Inauguration of New Professors - Main Building

Name: Inauguration of New Professors - Main Building
Start: 2026-05-06T09:15:00
End: 2026-05-06T12:00:00

New professors introduce themselves to the academic community and the general public by providing an overview of their research, reflecting on its significance, and discussing its future.

A recording of the event will be added on this page after the event.

Event information

Event date

6.5.2026 12:15 - 6.5.2026 15:00

Registration period

1.3.2026 - 27.4.2026

Event type

Public lectures, seminars and round tables

Science events

Citizen science

Student events

Event language

Finnish

Event accessibility

Sign language interpretation available, on request in advance

Event space is accessible for all

Event organizer

Communications and Community

Event payment

Free of charge

Show location on map

Event location category

Mattilanniemi

Main building (C), assembly hall (C1)

Inauguration of new professors will take place on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, starting at 12:15 p.m. in the Main Building assembly hall (C1).
The professors will give their lectures in their native language.

We kindly ask the audience to be seated by 12:00 noon.
Doors to the assembly hall open to the public at 11:30 a.m.

The lecturers:

Professor of Computational Data Analysis
Ilkka Pölönen, Faculty of Information Technology

Professor of Business and Management
Marjo Siltaoja, School of Business and Economics

Professor of Cybersecurity
Markus Miettinen, Faculty of Information Technology

Professor of Corporate Environmental Management
Tiina Onkila, School of Business and Economics

Professor of Theoretical Nuclear Structure Physics
Markus Kortelainen, Faculty of Mathematics and Science

Professor of Management
Monika von Bonsdorff, School of Business and Economics

Opening words by Vice Rector Kaisa Miettinen.

The event will be followed by a coffee service in the Main Building’s lobby (1st floor) for registered participants.
Dress code for the audience: smart casual.

Registration / Enrollment

Registration for the event is open until Monday, April 27, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

In the photo (from left to right): Ilkka Pölönen, Marjo Siltaoja and Markus Miettinen.

New professors

Ilkka Pölönen focuses on developing and applying advanced computational methods for hyperspectral imaging and data analysis. Leading the Spectral Imaging Laboratory, his work leverages machine learning, computer vision, and spectral imaging techniques to interpret hyperspectral data across various disciplines — from remote sensing and medicine to biology and art history. His interdisciplinary approach bridges theory with practical applications, continually advancing the frontiers of computational data analysis. The title of Pölönen’s inauguration lecture is "Näkökulmia tekoälyn nykyhetkeen ja tulevaisuuteen (Perspectives on the present and future of artificial intelligence)".

Marjo Siltaoja’s research focuses on how businesses and other organisations (dis)organise and manage their activities in relation to societal and environmental challenges. Her research results can be helpful for those who seek to understand how new sustainable forms businesses gain acknowledgement and what kind of moral and ethical tensions changing practices in longstanding firms create. The title of Siltaoja’s inauguration lecture is "Johtamistutkimus moniäänisessä ja monimaailmaisessa kestävyydessä (Management and leadership research in a multivoiced and multidimensional context of sustainability)".

Markus Miettinen focuses particularly on teaching and researching technical cyber security. He emphasises a comprehensive understanding of information security and urges us to take care of basic security measures to protect our personal information security. One of his research interests is related to artificial intelligence models and the new types of security threats they bring with them. The title of Miettinen’s inauguration lecture is "Digitaalinen turvallisuus tekoälyn ja teknologiajättien puristuksessa (The challenge of digital security in the world of artificial intelligence and tech giants)".

New professors

In her research on sustainable business, Tiina Onkila aims to support the transformation of different business organisations towards sustainability and to help decision-makers in business to take the criteria of sustainable development into account. Her research helps businesses to identify sustainability challenges and find solutions for changing towards more sustainable business practices as well as interacting with different stakeholders about sustainability goals. The title of Onkila’s inauguration title is "Kestävyysmurros liiketoiminnassa - nykyisiä ja tulevia suuntauksia (Sustainability transition in business - current and future trends)".

Markus Kortelainen’s research focuses on in-depth understanding of nuclear structure and on developing related descriptive models. His research is based on mathematical models and theories, such as density functional theory, which are used to describe the complex phenomena of nuclear structure as accurately as possible. Understanding nuclear structure is connected to many other physical processes, such as the synthesis of elements in stars. The title of Kortelainen’s "Atomiytimen rakenteen mallinnus (Modeling the structure of the atomic nucleus)".

Monika von Bonsdorff is interested in management and individuals’ behaviour in organisations as they move through developmental transitions and face organisational change. She studies decision-making and work outcomes in different contexts, such as health care and entrepreneurship, using longitudinal study designs. Aging in working life, sustainable careers, human resource management, and retirement transitions are at the center of her research. The title of von Bonsdorff’s inauguration lecture is Elämänkulku ja työurasiirtymät johtamistutkimuksessa (Life course and career transfers in management research)".

Good to know about the event

Parking on JYU campuses
The University of Jyväskylä uses the eParking app. To make parking in the University area easier, be sure you have the eParking app in use. If you are a JYU student or staff member, log in to the app with your Haka credentials. Visitor parking follows the street parking prices in the area.

A parking session must be marked as started every time a car is parked, regardless of whether it concerns paid or free parking.

Event venue
The venue for the inauguration of new professors is the Main Building assembly hall (building C, room C1). You can view the venue on the campus map.

See the venue on the campus map

The dress code for the audience is casual
Casual (also known as "smart casual") is the most casual of the dress codes.

Read more about the dress code

The inauguration of new professors is part of the academic traditions at the University of Jyväskylä
The lectures involve academic procedures of which the audience should be aware:

Doors to the assembly hall open to the public at 11:30 a.m.
The audience is expected to be seated at 12:00 noon. According to an old academic tradition, the lectures will start at 12:15 p.m.
At the beginning of the event, the audience will stand up as the Vice Rector and the new professors enter the hall.
The audience can be seated after the Vice Rector and the new professors have been seated.
At the end of the event, the public stands up as the Vice Rector and the new professors leave the hall.
The audience waits in their places until the Vice Rector and the new professors have left the hall.
The audience will then proceed to greet the Vice Rector and the new professors before a coffee service.

The audience can bring a gift to the new professor. The gifts will be given to the professors during the greeting before the coffee service. Gifts can be brought to the assembly hall.

Parking for people with disabilities
Parking for people with disabilities is free of charge in all parking areas on JYU campuses provided that the vehicle has a parking card for people with reduced mobility. There is no need to use the eParking app for parking provided that the vehicle has the parking card in a visible place. Please use primarily parking spaces marked with the wheelchair symbol. These spaces are usually close to the building’s main entrance.

Entrance to the event facility
Guests using wheelchairs and other assistive devices can access the assembly hall by elevator, which is located on the 1st floor of the Main Building, near the cloakrooms. The guests to be assisted are requested to take places on the left side of the assembly hall. If needed, ask help for assistance getting to the assembly hall from the event staff or the building’s janitors.

Accessibility of the event
Hearing loops will be in use during the event. Sign language interpretation is also available by ordering the service in advance. An accessible restroom is located on the first floor, near the elevator.

A smoke-free and fragrance-free campus
Our University is a smoke-free and fragrance-free study and workplace. Refraining from using scented products and complying with the smoke-free policy shows that we all care for our work and study community, and it is also better for our respiratory health. Please arrive at the event fragrance-free.

Other accessibility-related considerations and questions can be submitted to the event organiser by email or phone. Contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.

The University of Jyväskylä is one of the largest and most multidisciplinary universities in Finland
It was here, in 1863, that Finnish-language teacher education began. Since then, the dialogue between research, education and society has been our driving force.

We are an open and collaborative community of almost 2,800 experts and over 14,600 students seeking answers to the pivotal questions of today and tomorrow. Our impact extends around Finland and the globe, for example, through more than 26,000 adult students.

The park-like campus of the University of Jyväskylä is a unique cultural and natural environment, located within easy reach of the city centre. It reflects more than a century of Finnish architectural history and is especially known worldwide for featuring multiple buildings by architect Alvar Aalto. The campus is globally famous and has been awarded the European Heritage Label.

Further information

Jenna Minkkinen

Event Producer

Liisa Harjula

Head of Communications

Inauguration of New Professors - Main Building

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Further information

Add to calendar

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