Antti Järvenpää appointed Assistant Professor of Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies at the Kerttu Saalasti Institute
Järvenpää's research focuses on controlling the properties of materials and utilizing them to improve the performance of end products through cost-effective and environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques. He has extensive expertise in both materials science and various manufacturing technologies, particularly additive manufacturing.
The research group is growing stronger
The professorship strengthens the position of the Future Manufacturing Technologies (FMT) research group as a national and international pioneer in future manufacturing technologies. It provides a stable foundation for implementing even more ambitious, long-term research projects and helps attract top experts from Finland and abroad.
"With the professorship, the research group will be strengthened with a tenure track professor and will move into a professor-led phase. The professorship implements our strategy and significantly strengthens the research profile of the University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute", says Professor Matti Muhos, Director of the Kerttu Saalasti Institute.
"The professorship will enable us to expand our industrial collaboration, develop a center of excellence, and strengthen our position as part of global research networks", continues Antti Järvenpää.
Developing production technologies for the future
Järvenpää believes that the most important thing is to develop solutions that are technically advanced but also cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally sustainable. Järvenpää focuses on technologies that consume less material, reduce carbon footprints, and enable completely new design solutions. It is equally important to ensure that innovations are quickly transferred from research laboratories to industrial use.
"I want our research to directly support the development of a competitive, sustainable, and flexible industry—one that creates high value-added jobs and products while strengthening defense capabilities and national security. The goal is to develop dual-use solutions that serve civilian needs but can also be utilized in the defense sector", Järvenpää envisions.
Järvenpää also emphasizes the digitalization of industry in his work; for example, 3D printing as a digital manufacturing method is modernizing the domestic metal industry and supporting its transition in the industrial transformation.
“At the same time, I want to strengthen the training of experts in the field—why couldn’t a welder be trained as a 3D printer with the same effort, for example? This requires close cooperation between companies, decision-makers, and the education sector so that technological breakthroughs can be translated into concrete social benefits," says Järvenpää.
Strong credentials lead to assistant professorship
Matti Muhos says that Assistant professor Antti Järvenpää's expertise and track record are perfectly suited to the new tenure track professorship.
"Järvenpää has a doctorate in engineering in a relevant field and a strong track record in research on sustainable manufacturing technologies and in leading research and research groups. As the preparatory group noted, Järvenpää has the best qualifications for the position of assistant professor based on his expertise and experience in the field, which stood out among the exceptionally large number of applicants," says Muhos.
Contact:
Antti Järvenpää
antti.jarvenpaa@oulu.fi
Photo: Minna Kilpeläinen