The Academy of Finland has selected a unit led by Johanna Ivaska as a new Centre of Excellence which studies cell mechanics in biological barriers. From the University of Turku, also Riikka Korja, Kaisa Matomäki and Teppo Hiltunen are members of the newly selected Centres of Excellence.

The Academy of Finland has selected new Centres of Excellence for the period 2022‒2029. The Centre of Excellence Programme is a success story of Finnish research and the Centres of Excellence are internationally at the cutting edge of science in their fields.

Professor Johanna Ivaska leads the Centre of Excellence on Biological Barrier Mechanics and Disease: From molecular-scale to tissue-level understanding of signal integration and forces.

Furthermore, Associate Professor Riikka Korja is a member of the Centre of Excellence in Learning Dynamics and Intervention Research led by Professor Paavo Leppänen from the University of Jyväskylä. Docent and Academy Research Fellow Kaisa Matomäki is a member of the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Randomness and Structures led by Professor Eero Saksman from the University of Helsinki. Associate Professor Teppo Hiltunen is a member of the Multidisciplinary Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance Research led by Professor Marko Virta from the University of Helsinki.

The Academy of Finland has selected eleven Centres of Excellence (CoE) for the period 2022‒2029. The new Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme includes research teams from eleven universities or research institutes.

– The selected CoEs combine in a very interesting way different scientific perspectives, and the potential for significant scientific renewal is high, says Johanna Myllyharju, Chair of the Board of the Academy of Finland.