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The School of Electrical Engineering celebrated 2025 achievements

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On Friday, December 19, 2025, the staff of the School of Electrical Engineering gathered to celebrate the most significant achievements of the year in the fields of teaching, research, and impact. After the celebrations, everyone enjoyed a traditional Christmas lunch.
Several bouquets of purple flowers wrapped in brown paper are lined up on a table.
Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.

On Friday, December 19, 2025, the School of Electrical Engineering celebrated the finest achievements of the year. The event honoured outstanding teaching and research as well as the best doctoral dissertations of the year. In addition, the Aalto ELEC Awards, selected on the basis of community nominations, were presented, as well as the individuals who received honors from the President of the Republic this year were recognized.

Keynote speech was given by Professor Antti Oulasvirta, after which the staff moved on to enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch.

Opetuksesta palkitut

The 2025 teaching awards were presented by Professor Anouar Belachen, Vice Dean of Education at the School of Electrical Engineering. The courses listed below were recognised at the event.

Pictures of the awardees

Click on the images to see them in greater detail and larger size. Images: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.

Five people standing indoors holding bouquets. A table with more bouquets is beside them. A door and a screen are visible.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen (left), the teachers of the Astronomical View of the World course and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
Six people standing in a room, five holding bouquets. A presentation screen and clock are visible in the background.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen (left), the teachers of the Piirianalyysi / Circuit Analysis​ course and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
A group of people standing indoors holding bouquets. One person holds a certificate. A presentation screen is visible.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen (left), the teachers of the Basics of RF Technology ​course and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
Four people standing indoors, three holding bouquets. A table with more bouquets is on the left. They are dressed formally.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen (left), the teachers of the Characterization of Biomolecules D ​course, Caterina Soldano and Amirhossein Azari​, and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
Three men standing in a room, one holding flowers and a certificate. A presentation screen and a blackboard are visible.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen, Senior University Lecturer Henrik Wallén and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
Five people standing indoors, four holding bouquets. Presentation screen and table with flowers visible.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen (left), the teachers of the Speech Recognition D ​course and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.
A group of people standing in a room, holding bouquets. A presentation screen and chairs are visible in the background.
Prof. Anouar Belahcen, the teachers of the Radio Astronomy D ​course and Dean Jussi Ryynänen.

External Awards 

At the event, Senior Scientist Talvikki Hovatta was congratulated on receiving ERC Consolidator Grant, and Professor Harri Lipsanen was congratulated on becoming a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

Three people in formal attire stand indoors. One holds a bouquet, another holds a folder. Chairs and tables are visible.
Professor Vesa Välimäki, Senior Scientist Talvikki Hovatta and Dean Jussi Ryynänen. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Three men in suits stand indoors. One holds a bouquet of flowers, another holds a document. Chairs and tables are visible.
Professor Vesa Välimäki, Professor Harri Lipsanen and Dean Jussi Ryynänen. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Four people standing in a lecture hall holding flowers and certificates. A clock is visible on the wall.
HR partner Hanna Koli and Professor Erkki Ikonen (center) received Aalto ELEC Awards. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.

Aalto ELEC Awards

The ELEC Award winners were selected based on nominations submitted by staff members. The selections were made by Vice Deans Anouar Belahcen, Petri Mähönen, Vesa Välimäki, and Dean Jussi Ryynänen. You can read more about the award categories and selection criteria here.

Professor Erkki Ikonen received the Impact Award​ for actively maintaining a network of alumni with doctorates in Measurement Technology,​ thereby allowing for a broad introduction to both academic and industrial applications of measurement technology. 

HR Partner Hanna Koli​ received Enablers Award for serving across various roles and collaborating​ with all departments, while working with a development-oriented mindset​ and constantly seeking solutions to make others’ lives easier.

Supervisor Award​ went to Professor Simo Särkkä ​for consistently demonstrating leadership and mentorship​ allowing doctoral students to graduate within excellent timelines,​ as well as fostering a welcoming atmosphere across diverse teams and disciplines.

Doctoral Thesis Awards

The Doctoral Programme Committee awarded six recent doctoral graduates for their particularly meritorious dissertations. The awards were presented by Vice Dean Vesa Välimäki, the Chair of the Committee. 

Mikhail Ganzhinov​: Construction of few-angular spherical codes and line systems in Euclidean spaces​
Supervisor: Professor Patric Östergård.

Topi Halme​: Detecting changes in distributions in large-scale streaming data​
Supervisor: Aalto Distinguished Professor Visa Koivunen. 

Yue Jiang​: Computational Representations for Graphical User Interfaces​
Supervisors: Professors Antti Oulasvirta and Vikas Garg.

Artur Kopitca​: Manipulation and assembly of objects using spatially nonlinear stochastic force fields​
Supervisor: ProfessorQuan Zhou.

Petteri Pulkkinen​: Model-based reinforcement learning for integrated radar and communications systems​
Supervisor: Aalto Distinguished Professor Visa Koivunen.

Sravan Vuyyuru: Electromagnetics-consistent design and modeling of​ reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for next-generation wireless networks​
Supervisors: Professors Viktar Azadchy, Risto Valkonen and Ville Viikari. 

Three men in formal attire stand in a room. One holds a bouquet and a certificate. A presentation screen is visible behind them.
Dean Jussi Ryynänen, Doctoral Thesis Awardee Topi Halme and Professor Vesa Välimäki. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Three men in suits standing indoors, one holding a bouquet of flowers. A table and a red door are visible in the background.
Dean Jussi Ryynänen, Doctoral Thesis Awardee Artur Kopitca and Professor Vesa Välimäki. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
A man hands a bouquet to another man in a lecture hall. A third man stands in the background.
Dean Jussi Ryynänen presents Petteri Pulkkinen with his certificate. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Three men stand indoors, one holding a bouquet. They are dressed formally, with a presentation screen behind them.
Dean Jussi Ryynänen, Doctoral Thesis Awardee Sravan Vuyyuru and Professor Vesa Välimäki. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.

Decorations awarded​ by the President​ of the Republic of Finland

On Independence Day, President Alexander Stubb awarded medals of honor to three members of the staff of the School of Electrical Engineering:

  • Professor Anouar Belahcen, Knight, First Class,​ of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
  • Staff Scientist Juha Ala-Laurinaho, Knight, First Class,​ of the Order of the Lion of Finland
  • Finance Secretary Kaisa Väänänen, First Class Medal​ of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Three men in suits stand in a room. One holds a bouquet of flowers, another holds a document. A red fire extinguisher is visible.
Professor Anouar Belahcen, First Class,​ of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Three men in suits stand indoors, one holding a bouquet of flowers. A chalkboard and a red fire safety box are visible.
Staff Scientist Juha Ala-Laurinaho, Knight, First Class,​ of the Order of the Lion of Finland. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Three people standing indoors, one holding a bouquet of flowers. They are dressed formally in suits and a dress.
Finance Secretary Kaisa Väänänen, First Class Medal​ of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.

Warm congratulations to all the winners!

Pictures from the event

Bouquets of flowers wrapped in beige paper, featuring purple and dark red blooms with green leaves.
The award winners received bouquets of flowers in the school colours. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
A group of people standing in a lecture hall, holding certificates and flowers. A large screen is visible behind them.
The award winners gathered for a group photo. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
A lecture hall with a presentation on forestry machines. Audience members hold bouquets of flowers.
Professor Antti Oulasvirta gave the keynote speech at the event. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Two men in suits shake hands indoors. One holds a bouquet of flowers. A fire extinguisher sign is visible on the wall.
Dean Jussi Ryynänen is thanking Professor Antti Oulasvirta for his speech. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Buffet table with various dishes including salads, pastries, and hot meals. People are serving themselves.
After the celebrations, everyone enjoyed a traditional Christmas lunch. However, it was not yet time for Christmas food. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
Buffet table with various dishes and a plush gnome decoration in the centre. People are serving themselves food.
Christmas spirit was created with decorations. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
A dessert topped with whipped cream and assorted berries, including raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
Dessert was also served. Photo: Aalto University / Matti Ahlgren.
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