Ilkka Niemelä: In the age of AI, university education builds the ability to learn, think critically and collaborate

Higher education has never been more relevant or crucial to society as now, said Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä in his opening address.

According to Niemelä, the challenges that AI brings cannot be solved with AI, but by people with genuine curiosity and critical thinking skills, taking responsibility and putting needed development into action. 

’It is universities that bring together what society needs most: understanding of the world and cutting-edge technologies and the profound ability to question, assess and innovate,’ said Ilkka Niemelä, whose background is in AI research.

Aalto is renewing its education to ensure it continuously meets the needs of society – and of students. As a pilot, Aalto has launched a new multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme, starting in autumn 2027, in which students are not required to choose their field of graduation right away; instead, during the first year they immerse themselves in all three Aalto fields—engineering, design and business. 

Aalto University wants to help employers recruit young talent

Employment is by far the biggest concern for students, according to a survey by the Aalto University Student Union. 

In his speech, Ilkka Niemelä noted that higher education continues to provide effective protection against unemployment, even during economic downturns. At the same time, it is true that far too many young people are being left without summer jobs and work placements, which are important for launching a career. Working life nevertheless constantly requires new people and renewal. 

‘I appeal to businesses: What if we join forces and take students’ summer job opportunities to the next level? We at Aalto are currently looking at the kinds of service packages we could offer companies to facilitate the organisation of summer jobs for Aalto students next year. We want to help businesses of all sizes as well as the public and voluntary sectors to recruit and mentor our talented young people.’ 

Aalto brings research-driven innovations to society

As an innovation university, it is Aalto University’s task to create cutting-edge knowledge and solutions to renew society and industries. According to Ilkka Niemelä, this has never been more important, as the pace of development continues to accelerate, due to AI and other disruptive changes. 

‘We have worked hard to develop a systematic way to identify and support research across fields with potential for commercialisation – and according to the newest data, we are doing exceptionally well. In a recent report, Aalto’s spinout companies ranked third in Europe in gathering funding, with only Oxford and Cambridge ahead of us.’ 

Aalto also aims to give birth to new industries in Finland. An excellent example is the quantum sector, which would not exist in the country without Aalto’s and TKK’s long-term, ground-breaking research dating back to the 1960s. The leading company IQM, an Aalto spinout, recently became the first European quantum computing company to be publicly listed in the United States. With other quantum companies popping up, many Aalto-related, Greater Helsinki is now ranked as a top two innovation cluster globally in quantum.

Jukka Pekola named new Aalto Distinguished Professor

At Aalto University’s opening of the academic year, a new Aalto Distinguished Professor was also announced. The title is conferred by the President on a professor with exceptional career merits.

The new Aalto Professor is Jukka Pekola from the Department of Applied Physics. Professor Pekola has built an internationally recognised career in low-temperature physics and quantum technologies. His research has led to pioneering discoveries that have advanced the understanding of the relationship between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics, helping to establish quantum thermodynamics as a globally recognised research field.

Photos: Aalto University / Mikko Raskinen

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