Anni Lehmuskero, a newly appointed Professor of Practice in the field of photonics, seeks to update the university’s optical design education and facilitate university-business collaboration.
Professor of Practice fosters university-business collaboration
Focusing on optical design, the Professor of Practice position in the field of photonics is the first of its kind at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology in the University of Eastern Finland.
“Optical design is undergoing transformation in Finland, as it is no longer taught anywhere else but in our university,” says Development Manager Juha Purmonen from the Department of Physics and Mathematics.
According to Purmonen, there is a tremendous need for optical design in photonics companies and other industries as well.
“Photonics will be integrated in all industries and in all products. There is a particularly great need within industry, where experience in utilising photonics is still somewhat lacking. Naturally, the photonics industry is also growing, and there is a lot of demand, too. Lehmuskero’s role will be to develop our education and create links between the university and industry,” he says.
“At the University of Eastern Finland, photonics education has been moved under education in technology, and we are currently undergoing a reform that will reshape the curriculum to better meet the needs of business and industry. Previously, students of photonics and optics graduated with a Master of Science degree, but now they will be graduating with a Master of Science in Technology degree,” Lehmuskero says.
There is a clear demand for experts in optical design in Finnish companies today.
Anni Lehmuskero
Professor
As Professor of Practice, Lehmuskero will focus on how the university’s optical design education should be updated to better align with the objectives of the degree programme and the needs of business and industry.
“Besides updating and supplementing the content of our optical design education, teaching methods and course formats will be developed as well. The university also seeks to offer courses directly to companies, and the development of these courses also constitutes part of my professorship.”
“I also strive to strengthen university-business collaboration, so that our students could find internships in companies. On one hand, this would make it easier for students to secure future employment, while companies, on the other hand, would benefit from students’ optical design skills to supplement their needs. In my role as a Professor of Practice, I also follow research conducted in the field of optical design and strive to boost collaboration between research groups in this field at the University of Eastern Finland.”
Through the Research Council of Finland’s PREIN Flagship, the professorship also has nationwide significance. The University of Eastern Finland is a member of PREIN, which also includes Tampere University, Aalto University, and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). Through PREIN, courses in optical design are open to all its members.
Lehmuskero is involved in an extensive network of business and industry
Lehmuskero is an alumna of the University of Eastern Finland, having defended her doctoral dissertation in optics at the Department of Physics and Mathematics in 2010. Her academic career continued with two postdoctoral positions, first at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, and subsequently at the University of Tromsø in Norway.
Lehmuskero’s research interests have been quite broad; however, always related to nano and micro-optics.
“In Gothenburg, I captured nanoparticles in a laboratory with laser tweezers, while in Tromsø we studied the interaction of light with microalgae found in the fjords,” she explains.
After her post-doc years, Lehmuskero switched from academia to industry.
“I began working as an optical engineer for a company that was related to my photography hobby. The company manufactured professional-grade flashlights for photography, and I was involved in their product development. That was also the first time I got to do optical design, aside from an optical design course I had taken at the university, and it was also an opportunity to further educate myself in optical design.”
After this, Lehmuskero moved to work for her current corporate employer, Entangly AB, which has its main office in Stockholm and a newly opened branch in Joensuu.
“At Entangly, I have had the opportunity to work as an optics consultant. Over the past three years, I have consulted for eight different companies and have also had the chance to follow numerous client projects of my colleagues,” she explains.
“I have also been involved in product development for various technology sectors. My work includes, e.g., optical design, building of prototypes, conducting measurements and product industrialisation.”
Thanks to her work experience, Lehmuskero is extensively networked with business and industry. She has also gained experience in optical design, and in what kind of optical design needs companies have.
“I studied music in Karelia University of Applied Sciences while as I was completing my studies in optics. Music has remained a hobby of mine all these years. I sing, play instruments, compose and dance, and this creates a refreshing counterbalance to work.”
ANNI LEHMUSKERO
Professor of Practice in Optical Design (part-time 50%), 1 April 2024 – 30 September 2026
PhD (Optics), University of Eastern Finland, 2010
BSc in Music, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, 2010
