Find Academic Supervisors

Santtu Söderholm is a doctoral researcher affiliated with the Mathematics Research Centre. His academic focus lies within biomedical engineering and computational neuroscience, utilizing numerical simulation techniques to analyze cerebral blood flow and electrical conductivity in brain tissue. His research interests include: Computational modeling of cerebral hemodynamics Dynamic brain imaging techniques EEG source reconstruction Multi-compartment head modeling Impact of blood circulation on biomedical signals Finite element method applications in neuroimaging Recent publications highlight his work on diffusion approximation in microcirculation analysis (2025), dynamic impact modeling (2024), and the Pressure–Poisson equation's role in simulating arterial flow (2023). Santtu has also contributed to open-source datasets and presented on computational assessment methods at a conference in 2018.

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• +3 more

Dr. Angela Serra is a University Lecturer in the Department of Biomedicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Finland. Her research bridges computer science and biomedicine, focusing on data integration, toxicogenomics, and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) frameworks for chemical and nanomaterial safety assessment. Her primary research interests include chemical safety assessment , knowledge graphs in drug discovery , toxicogenomics , network toxicology , and computational modeling of adverse outcome pathways . She applies advanced data science and systems biology methods to develop innovative, non-animal approaches for evaluating chemical and nanomaterial risks. The recent publications highlight a strong trend toward integrated data frameworks , digital innovation in sustainability , and mechanistic modeling for regulatory science. Her work emphasizes the use of omics data, knowledge graphs, and AI-driven tools to support Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles in chemical and material innovation. Dr. Serra is actively involved in EU-funded research, currently serving as a Work Package Leader in the INSIGHT project under Horizon Europe. She contributes to major collaborative efforts such as the PINK and CompSafeNano projects, advancing digital and data-driven approaches in toxicology and sustainability. She has developed several software tools including Nextcast , BMDx , and MaNGA , supporting toxicogenomics analysis, benchmark dose modeling, and QSAR modeling. These tools are publicly available and contribute to open science in computational toxicology.

• Chemical Safety Assessment
• Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD)
• Toxicogenomics
• +12 more

Alexandra Schaffert is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Tampere University, affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology in the Department of Biomedicine. Her research is centered on advancing understanding in toxicogenomics, regulatory toxicology, and systems biology. The core of Dr. Schaffert's research lies in the integration of genomic data with toxicological assessment, aiming to improve safety evaluation through systems-level approaches. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms of toxicity with regulatory science, contributing to modernized risk assessment frameworks. Her research interests include: Toxicogenomics Regulatory Toxicology Systems Biology Biomedicine Molecular Toxicology Computational Biology No recent publications were listed in the source material to analyze for trends. No scientific awards or honors were mentioned in the provided information. There is no available information regarding student supervision, grant funding, or advising roles. Likewise, details about specific research labs or collaborative teams have not been provided in the current profile.

• Toxicogenomics
• Regulatory Toxicology
• Systems Biology
• +3 more

Brandon Hickman is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki , affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and the Human Microbiome Research unit. His research focuses on biomedical microbiome studies, particularly in infant health contexts. Research interests include: Gut microbiota development in infants Environmental microbiota interactions Microbiome-based health prediction models Microbial determinants of pediatric diseases Publications analysis reveals a research trajectory spanning: 2012–2017: Early work in environmental engineering and meteorology 2018–2022: Transition to microbiome research with focus on infant health 2023–2025: Maturation of expertise in biomedical microbiome applications Key themes: Microbial ecology, environmental exposures, health prediction models

• Microbiome Research
• Biomedicine
• Infant Health
• +3 more

Jing Tang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki . She also holds a Docentship in Biometry and serves as a Supervisor in Doctoral Programmes for Computer Science, Biomedicine, and Integrative Life Science. Education: PhD in Statistics (University of Helsinki, 2016), Docentship in Biometry (2016) Key Research Areas: Network pharmacology for precision medicine, mathematical modeling of drug synergy, systems-level cancer pathway inhibition, computational drug discovery, and biomedical informatics Article Trends : Recent publications focus on network-driven drug response prediction in acute myeloid leukemia, causal inference for essential gene analysis, graph neural networks in drug-target interaction modeling, and seasonal brain-adipose tissue interactions via μ-opioid receptor imaging. Tools developed include SynergyFinder+ and DrugComb platforms. Awards: Academy of Finland Research Fellow (2018), Helsinki Challenge Award (2017), HiLIFE Research Fellow (2017) Supervision: Leads the Tang Lab team, mentoring PhD researchers in method development and software engineering for cancer drug discovery

• Network Pharmacology
• Drug Combination Discovery
• Systems Biology
• +5 more

Anni Sofia Heinolainen is a Doctoral Researcher in the Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Bacteriology and Immunology. She contributes to the field of biomedicine, focusing on head and neck cancer and data-driven phenotyping. Her email is anni.heinolainen@helsinki.fi. Research Interests: Biomedicine Immunology Cancer Biology Data-Driven Research Head and Neck Cancer Survival Analysis Recent Research Trends: In 2025, she co-authored a study in Scientific Reports analyzing data-driven phenotypes in head and neck cancer prognosis, integrating computational methods with clinical outcomes to enhance survival analysis frameworks. Scientific Awards: No awards or honors are mentioned in the available information. Advising and Collaborations: No specific students, grants, or teams are detailed in the provided text.

• Biomedicine
• Immunology
• Cancer Biology
• +3 more

Kirsi Pietiläinen is a Professor of Clinical Metabolism at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine , and Director of the Clinical and Molecular Metabolism Research Program (2019-2024). She holds a docentship in Clinicum and serves as a supervisor in three doctoral programs: Biomedicine , Clinical Research , and Population Health . She is affiliated with the HUS Abdominal Center and has an ORCID profile. Research Interests: Obesity and metabolic syndrome Mitochondrial dysfunction in adipose tissue Epigenetic and genetic mechanisms Twin studies for gene-environment interactions Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Public health implications of obesity Scientific Contributions: With over 305 publications since 1995, her work focuses on adipose biology, mitochondrial regulation, and obesity interventions. She leads major funded projects including: Novo Nordisk Foundation (2025-2028; 2025-2030) Sydäntutkimussäätiö (2025-2027) Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (2024-2026) Diabetestutkimussäätiö (2024-2026) Scientific Awards: Suomen Lihavuustutkijat Ry Painonhallintapalkinto (2017) Terveysalan Vuoden Vaikuttaja 3rd Place (2017) Vuoden Vaikuttavin ARVO-teko (2017) Academic Leadership: Active in organizing international conferences and serving on scientific committees, including: Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Congress (2017-2018 keynote) Nordic/Baltic Diabetes Science Forum (2017-2018 keynote) Scientific Committee, Folkhälsan Research Center (2017) Organizing Committee, Folkhälsan Symposium (2017)

• Obesity Research
• Clinical Metabolism
• Molecular Endocrinology
• +7 more

Dmitrii Bychkov is a Postdoctoral Researcher affiliated with the University of Helsinki through the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) and the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology. His research bridges biomedical science and computational methods, focusing on deep learning applications for cancer prognosis and immune response analysis. University: University of Helsinki Institution: Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) Role: Research Fellow His work spans biomedicine , deep learning , and cancer research , with a focus on: Single-cell immune profiling in oncolytic virotherapy Microglia detection via convolutional networks Survival prediction in breast and colorectal cancer Leukocyte segmentation in thyroid cancer Recent publications emphasize predictive modeling , tumor heterogeneity , and immunotherapy biomarkers . He participates in projects funded by the Finnish Medical Society (Finska Läkaresällskapet) related to cancer immunology and machine learning.

• Biomedicine
• Deep Learning
• Cancer Research
• +3 more

Jaan-Olle Andressoo is a Professor at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences. He serves as supervisor for multiple doctoral programs including Brain & Mind, Drug Research, and Integrative Life Science. His research focuses on biomedicine, neuroscience, and pharmacology, particularly investigating the role of GDNF (Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. Current projects examine motor learning mechanisms in Purkinje cells, intestinal neurobiology, and Parkinson's disease models. Pioneer Innovator Grant (Novo Nordisk Fonden, 2025-2026) Juselius Foundation Grant (2025-2026) EU Horizon Research Action (2025-2028) Recent publications highlight his work on protein evolutionary analysis, GDNF regulation of neuronal development, and metabolic interventions in Parkinson's disease models. His research integrates developmental genetics with translational medicine.

• Biomedicine
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• +3 more

Laura Elo serves as Professor at the University of Turku and holds dual leadership roles as Research Director of Turku Bioscience Centre and Vice Director of Turku Life Science Center. She is a key figure in the InFLAMES Flagship research program focused on inflammation mechanisms. Her primary affiliation is with the Computational Biomedicine department where she leads the Elo Lab. Her research spans computational biomedicine with emphasis on proteomics, metabolomics, and machine learning applications in disease modeling. Key focus areas include longitudinal analysis of type 1 diabetes, obesity-related metabolic pathways, malaria resistance mechanisms, and single-cell immunology. She develops computational methods for cell migration analysis (CellRomeR package) and metagenomic data processing. Recent publications demonstrate strong interdisciplinary collaboration across bioinformatics, clinical medicine, and systems biology. Her work frequently appears in high-impact journals including Science , Scientific Reports , and American Journal of Physiology , with multiple 2025 publications highlighting cutting-edge computational approaches to complex diseases. Laura Elo actively disseminates research through platforms like Tekniikan Maailma (The World of Technology), making computational medicine accessible to broader audiences. Her leadership extends to organizing major events like the European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB2024). The Elo Lab maintains strong industry and clinical partnerships, evidenced by large-scale studies using Nordic Arthroplasty Register data and collaborations with Turku Metabolomics Core. Current projects integrate multi-omics data with clinical outcomes to improve disease diagnosis and treatment prediction.

• Computational Biomedicine
• Bioinformatics
• Proteomics
• +5 more

Tatiana Cajuso Pons serves as Senior Researcher at the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) and holds a Docent title at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki. Her work bridges biomedical research and computational genomics, with emphasis on translating genetic discoveries into clinical applications. Her research specializes in cancer genetics , particularly colorectal cancer and uterine leiomyomas, employing genomic , bioinformatic , and statistical approaches . Key focus areas include susceptibility gene mapping across diverse populations, somatic mutation analysis, and machine learning applications for clinical diagnostics. Her methodology integrates multi-omic datasets to uncover disease mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets. Recent publication trends reveal consistent high-impact output in top-tier journals (Nature series, American Journal of Human Genetics), with increasing emphasis on ancestry-diverse cohorts and translational applications . Her work frequently involves large international collaborations, reflecting integration into global research networks focused on precision oncology. Dr. Cajuso Pons currently participates in an Academy of Finland-funded project (2024-2028) developing deep learning models for clinical laboratory diagnostics, indicating active grant support and engagement with cutting-edge computational methods. Her research demonstrates strong alignment with HiLIFE's mission to advance life science research through interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Cancer Genetics
• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• +4 more

Maria Sundvik serves as University Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, and holds the title of Docent at Medicum Helsinki. Her research bridges neurosciences and biomedicine through innovative zebrafish models to investigate histamine receptor systems, neurotransmitter function, and behavioral mechanisms. Her research portfolio includes: Neuropharmacological studies of histamine receptors in zebrafish Analysis of aminergic neurotransmitter systems in social behavior Developmental neurotoxicology using valproic acid exposure models In vivo imaging of neural processes Genetic and molecular mechanisms of behavioral phenotypes Dr. Sundvik's publication record spans 30 works since 2006, with recent focus (2021-2025) on receptor physiology, behavioral genetics, and neurodevelopmental impacts. Her work demonstrates consistent interdisciplinary integration of molecular, anatomical, and behavioral approaches. Her scientific recognition includes: BRSF Novartis Neuroscience prize for Best Doctoral Thesis (2012) European Histamine Research Society Young Investigator Award (1st place, 2013) Young Histochemist Award (2008) She has supervised 3 doctoral theses and 9 Master's/Licentiate theses while contributing to medical education through the 'Tablet computers and mobile learning' project (2013-2022). Dr. Sundvik leads research activities within the In Vivo Animal Imaging Platform, providing advanced methodologies for live-animal neuroscience studies.

• Neurosciences
• Biomedicine
• Zebrafish Models
• +5 more

Dr. Kimmo Palin is a Medicum University Researcher and Docent at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Medicine, where he serves as the Applied Tumor Genomics (ATG) Supervisor for both the Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science and the Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine. His research spans computational biology, tumor genomics, and cancer genetics, with particular focus on colorectal cancer, uterine leiomyomas, and the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development. Dr. Palin integrates computational approaches with molecular and clinical data to investigate genetic and epigenetic alterations in tumors. Dr. Palin's recent publication record demonstrates significant contributions to cancer genomics, with multiple high-impact publications in 2024-2025 covering topics such as FGFR gene activation in uterine tumors, metabolomic characterization of colorectal cancer, retrotransposition events in human genomes, and large-scale genetic analyses identifying cancer susceptibility genes. He is actively involved in major research initiatives including the Centre of Excellence in Tumor Genetics Research (COETG) and the iCAN digital precision cancer medicine program, which provide substantial funding and collaborative opportunities for his research group. As a Docent and doctoral program supervisor, Dr. Palin plays a key role in training the next generation of cancer researchers, guiding students through doctoral studies with a focus on tumor genomics and computational approaches to cancer research.

• Computational biology
• Computational systems biology
• Biomedicine
• +7 more