Tampere University appoints Deans to the faculties

Upon presentation by President Keijo Hämäläinen, the Board appointed the following persons as Deans: 

Doctor of Social Sciences Liisa Häikiö, Faculty of Social Sciences. Häikiö currently works as Professor of Social Policy at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University. She has also served as Vice Dean of the Faculty in the period of 2017–2021. 

Doctor of Philosophy (Optical Sciences) Martti Kauranen, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. Kauranen is currently Dean of the Faculty of Technology and Natural Sciences at Tampere University. He has previously held the positions of Head of Unit, Dean and Professor at Tampere University of Technology. 

Doctor of Science (Technology) Antti Lönnqvist, Faculty of Management and Business. Lönnqvist is currently Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment at Tampere University and Chair of the University’s Societal Interaction Council. Prior to this, he has worked as, e.g., Dean at the School of Management of the University of Tampere. 

Doctor of Medicine Seppo Parkkila, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology. Parkkila is currently Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University. He has previously worked as Vice Dean for Education and a professor. He served as Vice Rector for Research at the University of Tampere in 2016–2018. 

Doctor of Education Tiina Silander, Faculty of Education and Culture. Silander is currently Director, Division for Education, at the Department for General Upper Secondary Education and Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Education and Culture. She has previously served as Manager of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Jyväskylä. 

Doctor of Science (Technology) Jyrki Vuorinen, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences. Vuorinen has served as Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University from 1 September 2019 to 28 February 2023 and as Vice Rector for Education at the University of Vaasa since 1 March 2023. Vuorinen has previously worked as Dean and Professor at Tampere University of Technology. 

Preparations for filling the position of Dean at the Faculty of Built Environment will continue together with the preparation group and the faculty because the best applicants that had been selected for the post were selected for other management positions at the University. 

President Keijo Hämäläinen is very satisfied with both the outcomes and process of appointing the Deans. 

“The faculty-specific selection groups have worked meticulously, and we are getting excellent deans to lead the faculties. As a whole, the University’s management is renewed in a balanced way while continuity is also ensured,” Hämäläinen says. 

Earlier this year, the President appointed a preparation group to fill the position of Dean at each faculty, to which the Faculty Councils appointed three members from among themselves. 

Jorma Eloranta, Chair of the Board of Tampere University Foundation, thanks the faculty representatives who participated in the selection process for their active and careful work. “Through a new kind of cooperation, we were able to select the best Deans from among good applicants to manage the faculties,” Eloranta says.