SECOND CALL: EVALUATION PERIOD

The second call for the SYS-LIFE Fellowship at the University of Turku is now closed, and eligibility results have been sent to applicants. A big thank you to everyone who applied!

Applications that successfully passed the technical review are now advancing to external evaluation. We are thrilled to have received so many strong and thoughtfully crafted applications.

Stay tuned for updates on the selection process. We look forward to welcoming some of you soon to Turku, Finland!

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SYS-LIFE seminar: The magnificent history and novel perspectives of cardiometabolic and brain research in Turku

WHEN: January 23rd 2025 at 9.00 — 12.15
WHERE: Osmo Järvi lecture hall in MEDISIINA B — C

8.30 Morning coffee in the lobby
8.55 Opening words – Markus Juonala, SYS-LIFE Director
9.00 Background of Young Finns Study (YFS) and Special
Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP) – Jorma Viikari, professor Emeritus
9.45 Clinical research projects in Heart Centre – Juhani Airaksinen, Professor Emeritus
10.30 Advanced Imaging in Cardiovascular Diseases – Juhani Knuuti, Professor, Director
11.15 Neuroscience research in Turku – yesterday, today and tomorrow – Hasse Karlsson, Professor Emeritus
12.00 Discussion
Open for all interested students and staff members.

Register for the seminar here!

SAVE-THE-DATE: CALL LAUNCH EVENT ON 11 NOVEMBER

Programme

Launch of the 2nd SYS-LIFE Call on Zoom

Time: November 11th 2024, starting at 14:00 

14.00 Opening

Markus Juonala, SYS-LIFE Director

14.05 SYS-LIFE introduction

Georges Kazan, SYS-LIFE Vice Director

14.20 SYS-LIFE research opportunities

Markus Juonala, SYS-LIFE director

14.30 SYS-LIFE Application process

Sanni Helander and Maiju Kannisto, SYS-LIFE coordinators

14.40 Q&A

SYS-LIFE INDUCTION DAY

This week, our new postdoctoral researchers gathered at the university for an induction day which included introductions, career planning advice and a campus tour. The day began with an introduction to SYS-LIFE programme as well as to the researchers and their projects.

Afterwards the postdocs attended a lecture session about career planning. This provided insights into academic career pathways, with practical advice on  EU research competence framework tools, making a personal career development plan and balancing long-term goals with current projects. After lunch, the International House Turku introduced themselves, offering practical tips for navigating life in Turku.

As part of the orientation, the Units — including Department of Chemistry, IT and Health Tech, University Hospital, PET Center, POPC and Turku Bioscience — presented themselves, highlighting their key research areas and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. The day concluded with a tour of the campus, visiting key sites and buildings such as the Aurum, PET Center, Medisiina, Dentalia, Teutori and Biocity.

SYS-LIFE INFO SESSION

SYS-LIFE has started the preparations for the 2nd Call and arranged an information session for research groups and PIs at the University of Turku. If you are a researcher at the University of Turku and want to host a postdoctoral researcher, you can send the research theme description to SYS-LIFE (syslife@utu.fi) before 4th of October. And remember to tell about SYS-LIFE to your colleagues and friends around the globe!

Presentation materials can be found here.

Experiences from the first call by professor Juhani Knuuti and the SYS-LIFE fellow David Molnar

NEW FELLOWS

We are happy to announce our selected fellows and their projects for SYS-LIFE postdoctroral programme:

  • Nitin Bayal: The mediating impact of gut microbiome on Executive Function: a multi-assay analysis
  • Jarkko Johansson: Normative dopaminergic function and activation of cognitive control: neuroimaging studies across the lifespan
  • Yaxing Meng: Life course blood pressure and cardiovascular prevention
  • David Molnar: Morphological and functional characterization of the pericoronary epicardial adipose tissue in atherosclerosis and its incremental diagnostic value
  • Dattatray Mongad: Multi-omic characterization of gut microbiome dysbiosis and resistome: Implications for cardiovascular risk
  • Sanaz Nazari Farsani: Identifying prior and novel undetected stroke lesions in suspected CAD patients through total-body PET/CT imaging and generative deep learning
  • Mika Ogawa: The relationship between oral health, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease: a dental anxiety perspective
  • Oluwafemi Ojo: Defining the role of HSD17B12 in body adiposity regulation and PCOS related metabolic dysfunction
  • Suman Vimal: Proteomic evaluation of stress granules and processing bodies in pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation
  • Jiawei Yang: AI for heart monitoring using exercise aware wearables (Exercise4Heart)
  • Li-Fang Yeo: Gut micRobiome and Metabolome in modulating Blood Pressure (GRuMBP)

SELECTION COMMITTEE MEETS

SYS-LIFE Selection Committee held its meeting on the 3rd of June in a sunny and warm Turku campus. Committee members had a busy day in examining the external reviews and compiling an ordered ranking. As a result of their expert input, the position in the fellowship programme is offered to eleven of the highest-ranked applicants. Selected applicants, as well as reserve list applicants, have been notified of their status and rank by email. The results will be made public as soon as all the new positions have been confirmed.
SYS-LIFE team congratulates the new postdoctoral fellows!

More about evaluation and selection on: APPLICATION

Pasi Liljeberg,  Ville Kytö, Kari Kalliokoski, Eero Jokinen, Pekka Hänninen, Georges Kazan, Tapio Lönnberg, Anni Wärri, Sari Stenholm, Harriet Wallberg, Pirjo Nuutila, Markus Juonala, Eeva Rainio, Jyrki Heino, Sanni Helander

SYS-LIFE PARTNERS

We are happy to announce that SYS-LIFE has finalished a consortium agreement with Turku University Hospital, Business Turku, Siemens Healthineers and Ghent University. We welcome the partnership of all these great entities and look forward to incorporating their expertise with SYS-LIFE. More information about our Partners at ABOUT: PARTNERS.

TYKS

Turku University Hospital (TUH) is the main hospital of the Southwest Finland welfare region. It´s ranked the 58th best hospital in the world and offers a wide range of clinical research options.

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Business Turku

Business Turku (Turku Science Park Ltd, TScP) coordinates business development services within the Turku region in Southwest Finland. The expertise of Business Turku in providing innovation support makes them an ideal choice for supporting the intersectoral aspects of the SYS-LIFE programme.

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Siemens Healthineers

Siemens Healthineers pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare. The company is principally active in the areas of imaging, diagnostics, cancer care and minimally invasive therapies, augmented by digital technology and artificial intelligence.

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Ghent University

Ghent University is among the world’s top universities, with 11 faculties including Bioscience Engineering, and Medicine & Health Sciences. UGent will provide research and training support, primarily through the KERMIT research unit within the Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering.

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FIRST CALL SELECTION UPDATE

As we’re entering proper spring time in Turku, our reviewers are going through the last parts of evaluating the applications for the first call, after which the Selection Committee will have their meeting on the 3rd of June.  The applicants will be notified with information about their reviews and ranking during June. 

Selection Committee

Chair Harriet Wallberg, Professor, Karolinska Institutet

Vice-Chair Eero Jokinen, Professor, Finnish Cardivascular Foundation

Ville Kytö, MD PhD, R&D Director, Wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland

Pekka Hänninen, Dean, UTU

Pasi Liljeberg, Professor, UTU

Pasi Virta, Professor, UTU

Jyrki Heino, Professor, UTU

Pirjo Nuutila, Professor, UTU

Sari Stenholm, Professor, UTU

Kari Kalliokoski, Research Manager, UTU

Tapio Lönnberg, Senior Research Fellow, UTU

Ex officio members

Markus Juonala, Professor, SYS-LIFE Director, UTU

Georges Kazan, Research Manager, SYS-LIFE Vice Director, UTU

Sanni Helander, Coordinator, UTU

Anni Wärri, Development Manager, UTU

Eeva Rainio, Head of Development, UTU

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