Drawn to neuroscience by curiosity, brought to Kuopio by lucky chance

Associate Professor Alina Solomon’s path to becoming an international neuroscientist is one marked by innate interest and fascinating coincidence.

“I grew interested in the brain early on in my biology studies. When I was working as a medical student in a neuroscience research group in Romania, Alzheimer’s disease was mentioned only in footnotes. It left me wondering what the disease was all about,” Solomon says, shedding light on the key question of her research career.

Initially, Solomon was to conduct her doctoral research at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, where she moved in 2004. However, her plans changed when she met Professor Miia Kivipelto at Karolinska Institutet, who recommended that Solomon apply for a Marie Curie fellowship to do her doctoral research at the then University of Kuopio.

“Thanks to Miia’s encouragement, I applied to the programme, and was one of the doctoral researchers in neuroscience who were selected to the University of Kuopio in 2006. Back then, I knew nothing about Kuopio,” Solomon says, laughing.

Solomon defended her dissertation on the association of cholesterol and dementia at the University of Kuopio in 2009, while also maintaining links to Karolinska Institutet: she continued her postdoctoral research in both Kuopio and Stockholm.

Currently, Solomon works as an associate professor in neuroepidemiology at the University of Eastern Finland. Cognitive ageing and dementia prevention continue to be at the core of her research. Solomon collaborates closely with international research groups and networks. University hospitals, too, are partners in collaboration, but Solomon makes a distinction between the perspectives of a researcher and a clinical physician.

“Curiosity is the foundation of my work as a researcher. I want to know what happens in Alzheimer’s disease. If I wanted to help people on a practical level, I would have stayed in clinical work. Helping people through lifestyle changes and drug therapy is important, and my research points in that direction.”

“I like the quiet”

Neuroscience research at the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institutet has evolved into an international network: Solomon is the Chief Scientific Officer of the Nordic-UK Brain Network, which aims to increase research resources and international collaboration related to dementia.

The network brings together researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Karolinska Institutet, the FINGERS Brain Health Institute in Stockholm, and Imperial College London.

“I plan projects, funding and scientific strategy for the entire network. I’m also the principal investigator of my own team in Kuopio,” Solomon says.

Besides her associate professorship at the University of Eastern Finland, Solomon also holds positions in Stockholm and in London.

“Of course, Karolinska Institutet and Imperial College London are big universities, but I ended up choosing the University of Eastern Finland because it’s a good fit for me. I see myself primarily as a member of an international network. Scientists are mobile people, and we find ourselves where it’s beneficial at each time.”

For her current situation and research, the University of Eastern Finland provides a good setting by fostering international collaboration. In addition, the university’s quiet and peaceful campus area, and a short commute, provide support for the neuroscientist’s everyday life.

“Compared to Stockholm and London, Kuopio is a small place, but I like the quiet. Here, commuting to and from work takes a lot less time, and when I don’t waste time on commuting, my time management is much more efficient. On my leisure time, I also like to spend time outdoors in nature. In Kuopio, nature is literally just a stone’s throw away from my doorstep,” Solomon says.

Alina Solomon is one of the 29 Associate Professors working at the University of Eastern Finland. (Situation September 2022)