Rector Sari Lindblom has appointed Research Director Satu Palva as the new Director for Neuroscience Center (NC) within the Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE. Palva’s 5-year term starts on February 1, 2024.
According to Jari Koistinaho, Director of the Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences HiLIFE, Palva’s recruitment is an important step in further strengthening the life sciences portfolio of the University of Helsinki.
“We have recruited a new director with high scientific and leadership merits, as well as with a clear vision to further develop one of the HiLIFE operative units, Neuroscience Center. With this recruitment it becomes realistic to reach our goal of being at the forefront of neuroscience in Europe by 2030”, says Koistinaho.
Satu Palva acted as the interim director for NC during September 2022 – August 2023, but she has been involved in the unit’s leadership for a longer time as the vice director of the Neuroscience Center 1.9.2022-14.8.2023. Palva’s research group, established in NC already in 2011, on systems neuroscience studies emergent dynamic interactions across the brain and how they give rise to cognitive functions and behaviors. Palva has also held a professor position at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, since 2018.
“I am humbled and excited to become a director of such an inspiring and interdisciplinary strong research institute as NC with a goal in understanding brain function in health and disease,” Palva comments.
“Fast advances in neurotechnology’s and computational methodologies in combination with multidisciplinary research in NC hold great promise for major breakthroughs in neuroscience that may also have large societal impact by enabling accurate and personalized diagnostics, prediction modelling and novel interventions for brain diseases,” Palva continues.
HiLIFE warmly welcomes Satu Palva to the director position and wishes her all the best for the five-year period!