Jouni Juntunen appointed Professor of Business Analytics at the Oulu Business School

The professorship, established at the Martti Ahtisaari Institute of OBS, focuses on digitalisation in the automotive and vehicle industry, analytics of digital service platforms, and the green transition.

Jouni Juntunen has previously worked for a long time at the business schools' Department of Marketing, Management and International Business, where he served, among other roles, as Professor of Automotive Business from 2020 to 2024. He now moved to his new role from the position of Professor of Sustainable Logistics at LUT University (Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology).

At the same time, Juntunen returns to lead the multidisciplinary H2Go and UTAH2 projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which he designed during his tenure as Professor of Automotive Business. The H2Go project consortium examines the utilisation of green hydrogen in heavy road transport from various perspectives and pilots the use of a mobile hydrogen refuelling station in cooperation, among others, with the VISIOK project led by the OSAO Joint Authority for Education.

The UTAH2 project focuses on the local production and use of hydrogen, particularly for the needs of industry and heavy transport. It is a pleasure to return to well-progressing projects: Juntunen thanks the project teams and partners for their excellent work.

From the green transition in the automotive sector towards the digitalisation of transport

Juntunen sees many opportunities in the transformation of the automotive sector: “Logistics and the automotive industry offer excellent possibilities for data-driven optimisation and development,” he notes.

According to him, the goal is the wide-scale digitalisation of logistics and transport, which first requires a transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources. This change brings new skills requirements and business opportunities, which are best realised through cooperation between multiple stakeholders.

In addition to environmental considerations, Juntunen emphasises the economic importance of phasing out fossil fuels and issues related to security of supply. From the perspective of the national economy, it is important that the transition is carried out in a timely manner. Furthermore, it is justified to examine the opportunities offered by domestic hydrogen production as an alternative to imported non-renewable fuels.

The new specialisation complements existing research

In addition to his academic career in engineering and business, Juntunen has worked in various roles in the automotive industry. He says that business analytics naturally operates at the interface of engineering and business sciences. He looks forward to continuing cooperation with industry actors and fellow researchers.

The aim is also to expand research by taking into account the strong areas of expertise of the Martti Ahtisaari Institute, such as new business models and new perspectives related to renewable energy, which are also closely linked to the green transition in vehicles and logistics.

“Research in business analytics focused on the automotive sector complements the research conducted at both the University of Oulu and Oulu Business School and enables multidisciplinary research within both,” Juntunen states. “I can hardly think of a field of research at the university with which cooperation would not be possible in one form or another.”

The establishment of the professorship continues the long-standing collaboration with AKL and Autoalan Ammattikoulutuksen Edistämissäätiö, and the preparation process has involved listening to the wishes and views of industry representatives. The main funders that made the professorship possible are AAKES and LocalTapiola General Mutual Insurance Company. The professorship is also supported by Autoliike KymppiPlus, Suomen Taksiliitto ry, and Finnish Road Association.