August 5, 2024
Professor of Practice and Chief Researcher
Aalto University and THL
THL's leading researcher and Aalto University's Professor of Practice, Ilkka Miettinen, is fortunate enough not to need to look for problems—they find him. Water provides research topics ranging from diseases to national security and from infrastructure to climate change.
"This is like a slot machine, put a coin in, and you get ten out," Ilkka Miettinen describes the diversity of the water research field. "It's good for a researcher to be rich in ideas and willing to experiment. It's risky if you have only one idea that leads nowhere. If you have many ideas, it's not so serious if one of them fails," he notes. With a long career behind him, Miettinen has a positive attitude. He is humble and enthusiastic, and perhaps that’s why work and research still feel good to him. "Or maybe even better than ever!"
Water technology research has evolved with the world. A researcher cannot stay stagnant but must innovate. "Research is constantly developing. New technologies challenge researchers, who increasingly communicate with machines rather than colleagues," Miettinen says. However, he views this positively: "For example, artificial intelligence and machine learning can enhance research work and provide more impactful results."
But let's go back to the 1980s, when country boy Miettinen's career was just beginning. He was studying biochemistry and thought he was far from practical applications. Fortunately, Miettinen got a summer job in a water laboratory. "I was speechless with happiness when I finally got to do practical research work. Working with my hands has always been important to me," he says.
Today, Miettinen emphasizes practical applications with his students: "You can read a lot from books, but it's a different thing to understand it in practice. That’s really important." His part-time position at Aalto University provides a fresh cross-pollination for both Professor Miettinen and the academic community. "I have a solution-oriented approach that I try to bring out in my lectures," he says.
Miettinen gets excited and talks about pondering what kind of research groups and projects would best suit Aalto's profile. Life at THL is different. While academic research focuses on one thing, at THL, an individual's expertise is utilized in several projects. "Both have their pros and cons," Ilkka Miettinen acknowledges.
The Professorship of Working Life came at the perfect time in Ilkka Miettinen's career, providing a perspective in both directions. "This water field used to be a male-dominated area, but it has become more equal," Miettinen states happily. "No turning back; we move forward."
But Ilkka, what kind of message do you have for future researchers?
He encourages networking. Collegiality is important for a researcher even in the 2020s, as artificial intelligence cannot replace human interaction. "I feel that in Finland, we get excited about these things together," Miettinen says. He believes that water-related research is particularly interesting in Finland, where it's possible to make a difference.
When asked if he has a bit of a world-improver in him, he emphasizes the importance of water-related research. He hopes researchers remember this too. "Societies collapse without water. This work is really important." Miettinen is convinced that there are plenty of research topics, just like there are lakes in Finland.
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Miettinen's research mind also lingers by the lake, as both his home and work are by Lake Kallavesi in Kuopio. When his professor lectures in Otaniemi call, Miettinen travels west from the east towards Aalto University's Water Building near Maarinranta. And when it's time for his other job, he heads to THL's office, just a stone's throw from Pikku Huopalahti Bay in Helsinki. "I think I have a watermark on my forehead," Miettinen laughs, and it’s easy to believe him.
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Ilkka Miettinen's Professorship of Practice is sponsored by the Erkki Paasikivi Foundation, which supports research and educational projects in clean drinking water and building technology in Finland.
Photo credit: Studio Eveliisa