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Finnish Cognitive Scientists

Key Finnish researchers in cognitive science, neuroscience, and AI research. Meet the pioneers and current leaders in the field.

Finnish cognitive science has produced a group of internationally recognized researchers. This page introduces key individuals who have shaped the field in Finland and internationally.

Pioneers of Finnish cognitive science

Pertti Saariluoma

Pertti Saariluoma is one of the founding figures of Finnish cognitive science. He served for many years as professor of cognitive science at the University of Jyväskylä and has researched expertise, problem-solving, and human-technology interaction.

Saariluoma has written several foundational cognitive science texts in Finnish and significantly influenced how cognitive science has been understood and taught in Finland.

Matti Laine

Matti Laine is professor of neuropsychology at Åbo Akademi University, specializing in the neuropsychology of language and memory. His research has focused particularly on word retrieval from memory, bilingualism, and aphasia.

Laine's research group has developed rehabilitation methods for language disorders and studied brain plasticity in language learning.

Risto Näätänen

Risto Näätänen is one of the world's most cited Finnish researchers. He developed the mismatch negativity (MMN) method in the 1970s, which is still used in brain research worldwide.

MMN measures the brain's automatic response to deviant sounds and has proven a valuable tool in researching speech processing, music perception, and neurological disorders.

Current leading researchers

Mari Tervaniemi

Mari Tervaniemi is one of the world's leading names in music cognition research. She works at the University of Helsinki and studies how the brain processes music, how musical training shapes the brain, and how music can be used in rehabilitation.

Tervaniemi's research has shown that musical training changes the brain's structure and function, and these changes are particularly visible in auditory and motor areas.

Riitta Hari

Riitta Hari is professor emerita of systems neuroscience at Aalto University and one of the world's leading MEG researchers. She has studied the brain's social function, interaction, and how two brains synchronize in conversation.

Hari's laboratory has done pioneering work in "social neuroscience" and developed methods for simultaneous measurement of two people's brains.

Samuel Kaski

Samuel Kaski is a professor at Aalto University and founding member of the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI). He specializes in Bayesian machine learning and human-machine collaboration.

Kaski's research combines cognitive science and AI by studying how machines can learn from humans and how human-machine collaboration can be more effective than either alone.

Minna Huotilainen

Minna Huotilainen is professor of education at the University of Helsinki, specializing in the neuroscience of learning. She researches how the brain learns and how this knowledge can be applied in education.

Huotilainen is also known as a science popularizer and has written several popular science books about the brain and learning.

Lauri Nummenmaa

Lauri Nummenmaa is professor of neuroscience at the University of Turku, specializing in the neuroscience of emotions and the body. His most famous work involves bodily maps of emotions—how different emotions are felt in different parts of the body.

Nummenmaa's research group uses PET imaging to study the brain's neurotransmitter systems and their connection to emotions and social behavior.

Petri Toiviainen

Petri Toiviainen is professor of music science at the University of Jyväskylä and leader of the Music, Mind and Technology research group. He studies music-induced movement, dance, and music processing in the brain.

Toiviainen's laboratory has developed methods for studying the connection between music and movement, including using motion capture technology in dance analysis.

Younger generation researchers

Finnish cognitive science continues to develop with new generations of researchers. Younger researchers have specialized in areas including:

  • Human-AI collaboration
  • Language processing and multilingualism
  • Social cognition research
  • Computational neuroscience
  • Music and art therapy

Research groups

Finnish cognitive scientists work in several research groups:

Cognitive Brain Research Unit (CBRU) – University of Helsinki's music and speech cognition research unit

Aalto NeuroImaging – Aalto University's brain imaging center

Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience – University of Turku's cognitive neuroscience center

Music, Mind and Technology – University of Jyväskylä's music cognition group

International impact

Finnish cognitive scientists have significantly influenced international research:

  • MEG technology development and application in cognition research
  • Music cognition research methods
  • Brain social function research
  • Bayesian approach to cognitive modeling

Many Finnish researchers serve on editorial boards of international scientific journals and in leadership positions of scientific organizations.

Intelligenzia and the research community

Intelligenzia ry connects cognitive science students, alumni, and researchers. The association's events provide opportunities to hear researcher presentations and network with professionals in the field.

Many researchers mentioned on this page are Intelligenzia members or have participated in the association's activities during their careers.

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