Tarja Sironen

Tarja Sironen is an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki's Department of Virology, where she leads the Viral Zoonosis Research Unit and the Emerging Infections Research Group. She serves as a supervisor for three doctoral programs: Microbiology and Biotechnology, Clinical Veterinary Medicine, and Food Chain and Health. Her research centers on zoonotic viruses, emerging infectious diseases, and genomic epidemiology.

Research Focus:
Her work spans virology, microbiology, and veterinary science, with emphasis on:

• Mechanisms of viral spillover and zoonotic transmission
• Genomic analysis of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, avian influenza, and antimicrobial-resistant strains
• Experimental models for vaccine development and transmission dynamics
• One Health approaches connecting animal and human disease ecosystems

Recent Publications:
Her 2025 articles focus on SARS-CoV-2 in animal models, avian influenza genetics, antimicrobial resistance genomics, and viral spillover dynamics, employing cutting-edge genomic and experimental methods to address public health challenges.

Research Funding:

• EU PREPARE-TID (€458,000; 2024-2027): Pandemic preparedness research
• TSR Grant (€120,000; 2024-2026): Occupational safety in disease research
• PAKO Grant (€141,253; 2024-2025): Government-funded pathogen studies
• Zoosursy WOAH Project (2024-2029): International zoonosis surveillance

Academic Supervision:
She actively mentors doctoral candidates researching leptospirosis transmission, emerging viral diseases in East Africa, paramyxovirus pathogenicity, and feline virology.