The Rectorate appointed Associate Professor (tenure), Ph.D. Simo Saarakkala as the Scientific Director of Infotech Oulu from February 1, 2018. Saarakkala graduated as Ph.D. in Medical Physics in 2007 from University of Kuopio. He moved to the University of Oulu in 2010, and currently he leads his own research group in the Faculty of Medicine focusing on developing novel and innovative clinical diagnostic and follow-up methods for musculoskeletal diseases – especially osteoarthritis - both at the tissue level and in clinical studies. The recent new opening in his research is to develop and apply novel machine learning based algorithms for clinical prediction of development and progression of osteoarthritis utilizing big patient cohorts. Saarakkala's research is highly interdisciplinary combining medicine, bioscience, biomedical engineering and information technology ("data science").
University of Oulu systematically promotes the prerequisites of high-quality research and spear-head portfolio formation in it´s research focus areas. The focus institutes Biocenter Oulu, Eudaimonia Institute, Infotech Oulu ja Kvantum Institute coordinate the multidisciplinary thematic entities in the focus areas and support the networking of scientific disciplines, interdisciplinary projects and doctoral training across the different Faculties at the University of Oulu.
Last updated: 31.1.2018