Basic natural phenomena and mathematical thinking
There is a growing need for research knowledge in this field in order to achieve the goals of technological development, environmental carrying capacity, and a sustainable society.
Faculty's wide-ranging research includes three multidisciplinary areas of impact. Planetary well-being is build a sustainable and climate-resilient future by harmonising the needs of humans with the rest of nature for the long term. Health and safety improving well-being and society’s resilience to crises through a multidisciplinary approach and by creating a framework for new innovations. Advanced materials and technologies seeking new solutions for future needs and help turn them into technology that benefits society.
In our core field we utilize our competitive research infrastructure to train experts in chemistry, physics, mathematics and statistics as well as biological and environmental science.
Faculty of Mathematics and Science conduct cutting-edge research in mathematics and natural sciences. Mathematical thinking and the study of basic natural phenomena at different scales form the foundation of Faculty's work and way of doing research. Faculty study basic natural phenomena from quarks to the structure of the universe and from molecules to ecosystems.
- Cooperation with business and industry promotes companies’ product development, generates research topics for the University’s applied research, and brings about innovations.
- Cooperation with research institutes and other universities brings together each party’s strengths, promotes the joint use of research infrastructure, and creates innovative research opportunities.
- Cooperation with the public sector leads to informed decisions and provides a basis for building a sustainable society. Regional cooperation is important for the development of regional vitality.
- Interaction with Finnish society and individuals is a natural and important part of the faculty’s work. Science education aims at getting children and youth interested in the natural sciences and inspiring the scientific experts of the future.
- Through citizen science, ordinary people get a chance to participate in research as producers of research knowledge, while researchers make research knowledge available to the general public at various events, such as Luontoilta (in which experts answer questions about nature), city festivals, and public lectures.
Basic research in mathematics and natural phenomena provides a strong basis for new innovations and close cooperation between researchers, partners, and stakeholders in different fields.
The researchers of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science have been successful in applications for external funding, such as Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence funding and Flagships. The Research Council of Finland’s Flagship Programme is an instrument that supports high-quality research and increases the economic and societal impact emerging from the research.
In addition, several ERC researchers and academy professors are active in the field. Cooperation with other universities, research institutes, such as CERN, GSI, Brookhaven, FAIR, Oxford, Cambridge, and various research groups around the globe produce high level scientific knowledge published in acknowledged international journals.