Meet the board

Emy Guilbault, chair

Originally from France, I recently got my PhD at the University of Newcastle in Australia. I am now doing a postdoc at the University of Helsinki at the REC where I look into the spatial and temporal distribution of Moth in Finland. I am interested in species distribution modelling and how to better predict and understand the distribution of species through environmental changes.

Mina Zare, secretary

I obtained my Ph.D. in Materials Science. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher in the food materials science research group, at the Department of Food and Nutrition. I’m interested in nanomaterials and their life science applications. I am working on biobased nanomaterials. I joined ViPA on November 2022. I am interested in social and research/career development.

Zahra Gounani, International affairs

I defended my PhD in Nanobiotechnology in August 2018. I started as postdoc in Physic department of Åbo Akademi in 2019 and joined Pharmacy department of university of Helsinki in February 2022. My research interests are developing platforms for drug delivery, tissue engineering and regeneration and on demand controlling molecular interactions with cells. I joined ViPa March 2022 wishing to expand opportunities for all postdocs for networking and establishing a more clear idea of career development for postdocs.

Elaine Hoi-ying Tsang, Communications

I did my doctoral study on the establishment of a human iPSC-derived liver organoid model at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Currently, I am interested in studying proteins that are involved in mitochondrial dynamics.

Ashenafi Legehar, Board member

Bioinformatician, scientific software developer, and cheminformatics specialist with extensive practical experience. At present, I hold the position of a postdoctoral researcher in the computational drug discovery group at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki. Additionally, I am serving as a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter, UK. My research passions revolve around various Drug Discovery methodologies, including virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations employing GROMACS, as well as the application of artificial intelligence in the realm of Drug Discovery. I am also dedicated to the development of a comprehensive chemo-genomic database. In 2023, I enthusiastically became a member of ViPA, aspiring to make meaningful contributions to the networking and career development of the postdoctoral community.

Basile Finand, Board member

I did my PhD in Paris (France) on the impact of environmental changes, particularly habitat fragmentation, on ant communities and populations. Today, my postdoctoral research takes place at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and at URBARIA. I work on the impact of the history of habitat fragmentation on communities and populations of insects (beetles and ants) in the urban forests of Helsinki.

Previous Members

 Heli Mönttinen, former chair

I am currently working in the research group of Ari Löytynoja at the Institute of Biotechnology, where I study template switch mutation patterns in sequence data. I joined VIPA to strengthen the support network among postdocs as well as to improve postdocs’ training opportunities.

Federica Valerio, former board member

I am a biologist from Italy. I obtained my PhD in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Pavia (Italy). I am currently working in Anne Duplouy’s research group on a comparative genomics project aiming to characterize the genomic diversity of Wolbachia endosymbionts in various insects, their phylogenetic relationships, and their evolutionary history.

I joined ViPA because I want to actively contribute to strengthening the sense of community and identity among postdocs. I am particularly interested in supporting scientific and social interactions as well as providing career development resources.

Shuddhodana Shuddhodana, former board member

I work at the Dept. of Food and Nutrition on the development of protein- and vitamin-rich food products using edible mushroom mycelia grown on food industry side-streams. I have MS in biochemical engineering from IIT Delhi, India and PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering from NTU Singapore. As a member of ViPA board, I wish to contribute to developing a strong community of postdocs in Viikki campus and improve postdoc experience by means of social, research/career development related activities.

Kamaljit Moirangthem, former board member

I am a Biotechnology engineer with an MSc in Crop Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship and a PhD in Biorefinery. As a Grant-Funded Researcher at the Grain Technology group, my research is on converting solid waste from brewing industries (brewers spent grain) to functional beverages.

Esa-Pekka Kumpula, HiLife edu representative

I’m a biochemist and structural biologist originally from Kemijärvi, from the far north of Finland. In my PhD I studied malaria parasite actin motility at the University of Oulu and in Hamburg, Germany. In 2019 I joined the group of Juha Huiskonen, now at the Institute of Biotechnology, and am working on method development for cryogenic electron microscopy sample preparation. I joined the ViPA board in 2021 to get involved in the postdoc community and to promote the spread of information about crucial issues at the postdoctoral stage. I’m interested in development of skills such as scientific communication, organisation and teamwork and hope to be able to put forward ideas that strengthen them in my fellow postdocs.

Heidi Harjunpää, former chair

Pia Kinaret, former board member, communications

I obtained my PhD degree  in year 2017 and I am currently studying immunotoxicity and immunomodulatory effects of engineered nanomaterials at the Institute of Biotechnology. ViPA is actively promoting and organising courses, networking possibilities and events for postdoctoral fellows. I wish to be part of ViPA’s important effort to improve postdoctoral training and creating dynamic research environment for postdocs!

Maureen Akinyi, former chair

I am originally from Kenya and moved to Helsinki for my postdoc after receiving my Ph.D in Trieste, Italy in 2015. I am passionate about Biology and even more so RNA biology. I joined ViPA to get more involved in the University and contribute to developing a vibrant network of postdocs through organization of both scientific and social activities.

Tânia Keiko Shishido Joutsen, former secretary

I am a postdoctoral researcher studying natural products produced by microbial communities living in lichens. I am a biologist from Brazil, but I have been living in Finland since 2010 and during this period I obtained my PhD in microbiology and I am currently working in the group of Petri Auvinen at the Institute of Biotechnology, HILIFE. I joined VIPA board with the hope to improve postdocs lives and networking possibilities within the University life.

Janne Wallenius, former board member

I started as a postdoc in the Fungal Genetics and Biotechnology group in the beginning of 2019. I work on fungal enzymes related to aromatic metabolism. I joined VIPA board with the hope of contributing and strengthening the multidisciplinary postdoc network over the departments.

Gustavo Borin, former board member

I am Brazilian biologist and I moved to Helsinki in 2020 to work as a postdoc researcher at UH. My research addresses lignin bioconversion and valorization by microorganisms, with focus on metabolic pathways, enzymes and fungal biology. Although I am relatively new in ViPA board, I saw in this the opportunity to improve other important skills that sometimes we cannot develop working in the academy. Besides, ViPA makes you think outside the box in a friendly and enriching environment with other postdocs of different areas.  Join us you too!

Joanna Kowalczyk, former chair

I have been a postdoc in the Fungal Genetics and Biotechnology group since 2017. Fungi are fascinating microorganisms and have a major commercial impact in product areas including food and feed, pulp and paper, textiles, detergents, beverages, bio-fuel and chemical production. I believe that better understanding of fungal molecular biology is critical for the sustainable, knowledge-based bio-economy. I joined ViPA to promote social integration and professional development among postdocs.

 

Daniel Toddie-Moore (secretary, vice chair)

Konstantin Kogan

Windi Muziasari

Maryna Chukhlieb

Former BiPA members