Aalto Distinguished Professor Tapani Vuorinen receives prestigious Wihuri International Prize

The Wihuri Foundation for International Prizespresented its International Prize to Aalto University Professor Tapani Vuorinen at a ceremony held at Finlandia Hall on 9 October 2026. The prize is awarded to a Finnish or international researcher in recognition of furthering the cultural development of mankind. The prize is worth EUR 150,000.

Vuorinen’s career spanning nearly half a century in wood chemistry has advanced research both in Finland and internationally. He has published more than 240 scientific articles and collaborated with researchers around the world.

Curiosity and a desire to understand things as thoroughly as possible have guided Vuorinen throughout his career. Already in his doctoral thesis, he delved deeper into the reactions of carbohydrates used in wood processing than anyone had before – or has since.

‘Back at the beginning of the millennium, an American editor of a scientific journal told me he had been wondering whether a certain chemical reaction might work in a particular way. I gave him my doctoral thesis and said, “This has already been studied here,”’ Vuorinen says with a laugh.

But he considers other people to have been the most important factor behind his success.

‘No one does research alone. That’s why everyone I’ve collaborated with can consider this prize their own.’

From farm boy to curious researcher

Tapani Vuorinen grew up on a farm, spending a lot of time outdoors and working in the forest with his father.

‘After upper secondary school, I thought it would be nice to work in a field where I could maintain a connection with nature, so I applied to study forest products technology.

At Helsinki University of Technology, now Aalto University, Vuorinen discovered his passion for research and chose wood chemistry as his field of specialisation.

From the very beginning of his studies, he preferred to find interesting questions for himself rather than simply answer questions posed by others.

‘For my course projects, I proposed my own topics, and I essentially supervised my own master’s thesis as well,’ he recalls.

After graduating, Vuorinen was encouraged to pursue a career in industry, but the university won him over.

Working on his doctoral thesis became the first major milestone of his career.

‘It gave me a deep theoretical understanding that has stayed with me to this day. My way of thinking is holistic: I don’t have several separate theories going around in my head; everything is connected to everything else. Holistic thinking also means being able to apply theories and techniques from other fields to your own area of research,’ Vuorinen says.

His holistic approach came fully into its own in the early 1990s, when Vuorinen began developing a research project aimed at improving pulp bleaching and papermaking. The project, funded by Tekes, now Business Finland, brought together universities, research institutes and eventually practically the entire Finnish forest industry.

One outcome of the project was an invention that significantly reduced the environmental impact of pulp bleaching. In 2003, it earned Vuorinen, Johanna Buchert, Anita Teleman and Maija Tenkanen the Marcus Wallenberg Prize, considered the most prestigious recognition in the forest industry.

‘The project taught me a huge amount about collaboration and its importance. And when you make an observation in the laboratory and realise, through theory, why it matters, that’s a great moment. That’s why this project has also stayed particularly strongly in my mind.’

Today, material experiments can be carried out anywhere in the world, not just at Aalto: in 2020, The Chemarts Cookbook was published for researchers, followed in 2024 by its younger sibling, Mainiot materiaalit (Marvelous Materials), a book for children and young people whose activities are suitable for both homes and schools.

For Vuorinen’s own work, Chemarts has added an entirely new dimension.

‘It gave me a second career.’

New ideas and opportunities have also been brought by the rapid internationalisation of Helsinki University of Technology and Aalto. Vuorinen played a major role at the beginning of the millennium, when the master’s programme in forest products technology at Helsinki University of Technology was renewed, the language of teaching was changed from Finnish to English, and both staff and students began to be recruited internationally.

‘I think it’s fantastic to work with people from all over the world. I haven’t felt the need to go elsewhere myself – Aalto has given me the freedom to work in the way I think is best, excellent resources and close connections with industry,’ Vuorinen says.

And who are the people who have left the strongest mark on him over the years?

‘I don’t admire people for their position, but for their attitude and actions: the talent of Chemarts students, seeing students who struggled in their studies shine in working life, or the courage students showed when they started speaking English even though their language skills were not yet strong. To young people thinking about their own field, I would say: don’t just follow the crowd. Follow what interests you.’

The first Wihuri International Prize was awarded in 1958 to mathematician Rolf Nevanlinna, and by 2026, the Wihuri International Prize has been awarded 22 times to scientists around the world.