Taija Juutinen

Taija Juutinen is a Professor of Kinesiology and Vice Dean of Education at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research focuses on biomechanics, tendon biology, physical activity, and neuromuscular function. She holds a docent position in exercise physiology at the University of Eastern Finland.

Education:

• PhD in Exercise Physiology under Prof. Paavo Komi
• Postdoctoral research at UCLA with Profs. Reggie V. Edgerton and Shantanu Sinha

Research Interests:

Her work spans Achilles tendon mechanics, physical activity patterns, and neuromuscular adaptations. Key projects include UNRESAT (2019–2023) and ACHILLES (2023–2027), investigating tendon structure and loading. The EXECP project examines exercise interventions for cerebral palsy patients.

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator for projects funded by the Research Council of Finland and EU, totaling over €15M
• Contributions to Profiling actions (Profi3, Profi6) advancing interdisciplinary research at JYU

Advising:

Supervised PhD student Pedro Valadao (defended March 2024) on cerebral palsy exercise interventions.

Labs & Teams:

Leads the Biomechanics group (BME) and contributes to the School of Wellbeing (JYU.Well) at JYU.