Mikko Mäkelä Email & Phone Number

In my current position at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. I support our research groups within Biomass Processing and Products and develop new research openings within Intelligent Biomass Processing and the digitalization of the bioeconomy. Thus far I have established the use of hyperspectral near infrared imaging for evaluating textile fiber properties (IPR pending) and design and program tailor-made software for interpreting hyperspectral imaging data and designed experiments in Matlab® and Python. I actively participate in acquiring competitive national and international research funding for different applications, act as the scientific leader for funding from the Strategic Research Council, and am responsible for the AI-driven materials design highlight at the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI. I have published in high-quality scientific journals with impact factors as high as >40, instructed MSc and PhD students, and given courses on design of experiments with an average performance rating 8.9/10 based on participant feedback.

Umeå, Sweden

I worked in the Division of Biomass Technology and Chemistry but was mainly on leave of absence during this period.

Umeå, Sweden

I worked in the Division of Biomass Technology and Chemistry on a cyclone pilot supplied by Airgrinder AB to SLU. I was responsible of finalizing the pilot environment by installing process sensors, developing models to determine specific energy consumption, and acquired ~500 k€ competitive research funding. We performed several industrial projects on sludge drying mainly with SCA AB and Processum AB and successfully commercialized the technology through cooperation with external partners.

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

I mainly worked in Prof. Lauri Rautkari's Wood Material Science group on spectral imaging and chemometrics. We established the use of hyperspectral near infrared imaging for studying the effects of chemical treatments on wood surfaces. I was responsible of designing experiments and programming tailor-made software for interpreting hyperspectral imaging data in Matlab®. I also organized and taught 2 PhD courses on design of experiments at the School of Chemical Engineering.

I worked in Prof. Kunio Yoshikawa's Laboratory and studied ash behavior during hydrothermal carbonization of sludge using bench-scale lab equipment. I also determined the energy balance of sludge carbonization at a pulp and paper mill based on empirical data. This fellowship was funded with a personal grant from the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion through the Foundations Postdoc Pool.

Alicante, Spain

I visited Prof. Andres Fullana's Wastes, Pyrolysis and Combustion group to work with hydrothermal carbonization (wet pyrolysis) of sludge for fuel applications. I focused on determining the effects of carbonization conditions on carbonized sludge properties in the lab using design of experiments.

Espoo, Finland

I worked in Prof. Olli Dahl's Clean Technologies Group on characterizing the trace metal content and mobility in industrial solid wastes and the use of waste materials in novel applications.

Doctor Of Science

Master'S Degree