"Today is a great day for neuroscience at the University of Helsinki," says HiLIFE director Tomi Mäkelä.
"I am extremely pleased with the careful work of the appointment committee and the HiLIFE Scientific Council consisting of 12 leading international scientists, who unanimously chose Jari Koistinaho as the new director of HiLIFE Neuroscience Center."
According to Mäkelä, the decision was made based on Koistinaho’s outstanding track record in neuroscience, and exciting new approaches to study human glia and its role in neurodegenerative diseases.
"He also has excellent credentials in developing new applications and innovations. His clear scientific vision, participatory leadership style, and engagement at all levels of research, innovation and training make him the perfect choice," Mäkelä adds.
The new director will lead Neuroscience Center to a new research environment as it will move from Viikki Campus to Biomedicum at the Academic Medical Center Helsinki. This will improve possibilities for interaction with the Helsinki University Hospital and Aalto University.
"I’m looking forward to working closely together with the local neuroscience community and also linking it with the exciting ongoing national efforts. My ambition is to keep Neuroscience Center at the forefront of international research by nurturing the spirit of research and training stimulating discovery and innovation," Koistinaho says.
“As part of HiLIFE, Neuroscience Centre will also continue to act as a bridge between the University’s life science campuses. In Viikki, I’m looking forward to working together with the strong research in pharmacy and systems neuroscience and in Kumpula with the big data and AI community.”
Jari Koistinaho is currently the Professor of Stem Cell Research and Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Eastern Finland. He was trained as physician at University of Tampere and did his doctorate on aging there.
Koistinaho has worked abroad for over seven years in total at the US National Institute of Health, University of California San Francisco, Stanford University, Indiana and Purdue Universities, and Karolinska Institute. Koistinaho is also the founder of three spin-off companies: Cerebricon Ltd acquired by Charles River Discovery Research Services 2009; Medeia Therapeutics Ltd 2006, and Aranda Pharma Ltd 2015.
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