10 U.S Professors Selected to Pursue Research in Finland

Ten U.S-based professors have earned a share of $22 million in funding to pursue their research projects in Finland for up to five years. The U.S. professors are among 24 worldwide that were selected to participate in a new distinguished professorship program that is designed to build long-term research cooperation on an international level.

The Finland Distinguished Professor Program (FiDiPro), which is sponsored by The Academy of Finland and Tekes, selected the winners from a pool of more than 100 applications for the prestigious competition. FiDiPro is paying for up to 100 percent of the winners’ research costs in exchange for working in Finland as part of an international team.

The FiDiPro winners are pursuing a range of scientific research, from biotechnology to telecommunications. The winners and their projects include:

• Behnaam Aazhang, Rice University – flexible wireless communications systems.
• Dimitris S. Argyropoulos, North Carolina State University – green chemistry of wood and wood components.
• Edward Delp, Purdue University – image and video/audio indexing and retrieval, compression and multimedia security for mobile applications.
• Seppo Honkanen, University of Arizona – integrated circuits by heterogeneous integration for telecommunicatinos and sensor applications.
• Ghassan Jabbour, Arizona State University – development of low-cost organic and hybrid devices for producing flexible, nanothick electronics, optoelectronics and sensors.
• Josef Rauschecker, Georgetown University – neural plasticity underlying goal-directed multi-sensory perception and perceptual learning.
• Joe Terwilliger, Columbia State University – statistical genetics methods for studying multifactorial disease traits.
• Olli H. Tuovinen, Ohio State University – applied microbiology and sustainable biotechnology.
• Adriaan van Heiningen, University of Maine – innovative forest products biorefinery.
• Douglas Worsnop, Aerodyne Research Inc. – importance of aerosol particles on climate change and human health.
  

The complete list of FiDiPro winners and details about their research projects can be found online at here.

“This is only the beginning,” said Tekes Director General Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara. “The set goal of adding a genuine international element to our research system and increasing its appeal is still evolving. The FiDiPro program is one form of cooperation we can make good use of in this work.”

Plans are already underway for a second round of applications, which are expected to be opened in 2007. For more information or to obtain an application, contact FinNode, the Silicon Valley office of the FiDiPro sponsors.