Hanna Vehkamäki

Hanna Vehkamäki
Born	Hanna Tuula Katariina Vehkamäki (1969-12-27) December 27, 1969 Helsinki
Alma mater	University of Helsinki
Awards	Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (2022)
Scientific career
Fields	Atmospheric particle formation Nucleation molecular clusters
Institutions	University College London University of Helsinki
Thesis	Gas-liquid nucleation in nonideal molecular systems (1997)
Website	researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/hanna-vehkamäki

Hanna Tuula Katariina Vehkamäki (formerly Arstila) (born 27 December 1969) is a Finnish physicist who is a professor of computational aerosol science at the University of Helsinki. Her research investigates aerosol nucleation and atmospheric chemistry. She also serves as Vice Dean of Wellbeing and Equality. In 2022, she was awarded Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

Early life and education

Vehkamäki was born in Helsinki. She performed well at mathematics and physics at high school. She studied at the University of Helsinki, where she earned a master's degree in 1994 and a doctorate in 1998. She completed an undergraduate summer project studying atmospheric gases, and how they could independently form particles in the Earth's atmosphere. Her undergraduate summer project became her doctoral research, which eventually became an important contribution to climate research.

Research and career

Vehkamäki was awarded a research fellowship at University College London and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998. She returned to Helsinki in 1999, where she worked in the physics department as a lecturer and researcher.

Vehkamäki was appointed to the faculty at the University of Helsinki in 2000. She researches atmospheric aerosols, which can have a detrimental impact on air quality. Her research project, VILMA (Virtual laboratory for molecular level atmospheric transformations), combines experimental and computational atmospheric chemistry, and was selected as a Centre of Excellence in 2022.

Vehkamäki established the Equality and Wellbeing Group at her institute at the University of Helsinki in 2011, and has led similar initiatives at faculty, university and national level.

Awards and honours

• 2010 Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation Award
• 2015 University of Helsinki Maikki Friberg Award
• 2019 Resonanssi ry Badge of Honour
• 2022 Order of the White Rose of Finland Knight, First Class

Selected publications

• M. Kulmala; H. Vehkamäki; T. Petäjä; M. Dal Maso; A. Lauri; V.-M. Kerminen; W. Birmili; P.H. McMurry (March 2004). "Formation and growth rates of ultrafine atmospheric particles: a review of observations". Journal of Aerosol Science. 35 (2): 143–176. doi:10.1016/J.JAEROSCI.2003.10.003. ISSN 0021-8502. Wikidata Q57689802.
• Markku Kulmala; Jenni Kontkanen; Heikki Junninen; et al. (1 February 2013). "Direct observations of atmospheric aerosol nucleation". Science. 339 (6122): 943–946. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1227385. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 23430652. Wikidata Q57689182.
• João Almeida; Siegfried Schobesberger; Andreas Kürten; et al. (6 October 2013). "Molecular understanding of sulphuric acid-amine particle nucleation in the atmosphere". Nature. 502 (7471): 359–363. doi:10.1038/NATURE12663. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 24097350. Wikidata Q43829556.