The rectors of Biocenter Finland partner Universities have nominated HiLIFE director, professor Olli Silvennoinen as new director of Biocenter Finland. Silvennoinen will start his new appointment on 1 May 2021.
Silvennoinen has worked as director of HiLIFE at the University of Helsinki from April 2019. Before that, he served as director of the Institute of Biotechnology, which operates as part of HiLIFE.
“From the seven applicants prof. Olli Silvennoinen had clearly the best qualifications, experience and vision for the future development of Biocenter Finland. The board of Biocenter Finland is very pleased that we could get such a high profile director to lead the nation-wide infrastructure for the next five years,” says professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, chair of the board of Biocenter Finland.
Olli Silvennoinen has experienced Biocenter Finland from different angles and positions, as member and chair of board, chair of a platform, active customer of the platforms and in administration of smaller and larger biocenter. In addition, he was one of the signees of the Biocenter Finland founding document.
“I am honored and excited to take the helm of Biocenter Finland. I could almost say that I am coming home as my history with national infrastructures dates back two decades. The relevance of Biocenter Finland coordination activities are today extremely important with demands on rapidly developing technologies, skilled personnel, resources, and obviously the relevance of cutting-edge infrastructures for research and its implementation for the benefit of the society as we have seen in very concreate terms with the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, there is much for us to do and I am looking very much forward to work together with Biocenter Finland community in these activities,” says Olli Silvennoinen.
A call for new HiLIFE director opens soon
The University will soon open a call for new director of HiLIFE.
“Arrangements are being initiated with the aim to conclude the recruitment in fall 2021,” says Vice-rector and chair of HiLIFE board Paula Eerola, who will lead an appointment committee, supported by the University’s HR services.
Biocenter Finland BF is a distributed nation-wide RI supporting frontier research, innovation and industry-academia collaboration in Life Sciences, openly accessible for 17,000 researchers in universities, research institutes, biobanks, hospitals and industry. BF coordinates investments into and operations of nationally important RIs and promotes collaboration, division of responsibilities and joint investments according to a long-term plan anchored to the strategies of its host universities University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki, Oulu University, Tampere University, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University.
More information:
Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, professor, chair of the board of Biocenter Finland
seppo.ylaherttuala@uef.fi
040 355 2075
Olli Silvennoinen, professor, director of Biocenter Finland (1 May 2021–)
olli.j.silvennoinen@helsinki.fi
050 359 5740