Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

Research environment
The research environment of the unit is excellent. There seems to be an open and 
frank attitude towards science and engineering, and the younger members of the unit 
are given opportunity to pursue their own ideas, thereby establishing independent 
research profiles.
As the newly formed Aalto University gradually finds its form, the evaluation 
panel hopes and expects that this can foster an even stronger research environment. 
Research networking and interaction
Given its many years of existence, the unit has trained numerous chemists now active 
in Finnish industry and academia, and it actively uses this network when engaging in 
scientific collaborations. There is a strong and important international tradition in the 
unit and many of its significant contributions or new research directions were 
developed during research visits to other institutions.
Recommendations
Within the next five years, the chair in physical chemistry will become vacant. The 
evaluation panel recommends that a new professor be hired to ensure the future 

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presence of core competencies in electrochemistry in Finland. Given the profile of 
Finnish industry, it is of great importance that this knowledge is maintained both for 
future research and education. This more macroscopic/thermodynamic approach to 
physical chemistry will thus nicely supplement the more microscopic/spectroscopic 
approach to physical chemistry present at UJ and UH. 
However, the panel expects that it can be difficult to find a pure electrochemist 
for the professorship, and the unit may have to search for a strong candidate with a 
unique research profile, encompassing electrochemistry as a primary research tool. 
The unit’s successful track record with EU funding should serve as a model for 
other smaller Finnish laboratories.