Hanna Vehkamäki

Hanna Tuula Katariina Vehkamäki (formerly Arstila) (born 27 December 1969) is a Finnish physicist who is a professor of computational aerosol science at the University of Helsinki. Her research investigates aerosol nucleation and atmospheric chemistry. She also serves as Vice Dean of Wellbeing and Equality. In 2022, she was elected to the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

Early life and education
Vehkamäki was born in Helsinki. She performed well at mathematics and physics at high school. She studied at the University of Helsinki, where she earned a master's degree in 1994 and a doctorate in 1998. She completed an undergraduate summer project studying atmospheric gases, and how they could independently form particles in the Earth's atmosphere. Her undergraduate summer project became her doctoral research, which eventually became an important contribution to climate research.

Research and career
Vehkamäki was awarded a research fellowship at University College London and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998. She returned to Helsinki in 1999, where she worked in the physics department as a lecturer and researcher.

Vehkamäki was appointed to the faculty at the University of Helsinki in 2000. She researches atmospheric aerosols, which can have a detrimental impact on air quality. Her research project, VILMA (Virtual laboratory for molecular level atmospheric transformations), combines experimental and computational atmospheric chemistry, and was selected as a Centre of Excellence in 2022.

Vehkamäki established the Equality and Wellbeing Group at her institute at the University of Helsinki in 2011, and has led similar initiatives at  faculty,  university and national level.

Awards and honours

 * 2010 Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation Award
 * 2015 University of Helsinki Maikki Friberg Award
 * 2019 Resonanssi ry Badge of Honour
 * 2022 Order of the White Rose of Finland Knight, First Class