21 Notable alumni of
University of Jyvaskyla
Updated:
The University of Jyvaskyla is 1440th in the world, 498th in Europe, and 6th in Finland by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 21 notable alumni from the University of Jyvaskyla sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Sofi Oksanen
- Occupations
- publisherplaywrightnovelistdramaturge
- Biography
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Sofi-Elina Oksanen is a Finnish writer and playwright. Oksanen has published six novels, of which "Purge" has gained the widest recognition. She has received several international and domestic awards for her literary work. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than two million copies. Oksanen has been called "Finnish-Estonian Charles Dickens" and her work has often been compared to Margaret Atwood's novels. Oksanen is actively involved in public debate in Finland and comments on current issues in her columns and various talk shows.
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Jukka Jalonen
- Enrolled in the University of Jyvaskyla
- Studied in 1988
- Occupations
- ice hockey playerice hockey coach
- Biography
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Jukka Pertti Juhani Jalonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey coach and former player. In 2011, 2019 and 2022, he led the Finnish national team to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship, and at the 2022 Winter Olympics, he coached the team that won Finland's first ever Olympic gold in ice hockey. He was the head coach of Jokerit in the Kontinental Hockey League during 2016–2018 before returning to coach the Finnish national team.
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Laura Huhtasaari
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Laura Huhtasaari is a Finnish politician and teacher. As a member of the Finns Party, she has represented Satakunta in the Parliament of Finland from April 2015 to July 2019. She was the Finns Party candidate for the 2018 Finnish presidential election. In 2019 Huhtasaari was elected to the European Parliament with 92,760 votes
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Ismo Leikola
- Enrolled in the University of Jyvaskyla
- Studied physics and chemistry
- Occupations
- musicianstand-up comediantelevision presenter
- Biography
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Ismo Mikael Leikola, sometimes known professionally as ISMO, is a Finnish comedian, musician, author, screenwriter, and YouTuber. Leikola made his United States debut in 2014, when he won the "Funniest Person in the World" competition organized by the comedy club Laugh Factory. In 2015, he made comedy series ISMO for Finnish television and moved to the United States. He gained more recognition after his appearance on the Conan talk show in 2018 and has since toured internationally. He has a YouTube channel with over 391,000 subscribers.
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Jutta Urpilainen
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Jutta Pauliina Urpilainen is a Finnish politician. She was the first female chair of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, which she led from 2008 to 2014. She was the Minister of Finance as well as the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland from 2011 to 2014. Between 2019 and 2024, she served as the European Commissioner for International Partnerships in the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. Urpilainen announced her candidacy for the 2024 election for President of Finland in November 2023.
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Matti Heikkinen
- Enrolled in the University of Jyvaskyla
- Studied marketing
- Occupations
- cross-country skiersports commentatorsports executive
- Biography
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Matti Heikkinen is a Finnish former cross-country skier and World Champion who competed from 2002 to 2019.
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Lotta Hintsa
- Occupations
- modelmountaineerbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Lotta Hintsa is a Finnish model, mountaineer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Finland 2013 and represented her country at Miss Universe 2013.
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Touko Aalto
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Touko Juhani Aalto is a Finnish politician. He was chairman of the Green League from 2017 to 2018. He represented the electoral district of Central Finland in the Parliament of Finland 2015–2019.
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Henna Virkkunen
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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Henna Maria Virkkunen is a Finnish politician who serves as Executive Vice-president of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy since 1 December 2024.
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Mauri Pekkarinen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Reijo Mauri Matias Pekkarinen is a Finnish politician. He most recently served as a Member of European Parliament for Finland between 2019 and 2024. He is the Centre Party of Finland (Suomen Keskusta) deputy and secretary, having served in various cabinet position in the Finnish government, including as Minister of Economic Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of the Interior, as well as a member of parliament. He is known by the nickname "The Parliament Terrier".
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Sinuhe Wallinheimo
- Occupations
- ice hockey playerpolitician
- Biography
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Mika Sinuhe Wallinheimo is a Finnish politician and former professional ice hockey goaltender. As the last team he represented JYP in the SM-liiga. After his sporting career he entered politics and was elected to the Parliament of Finland as an MP for the National Coalition Party in the 2011 election and reelected in 2015 and 2019. His parents derived his name Sinuhe from the protagonist of the novel The Egyptian. Wallinheimo was the first person in Finland to be named Sinuhe.
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Hanna Kosonen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Hanna Kosonen is a Finnish politician and former ski-orienteering competitor. She was Finland's Minister of Science and Culture from August 2019 till August 2020.
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Elsi Katainen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Elsi Kaarina Katainen is a Finnish politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). She is a member of the Centre Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
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Petri Honkonen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Petri Erkki Olavi Honkonen is a Finnish politician, representing the Centre Party in the Parliament of Finland since 2015. He was born in Pylkönmäki, and was elected to the Parliament from the Central Finland constituency in the 2015 elections with 2,978 votes.
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Osmo Pekonen
- Occupations
- writerhistorianmathematician
- Biography
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Osmo Pekonen was a Finnish mathematician, historian of science, and author. He was a docent of mathematics at the University of Helsinki and at the University of Jyväskylä, a docent of history of science at the University of Oulu, and a docent of history of civilization at the University of Lapland. He was the Book Reviews section editor of The Mathematical Intelligencer.
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Markus Mustajärvi
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Markus Mustajärvi is a Finnish politician for the Left Alliance. He represented Lapland in the Parliament of Finland from 2003 until 2023.
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Bella Forsgrén
- Enrolled in the University of Jyvaskyla
- Studied social policy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bella Asha Maria Belaynesh Forsgrén is a Finnish politician of the Green League who has been serving as a member of the Parliament of Finland since 2019, representing the Central Finland constituency. She is the country's first Black woman member of parliament.
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Susanna Huovinen
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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Krista Anri Susanna Huovinen is a Finnish politician of the Social Democratic Party and the Minister of Social Services between 2013 and 2015.
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Tuomo Puumala
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Tuomo Matti Oskari Puumala is a Finnish politician from the Centre Party. He has been a member of the Finnish Parliament from Vaasa since 2007. He has a master's degree in Social Science. Before his political career he worked as a journalist for Kokkola and Perhonjokilaakso newspapers. He was also the Chairman of Finnish Centre Youth from 2005 to 2009.
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Nikolay Kuznetsov
- Occupations
- scientist
- Biography
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Nikolay Vladimirovich Kuznetsov is a specialist in nonlinear dynamics and control theory.
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Pasi Sahlberg
- Occupations
- professoruniversity teacherpedagogue
- Biography
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Pasi Sahlberg is a Finnish education expert, author and professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Previously, Sahlberg has worked as a professor of practice at Harvard University at the World Bank, and as the director of the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) in Finland. His work Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? won the Grawemeyer Award in 2013.
