The inaugural lectures of the new professors

As they take up their new role, each professor at the University of Helsinki holds a public inaugural lecture. Inaugural lectures are held twice a year close to the end of each term, usually in May and December.
Upcoming lectures | 3 December 2025

The next inaugural lectures of new professors will be held on Wednesday, 3 December 2025 in the University’s Main Building at Fabianinkatu 33. The lectures serve as popular introductions to the professors’ disciplines and current research topics. The lecture programme and lecturers will be announced on page helsinki.fi/juhlaluennot closer to the date. 

Additional event information: helsinkiunievents@helsinki.fi

Professors who gave their inaugural lectures in 2024-2025

Faculty of Arts:
Leena Kolehmainen, Professor of Germanic Philology | Anu Lahtinen, Professor of Finnish and Nordic History | Anneli Luhtala, Professor of Latin language | Marja Vierros, Professor of Classical Philology | Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Professor of Indigenous Studies

Faculty of Educational Sciences:
Riikka Räisänen, Professor of Craft Science and Craft Pedagogy

Faculty of Medicine:
Jari Lahti, Professor of Clinical psychology, mental health, and mental health interventions | Sirkku Peltonen, Professor of Dermatology and Allergology | Pipsa Saharinen, Professor of Biochemistry | Maritta Välimäki, Professor of Development of Healthcare Services 

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry:
Timo Hytönen, Professor of Molecular and Translational Plant Biology | Edward Webb, Professor of Global Forests and Land Use 

Faculty of Science:
Pia Bäcklund, Professor of Regional and Urban Inequalities | Gregor Hillers, Professor of Earthquake Seismology | Antti Honkela, Professor of Data Science (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence) | Katrianne Lehtipalo, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Physics | Mika Mäntylä, Professor of Computer Science (Software Development Methods) | Simon Puglisi, Professor of Data Science (Knowledge Discovery in Big Data) | Laura Ruotsalainen, Professor of Computer Science (Spatiotemporal Data Analysis for Sustainability Science)

Faculty of Law:
Dorota Gozdecka, Professor of Law | Dan Helenius, Professor of Criminal and Procedural Law

Faculty of Social Sciences:
Minna van Gerven, Professor of Social Policy | Johanna Kantola, Professor of European Societies and Politics | Timo Harrikari, Professor of Social Work| Michiru Nagatsu, Professor of Philosophy of Social Science and Sustainability

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry:
Kirsi Mikkonen, Professor of Food Sciences | Annukka Vainio, Professor of Sustainability Science (Behavioural Change toward Sustainability Transformations) 

Faculty of Science:
Federico Bianchi, Professor of Cryosphere-atmosphere interactions | Annalea Lohila, Professor of Biogeochemical Cycles | Petteri Nurmi, Professor of Computer Science (distributed systems and networking with emphasis on Internet of Things) | Markku Vainio, Professor of Physical Chemistry 

Faculty of Arts:
Silvio Cruschina, Professor of Italian Language | Ilona Hongisto, Professor of Audiovisual Culture | Camilla Lindholm, Professor of Scandinavian Languages | Pia Olsson, Professor of Ethnology | Pekka Posio, Professor of Ibero-Romance languages | Mikko Tolonen, Professor of Digital Humanities | Susanna Välimäki, Professor of Art Studies 

Faculty of Social Sciences:
Kris Clarke, professor of Social Work | Joel Hietanen, professor of Sociotechnical Change of Consumer Society |
Hisayo Katsui, professor of Disability Studies | Jaakko Kuorikoski, professor of Practical Philosophy | Franklin Obeng-Odoom, professor of Global Development Studies | Salla Sariola, professor of Sociology | Johanna Sumiala, professor of Communication

Faculty of Educational Sciences:
Raili Hilden, professor of Language Didactics | Janne Varjo, professor of Sociology of Education

Faculty of Medicine:
Timo Myöhänen, professor of Pharmacology

Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences:
Petri Ala-Laurila, professor of Neurobiology

Faculty of Law:
Anette Alén, professor of Civil and Commercial Law

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry:
Lassi Ahlvik, professor of Environmental Economics | Hanna Tuomisto, professor of Sustainability Science (Sustainable Food Systems) 

Faculty of Arts:
Terhi Ainiala, professor of Finnish Language | Mulki Al-Sharmani, professor of Islamic Studies | Tuomo Hiippala, professor of English Language and Digital Humanities | Lari Kotilainen, professor of Finnish Language | Kaius Sinnemäki, professor of Quantitative and Comparative Linguistics

Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences:
Jussi Eronen, professor of Socio-ecological Systems | Francisco Rivera Gómez-Barris, professor of Integrative Neurobiology | Marjo Saastamoinen, professor of Evolutionary Ecology | Jarno Vanhatalo, professor of Statistics | Katariina Öörni, professor of Integrative Physiology

Faculty of Medicine:
Johanna Arola, professor of Molecular Pathology | Kaisa Hartikainen, professor of Neurology | Liisa Kauppi, professor of Cancer Molecular Biology | Taija Mäkinen, professor of Translational Medicine | Tiina Ojala, professor of Pediatric Cardiology | Teppo Särkämö, professor of Neuropsyhcology 

Faculty of Educational Sciences:
Benjamin Ultan Cowley, professor of Learning in Humans and Machines

Faculty of Pharmacy:
Dario Greco, professor of Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics

Faculty of Science:
Peter Hästö, Professor of Mathematics (Swedish-language professorship) | Tom Jilbert, professor of Environmental Geochemistry | Indrė Žliobaitė, professor of Life Science Informatics | Konstantinos Sarakinos, professor of Experimental Materials Physics 

Faculty of Social Sciences:
Antti Latvala, professor of Criminology | Johanna Rainio-Niemi, professor of Political History

Swedish School of Social Science:
Mats Bergman, professor of Media and Communications

Dress code

New professors
New professors giving their inaugural lectures wear a black suit, or tailcoat with a bow tie and black waistcoat. Pocket handkerchief is not used with a black waistcoat. Clerics may wear clerical attire, and those who have completed their doctoral degree at a foreign university may use the gown of that institution. The new professors carry with them their doctoral hats if they have graduated from a Finnish university, and they have a doctoral hat. 

Audience
The dress code for the audience is casual. In the evening session, the dress code is festive attire.