Harri Alenius

Harri Alenius is a Research Professor and Research Director at the University of Helsinki, leading Human Microbiome Research within the Department of Human Microbiome Research. He supervises doctoral programs in Integrative Life Science and Microbiology and Biotechnology. His expertise spans microbial ecology, immunology, and nanotoxicology, with focus on skin microbiome dynamics, allergy mechanisms, and nanomaterial health impacts.

Key research areas include atopic dermatitis pathophysiology, host-microbe interactions in skin diseases, and transcriptomic analysis of immune responses. He leads major projects like PREVEX (asthma prevention via early-life microbiota) and EU-funded INQUIRE (microbiome-immune homeostasis). Collaborations span international teams in Europe and beyond.

Recent work includes identifying cytokine roles in eczema, post-COVID immune changes, and network toxicology models for nanomaterial risk assessment. He has published 151+ peer-reviewed articles and actively engages in media outreach to bridge scientific findings with public understanding.

Current grants include €535k EU Horizon Europe funding for microbiome-allergy research (INQUIRE project, 2022–2027) and Academy of Finland support for early-life bacterial exposure studies (PREVEX, 2022–2026). His work integrates omics technologies, systems biology, and clinical studies to advance personalized medicine and environmental health strategies.