her works also have a personal element to them. For example, the non-fiction book Vihan ja rakkauden liekit (2010) recounts her maternal grandfather’s years in the Tammisaari forced labor camp in the 1920s and 1930s, while the Finlandia Literature Prize-winning novel 36 uurnaa (2023) is a depiction of 20th century history through a mother-daughter relationship.
Kähkönen has held several positions of trust, including serving as the Chair of the Union of Finnish Writers from 2018 to 2022, and as the Chair of the Finnish PEN, an international association of writers promoting freedom of expression, from 2014 to 2017. She has been recognised with numerous awards throughout her career, including the Savonia Prize (1999 and 2021), the Pro Finlandia Medal (2015), the Finland Award (2016) and the Finlandia Literature Prize (2023).
Professor Kevin Durrheim
An Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences will be conferred upon Professor Kevin Durrheim.
Kevin Durrheim is a Distinguished Professor in Psychology at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. His areas of specialisation include social psychology, social interaction and cooperation, and group solidarity. With his research into intergroup relations spanning several decades, and he is a widely recognised scholar in his field.
Professor Durrheim’s contribution to Finnish social psychology is significant. He has collaborated with University of Eastern Finland researchers on the FriendMUM project, as well as on scientific articles.
In addition, Professor Durrheim leads the UJ Methods Lab, an open science portal at the University of Johannesburg, which is focused on promoting open access to open science in Africa.
Professor Emeritus Juha Kinnunen
An Honorary Doctorate in Business Studies will be conferred upon Professor Emeritus Juha Kinnunen.
Professor Emeritus Juha Kinnunen, Doctor of Economics and Business Administration, is a long-standing Professor of Accounting at Aalto University School of Business, formerly known as Helsinki School of Economics. His research is focused on financial accounting, especially market-based accounting and financial statement analysis.
Professor Emeritus Kinnunen has played an instrumental role in the internationalisation of Finnish research into financial accounting, with his studies having been published in several prominent journals in the field.
Professor Emeritus Kinnunen’s extensive collaboration with researchers of accounting at the University of Eastern Finland spans decades, and he has contributed to the internationalisation and diversification of accounting research at the University of Eastern Finland.
Professor Axel Börsch-Supan
An Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences will be conferred upon Professor Axel Börsch-Supan.
Professor Axel Börsch-Supan is an internationally renowned scholar of the economics of ageing. He earned his doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984.
Professor Börsch-Supan’s academic career includes appointments as an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University (1984–1987), as a Professor of Economics at the University of Dortmund (1987–1989), and as a Professor of Macroeconomics and Economic Policy at the University of Mannheim (1989–2011), where he founded the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, MEA. He later served as the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy (2011–2022) and as the Managing Director of the research infrastructure Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, SHARE. Within the SHARE consortium, Professor Börsch-Supan has collaborated extensively with researchers of the Department of Health and Social Management, and the Department of Social Sciences, at the University of Eastern Finland.
Professor Börsch-Supan is a well-renowned scholar whose insights into the societal impacts of ageing have been utilised by numerous national and international organisations, including the OECD and the World Bank.
Professor Eeva Furman
An Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences will be conferred upon Professor Eeva Furman.
Professor Eeva Furman serves as the Secretary-General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development at the Prime Minister’s Office. She has previously served as the Director of the Environmental Policy Centre at the Finnish Environment Institute and as the Chair of the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development.
Professor Furman is a renowned scholar and expert in sustainability and environmental policy. She earned her doctorate from Bangor University in Wales in 1989. Her expertise ranges from biodiversity and ecosystem services management to civic engagement in environmental issues, and from interaction between research and decision-making to promoting sustainable development in society through collaborative approaches.
Professor Furman has extensive international networks. For instance, she served as an invited member of the UN expert group preparing the first global sustainable development report in 2016–2019, and she has coordinated the Operationalisation of Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital project, OpenNESS, funded by the EU from 2012 to 2017.