New professors delivered inaugural lectures to showcase their research
Inaugural lectures provide newly appointed professors with the opportunity to showcase their research to the scientific community, external stakeholders and members of the public. For the University, inaugural lectures are an occasion to welcome our new professors to the university community.
This year, inaugural lectures were given by newly appointed professors from all the faculties at Tampere University at an in-person event for the first time. Twelve new professors from different fields shared their research and discussed the latest developments in their disciplines. The event drew approximately 300 attendees. In previous years, the inaugural lecture series was organised in a virtual format.
The lectures took place at the same time on all three campuses – the city centre campus, the Hervanta campus and the Kauppi campus – on the morning of 16 May. After the lectures, all attendees gathered on the city centre campus to hear a speech by President of Tampere University Keijo Hämäläinen and inaugural lectures by Professors Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen and Esa Kirkkopelto. The new professors were then presented with flowers.
The following professors delivered inaugural lectures on 16 May 2024:
- Jussi Hernesniemi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, cardiology: Sudden cardiac death (lecture in Finnish).
- Mervi Kaukko, Faculty of Education and Culture, education and multicultural education: Three misconceptions about refugee children (lecture in Finnish).
- Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen, Faculty of Management and Business, political science: Gaps in Finland’s democracy (lecture in Finnish).
- Esa Kirkkopelto, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, artistic research: Artistic research in the performing arts and at Tampere University (lecture in Finnish).
- Jenni Kulmala, Faculty of Social Sciences, health sciences and gerontology: The keys to maintaining functional ability in old age and providing humane elder care (lecture in Finnish).
- Katja Kuusisto, Faculty of Social Sciences, welfare sciences and social work: Effectiveness in substance abuse treatment: developing evidence-based practices in social work.
- Päivi Kymäläinen, Faculty of Social Sciences, social policy: Social space and justice in a sustainable city (lecture in Finnish).
- Katri Lindfors, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, molecular biology: The many faces of celiac disease (lecture in Finnish).
- Olli Lohi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, pediatric hematology and oncology: New era in the treatment of childhood leukaemia (lecture in Finnish).
- Nelli Piattoeva, Faculty of Education and Culture, sociology of education: We have never been global: Asserting a sociology of education of the national.
- Henri Pirkkalainen, Faculty of Management and Business, information and knowledge management and business information systems: The value of information systems and unpredictable outcomes (lecture in Finnish).
- Samuli Saarni, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, psychiatry: Can mental health services be rethought to meet demand? (lecture in Finnish).
Watch recordings of our inaugural lectures to get to know our new professors.
The recordings will remain available for viewing until 30 May.
Author: Jenna Ala-Rantala
