Tuula Teeri to be President of Aalto University in Helsinki
The Aalto University Foundation has appointed Tuula Teeri, Deputy President of KTH, as the first President of Aalto University. Aalto University in Helsinki is a university created through the merger of the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology. Professor Teeri will take up her new position on 1 April 2009.
“The fact that KTH Deputy President Tuula Teeri will now become President of Aalto University is a sign of the strength of KTH’s position. For myself, of course, I feel that it is very sad that Tuula is leaving KTH and her job as Deputy President. Working together with her this year has been very rewarding. At the same time I really want to congratulate her on this incredible task she has of leading a new university. I look forward to further developing our already good collaboration with Helsinki University of Technology,” says KTH President Peter Gudmundson.
Tuula Teeri came to KTH in 1996 as a guest professor from the VTT Research Institute in Finland, after taking her doctorate in molecular genetics at Helsinki University. In 1998 she became Professor of Wood Biotechnology at KTH and has been the driving force behind the strengthening and development of the position of this field of study – including her work as Research Director of Biomime, a strategic research centre for biomimetic fibre engineering. Biomime houses projects aimed at mimicking biological systems in order to develop new materials with specific characteristics. In addition, Professor Teeri has also worked as Assistant Dean of the KTH School of Biotechnology and has been a member of the KTH Faculty Board as well as holding many elected positions within the academic world, business and society.
This year Tuula Teeri has led the process of the KTH International Research Assessment Exercise which has recently been presented. This is an evaluation that has resulted in the provision of a clear picture of KTH strengths and weaknesses and the areas that should be in focus in the future.
“I am extremely excited about this challenge. Universities are being modernised all over Europe and Aalto University is leading the way. What makes the renewal so unique is the combination of Helsinki School of Economics’ (HSE), University of Art and Design Helsinki’s (TaiK) and Helsinki University of Technology’s (TKK) strong areas of expertise. I consider the commitment of the Finnish government, the business community and the whole of society to the renewal of the Finnish university system to be significant,” states Tuula Teeri, new President of Aalto University.
The process of appointing a new Deputy President of KTH will be initiated as soon as possible.
Håkan Soold