About me
I defended my PhD in 2004, from the group of Pekka Lappalainen at the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, where I investigated the role of Twinfilin in regulation of actin dynamics using bakers yeast as model organism. I received funding from the Academy of Finland for a 4-year post doc, which I started at the Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research at Biomedicum Helsinki.
My interest for research coordination and management at a broader level however outweighed my interest for research per se and I left my post doc to become Coordinator of a doctoral school at the University of Helsinki, the Viikki Graduate School in Biosciences, during 2008-2013.
In 2013, after recently relocating to Stockholm Sweden, I started at KI as research coordinator/ project manager. I divide my time between the Strategic Research Programme in Cancer (StratCan) and Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED). StratCan is a KI wide network, receiving strategic government funding since 2010 as one of three national programmes for cancer research. CIMED is active at KI Campus Flemingsberg with funding from the Swedish County Council.
As research coordinator/ project manager I run the daily operations of the programs; take part in the steering groups meetings, manage contacts to strategic partners, handle grant announcement and evaluation processes, budgets, internal and external communication, conference and meeting arrangements etc.
I serve as the Alliance Director for the KI-Roche collaboration (active since signing of the Master Collaboration Agreement in 2014) and as the KI contact managing the MD Anderson Cancer Center collaboration, active since 2013 when KI became one of MD Andersons Sister Institutions.
Education
- 2000 MSc Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Helsinki, Finland
- 2004 PhD Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Helsinki, Finland
Academic honours, awards and prizes
My PhD thesis "Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton by Twinfilin" was awarded first prize in the publication series Dissertationes Biocentri Viikki Universitatis Helsingiensis 2004.