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Inaugural lectures showcase the work of our new professors – meet Sami Pajunen who studies advances in timber construction

Published on 10.5.2021
Tampere University
Kuvituskuva tohtorinhattu violetilla sävytyksellä.
Recorded inaugural lectures, delivered by professors, professors of practice and industry professors who joined Tampere University in 2019–2020, are made available online in May. In the 15-minute lectures, the professors present their field and current research. One of the lectures is delivered by Sami Pajunen, professor in the Faculty of Built Environment who specialises in lightweight and special structures.

The inaugural lectures of newly appointed professors in all the faculties at Tampere University are delivered virtually in the spring of 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions. Inaugural lectures are given by 15 newly appointed professors from all the faculties at Tampere University. The videos are published on the University’s YouTube channel.

“An inaugural lecture is traditionally an opportunity for colleagues to welcome newly appointed professors to the campus community, but this time, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are delighted to be able to showcase our new professors in a virtual environment. The brief lectures provide an overview of our new professors’ fields of research and perfectly illustrate the broad range of multidisciplinary research carried out across the University,” says Jarmo Takala, provost at Tampere University.

One of the lectures is delivered by Sami Pajunen, professor in the Faculty of Built Environment who specialises in lightweight and special structures. His research and teaching activities are mainly focused on industrial-scale timber construction and, in particular, the design of wood structures. 

 “Through my research, I am able to influence the direction in which timber construction is heading and the types of design methods and structural solutions that will be used in the future,” Pajunen says. 

Pajunen says that a range of social, political and market-based factors and mechanisms play a part in governing the growth of timber construction – but ultimately, they all rely on evidence-based knowledge.

“This is where the research carried out at Tampere University will prove invaluable,” Pajunen says.

Meet Sami Pajunen and watch his lecture titled Investing in design is the key to tapping into the full potential of wood as a building material.

An inaugural lecture is part of academic tradition and a prestigious occasion for newly appointed professors to present their research to the scientific community, their stakeholders and the general public and for the University to welcome them to the campus community. Inaugural lectures are traditionally public events that are open to all.

Meet our new professors at tuni.fi/newprofessors.

Inquiries:
The University's people search returns the contact details of all professors who delivered an inaugural lecture.