Philosophical Faculty
Professor Emeritus Michael H. Epstein
An honorary doctorate in educational science will be conferred upon Professor Emeritus Michael H. Epstein.
In his long career, Professor Emeritus Michael H. Epstein has focused on research into the behavioural, emotional, and mental health functioning and support of children and adolescents. Epstein is also one of the world’s leading researchers in strength-based assessment and support.
Professor Epstein is a distinguished researcher with a large-scale international network of colleagues; during his career he has collaborated with researchers of special education at the University of Eastern Finland. He has also been involved in the audit of the University of Eastern Finland. Along with his international joint publications, Epstein has also contributed to work on numerous Finnish publications.
Professor Judith Harackiewicz
An honorary doctorate in educational science will be conferred upon Professor Judith Harackiewicz.
Judith Harackiewicz, Paul Pintrich Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is one of the world’s most renowned scholars of learning and motivation in educational psychology. Recognised with multiple awards, Harackiewicz is a pioneer in intervention research, and her diverse experimental studies on strengthening motivation and engaging especially minority students in STEM has yielded significant practical applications.
Harackiewicz is actively involved in various international networks in the field, and she collaborates closely with researchers at the University of Eastern Finland.
Professor Dirk Ifenthaler
An honorary doctorate in educational science will be conferred upon Professor Dirk Ifenthaler.
Professor Dirk Ifenthaler is Professor and Chair of Learning, Design and Technology at the University of Mannheim. He is a highly distinguished and active researcher in the international field of educational technology and learning analytics. His publications combine research on cognitive psychology, educational technology, data analytics and organisational learning.
Ifenthaler continues to actively collaborate with members of the Digs research community at the University of Eastern Finland. He has provided valuable insight into the research community’s activities, especially with regard to using analytics to examine pedagogical perspectives. Ifenthaler has also published several books, book series and articles.
Professor Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
An honorary doctorate in theology will be conferred upon Professor Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen.
Professor Kärkkäinen is one of the most internationally renowned Finnish researchers in his field. He is currently working as a professor in the United States and has previously lived and worked in both Asia and Europe. Kärkkäinen has published numerous works especially in the field of systematic theology. Kärkkäinen has authored an extensive synthesis of systematic theology, and his constructive approach is groundbreaking within the Finnish context. A strong ecumenical perspective is also visible in his work. Kärkkäinen’s recent publications delve into issues of global theology and interfaith dialogue.
Alongside his international career, Kärkkäinen has actively participated in various scientific projects in Finland, and his works are widely used as educational materials in Finnish theological education. In addition to serving in an expert capacity and giving lectures, he has collaborated on research with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland.
Professor Emerita Diane Reay
An honorary doctorate in educational science will be conferred upon Professor Emerita Diane Reay.
Diane Reay is an educational sociologist whose research addresses and theorises how social class, gender and ethnic background are associated with how people end up on different educational paths and succeed on them. Employing the perspective of social justice, Reay has examined how educational opportunities do not emerge equally for everyone, but the differentiation of educational systems and social inequality play a significant role in how educational paths are formed.
Professor Sharon O’Brien
An honorary doctorate in philosophy will be conferred upon Professor Sharon O’Brien.
Professor Sharon O’Brien is a wide-ranging translation studies scholar who has studied, among other things, the effect of machine translation on the translator’s work and thinking, the translator’s professional practices, and the role of translation and interpretation in crisis communication. Her research emphasises digital humanism and working life perspective, and she has collaborated with translation technology companies as well as humanitarian NGOs.
O’Brien has visited the University of Eastern Finland and lectured on translation technology and its impact on the translation process, and her research on crisis communication is closely linked to one of the central profile areas of the university.
Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology
Pekka Mattila, Master of Science (Technology)
An honorary doctorate in philosophy will be conferred upon CEO Pekka Mattila.
In 2011, Pekka Mattila and researchers from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Eastern Finland and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland founded Desentum Oy, a company that develops next-generation allergy vaccines for immunotherapy, and Mattila has been the company’s CEO ever since. He has distinguished himself especially in the development of innovations in chemistry and biotechnology, and in driving business in the field. In 1986, Mattila founded Finnzymes, a biotechnology company that focused on the research and production of DNA modifying enzymes, and on their use in molecular diagnostics. He served as the CEO of Finnzymes Oy until 2010, when the company was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific. Mattila has also served as a board member of Herantis Pharma Oyj and Mobidiag Oy, and as a member of the Finnish Research and Innovation Council.
Currently, Mattila chairs the board of Aiforia Oyj and is a board member of Tilt Biotherapeutics Oy and Oy Medix Biochemica Ab. A factory of Medix Biochemica’s subsidiary, Actim Oy, which manufactures rapid tests for the healthcare sector, is located in Joensuu.
Professor, Vice President Shigeki Nakauchi
An honorary doctorate in philosophy will be conferred upon Shigeki Nakauchi.
Shigeki Nakauchi is Vice President for International Affairs at Toyohashi University of Technology and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering.
Nakauchi’s collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland began especially in the fields of computer science and photonics in 1995. Together with researchers at the University of Eastern Finland, Nakauchi has contributed to the establishment of double degree programmes between the University of Eastern Finland and Toyohashi University of Technology at the Master’s and doctoral levels of education. Nakauchi holds the title of docent at the University of Eastern Finland. He has significantly promoted and facilitated educational and research collaboration between Finland and Japan.
Professor Line Rochefort
An honorary doctorate in agriculture and forestry will be conferred upon Professor Line Rochefort.
Professor Line Rochefort from Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, is a pioneer in peatland restoration. Since 2003, she has held a prestigious NSERC Chair of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, which is partly funded by industry. Rochefort is the leader of the Peatland Ecology Research Group composed of several professors and their teams, which in addition to the scientific research has trained hundreds of experts in the field. Her publication record is exceptionally broad, ranging from restoration ecology, moss ecology, peatland biogeochemistry and arctic ecosystems to peatland afforestation and plant physiology. In 2011, the International Peatland Society recognised Rochefort with an award for her scientific work.
Professor Rochefort has been collaborating with researchers of the University of Eastern Finland for more than two decades. In particular, she has provided support to the School of Forest Sciences in profiling in the field of restoration ecology.
Professor Emeritus Anton Zeilinger
An honorary doctorate in philosophy will be conferred upon Professor Emeritus Anton Zeilinger.
Professor Emeritus Anton Zeilinger of the University of Vienna and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences was recognised with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2022 for his work in quantum photonics. A major launching pad for his research, ultimately worthy of a Nobel Prize, was his participation in the Symposium on the Foundations of Modern Physics: 50 Years of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Gedankenexperiment, which was held at the University of Joensuu in June 1985, and which he also highlighted in his Nobel Prize speech in Stockholm.
In 1997–1998, Professor Emeritus Zeilinger conducted pioneering experiments that proved the existence of quantum physics phenomena and paved the way for quantum computers, quantum networks and quantum encryption. He has also published the book Dance of the Photons: From Einstein to Quantum Teleportation, which is a popular book on quantum physics.
Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
Professor Sarah Green
An honorary doctorate in social sciences will be conferred upon Professor Sarah Green.
Sarah Green is currently Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Helsinki. She is one of the most esteemed scholars in border studies and spatial dynamics in the world. Her regional expertise includes the Balkans and the Mediterranean (especially Greece), as well as spatial dynamics in London and Manchester. In pursuit of trying to understand the significance of borders, Professor Green has researched gendered border dynamics, the spatial effects of digital technologies, cross-border trade, multispecies borders, and attempts to control the cross-border spread of microbes.
Professor Green has played a major role in the development of the UEF research community Borders, Mobilities and Cultural Encounters (BOMOCULT), which brings together research teams and scholars especially from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, as well as from the School of Humanities and the School of Theology at the Philosophical Faculty. She has especially collaborated with scholars at the Department of Social and Sciences and Karelian Institute, significantly promoting the success and visibility of research, and of the BOMOCULT research community.
Kari Kuusiniemi, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland
An honorary doctorate in law will be conferred upon the President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland Kari Kuusiniemi.
Kari Kuusiniemi is the President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland, with a diverse career in both the judiciary and the academia. He is a prominent legal figure who actively participates in the discussion on law and the role of courts, especially administrative courts, in society. His speeches as the President of the Supreme Administrative Court emphasise themes that are important for law and society as a whole, including the rule of law.
Kari Kuusiniemi has served as the opponent of multiple doctoral dissertations examined at the Law School of the University of Eastern Finland. He has also been involved in the Law School’s professional development programme for administrative judges for more than ten years. Kuusiniemi’s publications in environmental and administrative law have, over the years, supported themes that have been central to the Law School’s activities ever since its establishment.
Professor Iis Tussyadiah
An honorary doctorate in business studies will be conferred upon Professor Iis Tussyadiah.
Iis Tussyadiah is Professor of Intelligent Systems in Service and the Head of the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the University of Surrey in the UK. Tussyadiah is also a past President of the International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism. Her research interests include peer-to-peer services, the future of work, and applications and implications of artificial intelligence in services.
Tussyadiah has played a significant role in advancing international tourism business research at the University of Eastern Finland Business School, and she has promoted and facilitated international networking of the school’s researchers.