Plenary Talk

Eero Castrén

We are pleased to announce that Eero Castrén will be the plenary speaker at the 1st UH Postdoc Symposium and will tell us more about his research on neuronal plasticity in adult brain.

Eero Castrén is an Academy Professor at the Neuroscience Center (UH), scientific referee for several granting agencies (such as Academy of Finland and ERC Young Investigator award) and co-founder of drug discovery companies Finncovery Ltd and Herantis Pharma Ltd. His research has led to over 220 publications and 2 patents. Eero has also received a number of awards (such as Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland and Anna-Monika-Prize for research in neurobiology and treatment of depressive disorders).

Career Progression Panel Members

Kaisa Haukka

Dr Haukka is currently working as a senior scientist and project coordinator at the Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki. She is also a co-founder of Co-op Bionautit, a microbiology consultancy group and Lab Impact Global Ltd., which aims to improve functioning of microbiological laboratories in the developing countries.

Kira Holmström

Dr Holmström has postdoctoral experiences from University College London, NIH (USA) and University of Helsinki. During her time in the University of Helsinki, Kira was a group leader in the Institute of Biotechnology (UH) and co-founded the Viikki Women’s Life Science network, before moving to industry. She is currently a senior scientist in Biomarkers and Bioinformatics at Orion Corporation.

Markus Metsälä

Dr Metsälä is an adjunct professor and university lecturer in Physical Chemistry at the University of Helsinki. He has a great passion for teaching and was recently elected as the Teacher of the Year by his peers and students at the Department of Chemistry.

Marja Mikkola

Dr Mikkola is currently the Research Director of the Developmental Biology Program, Deputy Director of the Institute of Biotechnology, and a newly appointed Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE) fellow at the University of Helsinki. In addition to being a successful academic, Marja has a keen interest in supporting and mentoring women in the life sciences.

 

Kaius Sinnemäki

Dr Sinnemäki is a Principal Investigator in the Department of Languages at the University of Helsinki and recently was awarded a ERC Starting grant. He has also been a fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies and a postdoctoral researcher funded by the Academy of Finland.