68 Notable alumni of
University of Turku
Updated:
The University of Turku is 816th in the world, 286th in Europe, and 4th in Finland by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 68 notable alumni from the University of Turku sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Sauli Niinistö
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- In 1974 studied legal science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Sauli Väinämö Niinistö is a Finnish politician who served as the 12th president of Finland from 2012 to 2024.
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Mauno Koivisto
- Occupations
- politicianbank managereconomist
- Biography
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Mauno Henrik Koivisto was a Finnish politician who served as the ninth president of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as the country's prime minister twice, from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1979 to 1982. He was also the first member of the Social Democratic Party to be elected as President of Finland.
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Petteri Orpo
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- 1990-2002 graduated with master's degree in economics
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Antti Petteri Orpo is a Finnish politician currently serving as the prime minister of Finland since 2023 and as the leader of the National Coalition Party since 2016. He briefly served as speaker of the Parliament of Finland after the 2023 parliamentary election.
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Jenni Haukio
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Studied in 2001
- Occupations
- writerpoliticianpoet
- Biography
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Jenni Elina Haukio is a Finnish poet, political scientist and the spouse of the president of Finland from 2012 to 2024. She is the second wife of the former president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.
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Riikka Purra
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Graduated with Master of Social Science in political science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Riikka Katriina Purra is a Finnish politician, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland, and Finance Minister, since 2023. She is also a member of the Parliament of Finland for the Finns Party for the Uusimaa constituency. In August 2021 she was elected the new leader of the party, after Jussi Halla-aho.
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Elias Lönnrot
- Occupations
- physicianpoetfolkloristphysician writerpedagogue
- Biography
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Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for synthesizing the Finnish national epic, Kalevala (1835, enlarged 1849) from short ballads and lyric poems he gathered from Finnish oral tradition during several field expeditions in Finland, Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and Baltic countries. In botany, he is remembered as the author of the 1860 Flora Fennica, the first scientific text written in Finnish rather than in Latin.
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Anna Puu
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- In 2008 graduated with master's degree in business studies
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
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Anna Puu is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She placed second in Finland's Idols 2008 competition.
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Annika Saarikko
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Annika Virpi Irene Saarikko is a Finnish politician and minister who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland from 2020 to 2023. She served as the leader of the Finnish Centre Party from 2020 to 2024.
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Ilkka Kanerva
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Ilkka Armas Mikael Kanerva was a Finnish politician and a member of the Parliament of Finland. He was born in Lokalahti, now a part of Uusikaupunki in Southwest Finland. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2008. Kanerva was a member of the National Coalition Party.
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Krista Kiuru
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Krista Katriina Kiuru is a Finnish politician. She served as Minister of Housing and Communications and Minister of Education and Communications in Jyrki Katainen's and Alexander Stubb's cabinets. From 2019 to 2023, she served as the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services in the Rinne Cabinet and the subsequent Marin Cabinet.
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Ville Niinistö
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ville Matti Niinistö is a Finnish politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He is a former member of parliament, former chairperson of the Green League and served as Minister of the Environment from 2011 to 2014, and a member of the city council of Turku.
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Tellervo Koivisto
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Taimi Tellervo Koivisto is a Finnish politician and the former First Lady of Finland from 1982 to 1994. Koivisto is the widow of the 9th President of Finland Mauno Koivisto and a former member of the Finnish parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
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kakka valtaoja
- Occupations
- writerastronomer
- Biography
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Esko Jorma Johannes Valtaoja is a Finnish professional astronomer and writer. Valtaoja worked as a professor at the University of Turku where he studied quasars. Valtaoja retired in 2015 after holding a popular farewell lecture, that was also televised by Finnish national public broadcaster YLE.
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Linda Liukas
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Studied in 2007-2009
- Occupations
- children's writerprogrammerteacherillustratororator
- Biography
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Linda Liukas is a Finnish children's book author, illustrator and an instructor for beginner programmers. In 2014, her Hello Ruby coding book for children raised $380,000 on Kickstarter becoming the platform's most highly funded children's book.
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Reijo Mäki
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Reijo Juhani Mäki is a Finnish writer of crime fiction.
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Maria Lohela
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Maria Tuulia Lohela is a Finnish politician. She has served as a Member of the Parliament of Finland from 2011 to 2019. After having maintained her seat in the 2015 election, Lohela was Speaker of the Parliament of Finland from 2015 to 2018. 36 years old when elected Speaker, she was one of the youngest MPs to hold that office in the parliament's history. Before her parliamentary career, she took her bachelor's degree at the University of Turku, majoring in English language. She has also served as a member of the Turku City Council from 2009 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2019.
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Salla Simukka
- Occupations
- translatorliterary criticwriter
- Biography
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Salla Simukka is a best-selling Finnish novelist, translator and literary critic, and winner of the Topelius Prize 2013 and the Finland Prize 2013. She is known for her young adult series The Snow White Trilogy, which was originally published in Finnish as the Lumikki Andersson trilogy.
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Elisa Aaltola
- Occupations
- animal rights advocateuniversity teacherphilosopher
- Biography
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Elisa Aaltola is a Finnish philosopher, specialised in animal philosophy, moral psychology and environmental philosophy.
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Simon Elo
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in contemporary history
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Simon Jakob Benjamin Elo is a Finnish politician and a former Member of Parliament. He was a representative in the Finns Party until 2017 and was the leader of Finns Party Youth from 2010 to 2014. He was elected to the Parliament for Uusimaa in 2015. He has also sat in the Espoo City Council since 2012.
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Heli Laaksonen
- Occupations
- translatorpoetwriter
- Biography
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Heli Pauliina Laaksonen is a Finnish poet.
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Kauko Juhantalo
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- In 1972 graduated with bachelor's degree in law
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Kauko Johannes Juhantalo was a Finnish politician. A member of the Centre Party, he was member of the Parliament from the electoral district of Satakunta and Minister of Trade and Industry.
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Silja Kosonen
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Studied German
- Occupations
- hammer thrower
- Biography
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Silja Kosonen is a Finnish hammer thrower. She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. She won the World U20 Championship in Hammer Throw held in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Pertti Paasio
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Studied in 1968
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Pertti Kullervo Paasio was a Finnish politician from the Social Democratic Party. He was born in Helsinki.
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Martin Scheinin
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianacademiclawyer
- Biography
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Martin Scheinin is an international law scholar who served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism in 2005–2011. He was selected for this position after serving for eight years (1997–2004) as member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the independent expert body monitoring states' compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While on the committee, he was known as a defendant of the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples and opponent of capital punishment, as well as the drafter of the committee's General Comment No. 29 on states of emergency.
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Paula Lehtomäki
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Paula Lehtomäki is a Finnish politician. She started her political career in 1996, when she was elected to the Kuhmo town council. In 1999 she was elected to the Finnish Parliament, and again in 2003. In 2002, she was elected as the vice-chairman of Keskusta. In April 2004, she was chosen as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, making her the youngest minister in Matti Vanhanen's first cabinet.
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Pekka Puska
- Occupations
- politicianphysicianscientist
- Biography
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Pekka Puska is a Finnish physician, docent and politician. Puska held the position of Director General of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland in 2009–2013. THL was formed following the merging of National Public Health Institute of Finland (KTL), and the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES). Puska headed KTL from 2003 to 2009. Puska is a Member of Parliament (Eduskunta) since 2017 and was previously a Member of Parliament in 1987–1991. Puska is a Docent for University of Helsinki and University of Eastern Finland.
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Aki Lindén
- Occupations
- politicianphysician
- Biography
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Aki Alexander Felix Lindén is a Finnish Member of Parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland from the constituency of Finland Proper.
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Yrjö Väisälä
- Occupations
- Esperantistastronomeruniversity teacherphysicistmeteorologist
- Biography
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Yrjö Väisälä was a Finnish astronomer and physicist.
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Keijo Korhonen
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teacherhistoriandiplomatjournalist
- Biography
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Keijo Tero Korhonen was a Finnish politician, ambassador, and professor. During his political career, he served as the Finnish foreign minister and Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations. He was an unsuccessful candidate for President of Finland in 1994. He was also a professor at the University of Helsinki and an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona.
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Nina Åström
- Occupations
- singer-songwriter
- Biography
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Nina Susann Åström, is a Finland Swede Christian singer-songwriter, pianist and evangelist.
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Anna Kortelainen
- Occupations
- art historian
- Biography
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Anna Taina Aleksandra Kortelainen is a Finnish scholar, art historian and non-fiction writer.
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Eeva Kuuskoski
- Occupations
- physicianpoliticianmedical specialist
- Biography
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Eeva Maija Kaarina Kuuskoski is a Finnish politician and physician. She was Member of the Parliament of Finland for Finland Proper from 1979 to 1995 and Minister of Social Affairs and Health from 1983 to 1987 and again from 1991 to 1992.
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Pauli Kiuru
- Occupations
- triathletepolitician
- Biography
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Pauli Antero Kiuru is a Finnish triathlete, businessman and politician. He is a member of the Parliament of Finland since 2011, representing the National Coalition Party.
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Liisa Hyssälä
- Occupations
- dentistpolitician
- Biography
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Liisa Marja Hyssälä is a retired Finnish politician of the Centre Party. She was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1995 to 2010 and the minister of social affairs and health from 2003 to 2010. She was the General Director of Kela from 2010 to 2016.
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Timo Airaksinen
- Occupations
- university teacherphilosopher
- Biography
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Timo Airaksinen is Professor of Moral Philosophy in the Discipline of Social and Moral Philosophy at Helsinki University. By longstanding tradition in the University of Helsinki, the philosophy faculty is divided into two major areas, the practical and the theoretical. He graduated from the University of Turku in 1971 and defended his doctoral dissertation The Hegelianism of Bradley and McTaggart in 1975. He specializes in ethics and social philosophy, ethics of technology, the history of philosophy, and education. He has written on a wide range of topics dealing with these issues, from the thinking of Hobbes to Marquis de Sade. Airaksinen also regularly contributes to public debate in Finland and has had a column in the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
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Iida Rauma
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Iida Rauma is a Finnish writer. She studied political science at university. She has written three novels. She lives in Turku.
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Minna Arve
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Minna Arve is a Finnish politician who serves as the mayor of Turku. Since August 2021 the post of the mayor became an elected office instead of a hired position. She represents the National Coalition Party.
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Pekka Pyykkö
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- 1964-1967 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- physical chemistresearcherprofessorchemist
- Biography
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Veli Pekka Pyykkö is a Finnish academic. He was professor of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki. From 2009–2012, he was the chairman of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science. He is known for his extension to the periodic table of elements, known as the Pyykkö model.
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Aura Salla
- Occupations
- lobbyistpolitician
- Biography
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Aura Salla is a Finnish politician and a Member of the European Parliament.
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Johannes Yrttiaho
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Johannes Yrttiaho is a Finnish politician who served in the Parliament of Finland for the Left Alliance at the Varsinais-Suomi district.
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Jaakko Jonkka
- Occupations
- jurist
- Biography
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Jaakko Ilari Jonkka was a Finnish jurist and the Chancellor of Justice of Finland from 2007 to 2017. He was preceded by Paavo Nikula and succeeded by Tuomas Pöysti.
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Jarmo Viinanen
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Jarmo Viinanen is a Finnish ambassador to Sweden until 2016, and was President of the UNICEF Executive Board in 2013. In addition to this, Viinanen was, from 1997 until 1998, the First Secretary in the Foreign Ministry's Department of External Trade Relations. From 1998 to 2000, Viinanen was the Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Between 2000 and 2005, Viinanen served as the diplomatic adviser to Tarja Halonen, the 11th President of Finland, the Deputy Secretary General and Deputy Chief of Cabinet, as well as the Secretary-General and Chief of Cabinet to Halonen from 2005–2009. Between 8 April 2009 and 2014, Viinanen held a position as the Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations.
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Liisi Oterma
- Occupations
- Esperantistastronomer
- Biography
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Liisi Oterma was a Finnish astronomer, the first woman to get a Ph.D. degree in astronomy in Finland.
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Kalevi Wiik
- Occupations
- university teacherlinguist
- Biography
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Kaino Kalevi Wiik was a professor of phonetics at the University of Turku, Finland. He was best known for his controversial hypothesis about the effect of the Uralic contact influence on the creation of various Indo-European protolanguages in Northern Europe such as Germanic, Slavic, and Baltic. He also based much of his hypothetical structures on results of genetics of his time. Ludomir R. Lozny states, "Wiik's controversial ideas are rejected by the majority of the scholarly community, but they have attracted the enormous interest of a wider audience."
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Jyrki Yrttiaho
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jyrki Valto Yrttiaho was a Finnish politician and member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance. He was born in Pelkosenniemi. He was elected to the Finnish Parliament in the 2007 election.
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Jussi Tuomola
- Occupations
- paintercartoonist
- Biography
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Jussi Tuomola, pen name Juba is a Finnish cartoonist.
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Fredrik Cygnaeus
- Occupations
- writerhistorianpoetliterary critic
- Biography
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Fredrik Cygnaeus was a Finnish poet, art critic and collector, docent of history and university professor of aesthetics and literature. Cygnaeus was an influential figure in Finnish art and literature, contributed to Finnish nationalism and was a central person in the Fennoman movement (Fennomani).
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Sampsa Kataja
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Sampsa Kalle Henrikki Kataja is a Finnish politician, Member of Parliament and lawyer. Kataja has served in the Pori City Council from 1997 to 2017 and from 2021 to 2025, and as a member of the National Assembly for the Coalition Party of Finland from 2007 to 2015.
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Aleksi Randell
- Occupations
- mayor
- Biography
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Aleksi Randell is a Finnish politician. He has served as the mayor of Turku since 2010. From 2003 to 2010 he served as the chairman of the municipal board in Turku. He represents the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), and is the vice chairman of the party's council.
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Matti Anttonen
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Matti Kalervo Anttonen is a Finnish diplomat and the present Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland since 1 March 2018.
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Arto Salomaa
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- In 1959 graduated with licentiate
- In 1960 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teachercomputer scientistmathematician
- Biography
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Arto Kustaa Salomaa was a Finnish mathematician and computer scientist. His research career, which spanned over 40 years, was focused on formal languages and automata theory.
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Janne Sankelo
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Graduated with Master of Education
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Janne Daniel Sankelo is a Finnish politician currently serving in the Parliament of Finland for the National Coalition Party at the Vaasa constituency.
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Jaakko Itälä
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jaakko Itälä was a Finnish politician. He served as the minister of education for two terms in the 1970s. He was also a member of the Parliament and head of the Liberal People's Party.
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Fred Karlsson
- Occupations
- university teacherlinguist
- Biography
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Fred Göran Karlsson is a professor emeritus of general linguistics at the University of Helsinki.
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Jarkko Kari
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Graduated with master's degree
- Occupations
- professorcomputer scientistmathematician
- Biography
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Jarkko J. Kari is a Finnish mathematician and computer scientist, known for his contributions to the theory of Wang tiles and cellular automata. Kari is currently a professor at the Department of Mathematics, University of Turku.
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Jukka Mikkola
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Jukka Mikkola was a Finnish politician from the Social Democratic Party. He was a lawyer and has the title Master of Laws.
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Maarten J.M. Christenhusz
- Occupations
- photographerpteridologistbotanist
- Biography
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Dr Maarten Joost Maria Christenhusz is a Dutch botanist, natural historian and photographer.
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Klaus Waris
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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Klaus Henrik Waris was a Finnish economist, professor and the governor of the Bank of Finland from 1957 to 1967.
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Lauri Heikkilä
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Lauri Juho Antti Heikkilä was a Finnish politician, representing the Finns Party. He was elected to the Parliament of Finland in April 2011. He was a senior researcher and a lecturer of microelectronics at the University of Turku, but he also did farming.
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Lila Kari
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- computer scientist
- Biography
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Lila Kari is a Romanian and Canadian computer scientist, professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, Canada.
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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.
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Mirka Soinikoski
- Occupations
- politicianphysician
- Biography
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Mirka Johanna Soinikoski is a Finnish politician, who served in the Parliament of Finland for the Green League at the Tavastia constituency between 2019 and 2024.
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Kirsti Narinen
- Enrolled in the University of Turku
- Studied in 1980-1985
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Kirsti Johanna Narinen is a Finnish diplomat. She was appointed Finnish Ambassador to Estonia on September 1, 2014. Narinen started to work in the Foreign Ministry in 1984.
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Matti Jutila
- Years
- 1943-.. (age 82)
- Occupations
- mathematicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Matti Ilmari Jutila is a mathematician and a professor emeritus at the University of Turku. He researches in the field of analytic number theory.
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Kai Salomaa
- Years
- 1960s
- Occupations
- computer scientist
- Biography
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Kai Tapani Salomaa is a Finnish Canadian theoretical computer scientist, known for his numerous contributions to the state complexity of finite automata. His highly cited 1994 joint paper with Yu and Zhuang laid the foundations of the area. He has published over 100 papers in scientific journals on various subjects in formal language theory. Salomaa is a full professor at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario).
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Juhani Karhumäki
- Occupations
- computer scientistmathematician
- Biography
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Eero Urho Juhani Karhumäki is a Finnish mathematician and theoretical computer scientist known for his contributions to automata theory. He is a professor at the University of Turku in southwestern Finland.
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Wei Yan
- Born in
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China - Enrolled in the University of Turku
- In 2000 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- physiologistbiologist
- Biography
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Wei Yan is a Chinese-American reproductive biologist who currently serves as the Director of the School of Molecular Biosciences and the Director of the Center for Reproductive Biology at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a University Foundation Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, United States and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, he serves as the Director of National Center for Male Reproductive Epigenomics. Previously, Dr. Yan was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biology of Reproduction and is now the Deputy Editor of Andrology.
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Ilkka Juhani Virta
- Occupations
- historianauthor
- Biography
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Ilkka Juhani Virta is a Finnish rector and historian. Ilkka Virta has worked as a rector of the Pyhäjärvi Region Adult' College, the Finnish Adult Education Centre of Turku, the Loimaa Workers' College and the Auranlaakso Citizens' College.
