Tuomas Ojanen

LL.D.

Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki


Contact Information:
tuomas.ojanen (at) helsinki.fi

  • Dr. iuris, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Born 16 October 1966 in Turku, Finland
  • Married, two children

University education

  • Graduate from the Law Faculty, University of Helsinki, 1990, (Master of Law Thesis, laudatur)
  • Licentiate in Laws, University of Helsinki, 1993, (Licentiate in Laws Thesis, laudatur)
  • Dr. iuris, University of Helsinki, 1999 (doctoral thesis, eximia cum laude)

Academic career (full-time positions)

  • Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, 1991-1993
  • Researcher, Institute for International Economic Law, University of Helsinki, 1994
  • Visiting Researcher, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, 1994-1995
  • Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, 1995
  • Researcher, Institute for International Economic Law, University of Helsinki, 1996
  • Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, 1997-1998
  • Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, 1998-1999
  • Professor of European Law, University of Helsinki, 1999-2002
  • Professor of European Public Law, University of Helsinki, 2002-2004
  • Professor of European Law, University of Turku, 2004-2007
  • Professor of European Law, part-time (30 %), University of Turku, 2007-2009
  • Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsinki, appointed in August 2007
  • Research Professor, Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University, 2009-2010
  • Visiting Fellow, European University Institute (Florence), 1 April-30 June 2010.

Current position:

  • Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Helsink (on leave 2009-2010)
  • Research Professor, Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University 2009-2010
  • Visiting Fellow, European University Institute (Florence), 1 April-30 June 2010.

Positions of academic supervision and expertise (in chronological order)

  • Docent of Constitutional law (1999-2004) and European Law (2008-), University of Turku
  • Docent of European Law, University of Helsinki, 1999-2007
  • Docent of Public Law, especially European Public Law, University of Joensuu, 1999-
  • Official pre-examiner, public opponent or custodian of several doctoral thesis or licentiate in law thesis projects at the University of Helsinki, University of Lapland, University of Tampere and the Åbo Akademi University, since 1999
  • Supervisor for over 10 doctoral students and over 10 licensiate in laws candidates at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku
  • Member, the research project team Making Rights Real of the Academy of Finland, 2003-2006
  • Member, the Steering Committee of the Graduate School in the Foundations of European Law, funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and coordinated by the University of Helsinki, 2006-
  • Member, the research project team “Europe as a polity”, which is part of Centre of Excellence in Research in the Foundations of European Law and Polity, financed by the Academy of Finland, directed by professor Kaarlo Tuori, 2008-
  • Member, the research project team “Transformations of Law and Power”, which is a research project to the Power in Finland Research Programme of the Academy of Finland, directed by professor Veli-Pekka Viljanen, 2007-2010
  • Leader, research project “Human Rights: Law, Religion and Subjectivity”, financed by the Academy of Finland, 2009-2012.
  • Visiting lectures or courses at the following foreign universities: University of Tartu (Estonia), University of Uppsala (Sweden), University of Stockholm (Sweden), University of Groningen (Netherlands) and Immanuel Kant State University of Russia (Kaliningrad, Russia), since 2001

Other positions of trust and part-time functions (in chronological order)

  • Secretary, the Bank of Finland Committee, appointed by the Council of State, 1993-1994
  • Numerous expert opinions (ca. 20-35/year) upon request to various committees of Parliament of Finland, in particular to the Constitutional Law Committee of Parliament, since 1999
  • Member, Advisory Group established to advise the Finnish delegation participating in the drafting of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 1999-2000
  • Secretary, working group monitoring the enforcement of the Constitution of Finland, 2001-2002
  • Expert, the Ministry of Justice in matters of constitutional law and European law, 2001-2002 and 2007-
  • Member, European Constitutional Law Network (ECLN) (www.ecln.net/), 2003-
  • Member, EU Network of Experts on Fundamental Rights; appointed by the European Commission to report on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union, including its Member States, and to assist the Commission and the European Parliament in the adoption of a human rights policy within the European Union, 2002-2003; Substitute for Professor Martin Scheinin; 2004-2006 (http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/cfr_cdf/index_en.htm)
  • Member, Board of the Human Rights League, 2003-
  • Chairperson, the Human Rights League (HRL is, among others, a National Focal Point of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, FRA), 2006-
  • Courses in human rights law training programmes for Finnish judges, organized 1-2 times per year by the Ministry of Justice. Modified courses in human rights law within various training programs to civil servants, prosecutors, advocates and courts, since 1996
  • Courses in EU law training programmes for Finnish judges, organised 1-2 times per year by the Ministry of Justice. Modified EU law courses within various training programs to civil servants, prosecutors, advocates and courts, since 1994
  • Courses in human rights law for the Judiciary and Civil Servants in Tartu (Estonia), Petrozavodsk (Russia) and Zagreb (Croatia), since 2001
  • Member, one of the expert panels (Panel 10: Law) engaged in an evaluation of all research at Uppsala University, Sweden, within the framework of the project called “Quality and Renewal 2007”, Spring 2007 (http://usxs.fysik.uu.se/projectweb/451bc17f63905/Home%20Eng.html).
  • Member, the Committee for anti-discrimination and equality legislation reform in Finland, 2007-2009
  • Member, the Finnish Sports Arbitration Board, 2008-2011
  • Expert, FRALEX (Fundamental Rights Agency Legal Experts), European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2008-
  • Member, parliamentary working group evaluating the Constitution of Finland, in particular the necessity of a constitutional reform, 2008
  • Member, the National Discrimination Tribunal of Finland, 2008-
  • Expert, network of external experts in the Area of Justice, Freedom and Security for the Committee of the Regions (CoR) of the European Union. This network of experts will provide the CoR with a rapid response capability, allowing broader consultation of local and regional players, offering CoR commissions the possibility of drawing up specific opinions on topics of current interest and enabling the CoR to draw on databases and knowledge built up by research centres or universities in the evaluation of policies, 2008-
  • Rapporteur, the national rapporteur for Finland within the project "Institutional Scope of National Human Rights Protections: A Comparative Study in Relation to Public Authorities" for the UK Ministry of Justice, coordinated by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 2008
  • Permanent Expert, parliamentary commission established by the Finnish government to revise the Constitution of Finland, 2008-2010

Academic awards or prizes

  • Thesis prize for the best doctoral or post-doctoral thesis characterised by a European dimension, submitted by European Group of Public Law in 2000, for the following doctoral thesis: The European Way. The Structure of National Court Obligation under EC Law, Saarijärvi 1998.
  • Best Article Prize 2005 by Lakimies (this leading Finnish law journal awards each year the best article published in Lakimies, after a competitive selection), for the following article: Eurooppa-tuomioistuimet ja suomalaiset tuomioistuimet (The European Courts and Finnish Courts), Lakimies 7-8/2005.