Seven new honorary doctors in technology at Aalto University in 2026

Professor Frede Blaabjerg, Aalborg University 

Frede Blaabjerg is a highly respected researcher with an international reputation and a professor at Aalborg University in Denmark. His research interests include power electronics and their applications in wind turbines and photovoltaic systems reliability, power quality and stability of electronics-based power systems and adjustable speed drives.   

Frede Blaabjerg received his doctorate in electrical engineering from Aalborg University in 1995. A few years later, he began a tenure-track position at the same university, where he has been working more than thirty years.  

Throughout his career, Blaabjerg has received numerous awards (eg. the IEEE Edison Medal) and authored many research articles and books, including several publications with Aalto University’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation. He has also collaborated with Aalto in other capacities, including as an external reviewer in tenure-track promotions, opponent and pre-examiner of doctoral theses. He has also hosted visiting scholars and served as member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Centre of Excellence in High-Speed Electromechanical Energy Conversion Systems (CoE HiECSs).   

Frede Blaabjerg served as president of the IEEE Power Electronics Society (2019–2020) and vice-president of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. He is also member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (2020–) and chair of the Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy (2020–2026).  

Professor emerita Synnöve Carlson 

Synnöve Carlson is a distinguished neuroscientist whose research has advanced our understanding of the development of structural and functional brain networks and their plasticity in healthy persons and in congenitally blind and prematurely born individuals.  

Carlson’s collaboration with Aalto University is extensive and long-standing. She has served as a professor of practice since 2013 and was deputy head of the Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering from 2015 to 2019 in addition to multiple committee roles at Aalto. She is a long-term board member of the Aalto Science Institute and the Aalto Brain Centre and chaired the BRAHE neuroscience collaboration steering group uniting Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and HUS. She served for a decade as the responsible teacher for the Brain ABC course, which provides students with basic knowledge about the functioning of the human brain and mind.  

Synnöve Carlson’s group has been part of two Academy of Finland Centres of Excellence (2002–2007, 2006–2011), with Carlson serving as deputy director in both. Carlson has also been instrumental in national initiatives like the founding of Neurocenter Finland, where she was a member of the executive group and a deputy member in the steering group. 

Carlson has significantly strengthened cross-institutional research and education of neuroscience at Aalto and in Finland in her various duties. 

Deputy Mayor Mervi Heinaro, City of Espoo 

Mervi Heinarois deputy mayor of the City of Espoo, Finland, responsible for economic development, sports and culture. She works actively to develop Espoo’s innovation ecosystem, particularly with Aalto University and VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland. Before her current position, Mervi Heinaro  worked in the private sector across different industries at large international companies and at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in several countries. She also co-founded a startup offering augmented audio technology.  

As deputy mayor, Heinaro has systematically supported Aalto’s deep-tech startups, startups accelerators, creative industries and student entrepreneurship. She has also been a proponent of collaboration between Aalto and companies based in Otaniemi and Keilaniemi. Mervi Heinaro is a member of the School of Engineering’s Stakeholder Advisory Board. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Åbo Akademi University in Finland and a master of arts degree from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.  

CEO Jari Jokinen, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK 

Jari Jokinen is CEO of Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK. He is a long-term influencer, leader and visionary in the Finnish higher education and RDI sector.  

Jari Jokinen is one of the key actors in the founding of Aalto University and in establishing the university’s operations. He worked as project manager at the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2007–2008 and after that at the Aalto University Foundation as its first employee. Jokinen was Aalto University’s first development director between 2009 and 2015. He played a key role in establishing Aalto as a pioneering Finnish and European university.   

After Aalto University, Jari Jokinen joined TEK  as director of education policy and research in 2015. In 2018 he was appointed CEO. Since then Jokinen has been a key partner of Aalto, especially in improving the conditions for education and research in the field of technology in Finland. 

Jari Jokinen holds a Master of Science in industrial engineering and management degree from the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT. He is a member of the Finnish Academy of Technological Sciences and of the Supervisory Board of the Employment Fund, first vice chair of Akava, member of the Supervisory Board of the Kaleva Mutual Insurance Company and vice chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ilmarinen Pension Insurance Company.  

Professor Alan Organschi, Yale University 

Alan Organschi is an internationally renowned architect, researcher and a professor at the School of Architecture at Yale University in the United States. 

He is a pioneer of low-carbon construction, wood construction and  circular economy, combining design, research and social impact in his work. In addition to his academic engagement, he is an award-winning architect and founder of an architectural office as well as a wood construction company. 

Professor Organschi’s work focuses on reducing the climate impact of the construction industry and researching how construction can fit within the planetary limits. He has launched international initiatives and done significant work to demonstrate how material choices and the sustainable use of forests can make build environments carbon-binding and positive for the climate. His work has had a broad impact on how construction emissions are viewed as part of the global climate debate and how architects can contribute to the transition towards a low-carbon society through their own work. 

Alan Organschi has a long-standing and close collaboration with Aalto University. He has been involved in developing teaching and research related to low-carbon construction and circular economy and in creating international networks that promote sustainable construction solutions. The collaboration has strengthened the connection between Aalto and Yale and their common goal of making construction sustainable for both climate and nature. 

Professor Thomas Rosenau, BOKU University, Vienna 

Thomas Rosenau is professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (BOKU University) in Austria. 

Thomas Rosenau’s research focuses on the chemistry of renewable resources. He is internationally recognised for his leadership in green chemistry and biopolymer research, and he has made significant contributions to wood chemistry, green chemistry and the study of biopolymers like cellulose and lignin.  

Thomas Rosenau’s research has led to fundamental advances and innovations in cellulose chemistry, fiber technology, lignin utilisation, the analysis of cellulose aging and yellowing, and the development of selective green derivatisation techniques. He has authored more than 550 publications with close to 16 000 citations and has supervised more than 90 doctoral theses. His work has received international recognition, including the Anselme Payen Award from the American Chemical Society, the Hayashi Jisuke International Cellulose Award from the Cellulose Society of Japan and the International Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.  

Professor Rosenau has collaborated extensively with researchers at Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, including co-authoring 28 publications with Aalto researchers. He has served as chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the School of Chemical Engineering over the past four years and acted as an opponent in three doctoral dissertations at Aalto. In addition, he has promoted research visits of Aalto doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to BOKU University, strengthening collaboration and leading to high-impact joint publications. 

Bernhard Schölkopf, Scientific Director of ELLIS Institute Tübingen, Professor at ETH Zürich 
  
Bernhard Schölkopf is one of Europe’s leading AI researchers and professor of computer science. Schölkopf is the scientific director of the ELLIS Institute in Tübingen, Germany, and is among the founding members of the entire ELLIS network. He has played a key role in enabling the establishment of ELLIS Institute Finland. In doing so, Schölkopf has helped strengthen Aalto University’s position within both the European and Finnish AI research ecosystems.  

Schölkopf and his group have advanced numerous areas of applied machine learning. His research benefits society through applications in astronomy, biology, computer vision, robotics, as well as neuroscience and cognitive science. His research has received broad international recognition and numerous awards.  

Schölkopf has been actively involved in machine learning research at Aalto University, for example by giving invited lectures, authoring joint publications and hosting research visits. By mentoring the next generation of researchers and engaging in extensive societal collaboration, Schölkopf has strengthened innovation capacity and economic capabilities in Europe and beyond.