Professor of the Year 2025 Heidi Kuusniemi prevents satellite positioning jamming

The Finnish Union of University Professors has chosen Heidi Kuusniemi, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Vaasa, as Professor of the Year for 2025. The nomination was announced at a Union event during the Science Forum in Helsinki on Thursday, 9 January 2025. The award amount for the Professor of the Year is EUR 20,000.

Professor Heidi Kuusniemi is an internationally renowned and recognised expert on positioning technology and satellite navigation, who has been engaged in significant work in space technology and positioning systems for over 20 years. In her research, she has focused on developing methods to prevent satellite positioning jamming.  

”Professor Kuusniemi has engaged in extensive national and international co-operation with different universities, research institutes and companies. Her persistent work has provided results that are both scientifically significant and central to the practical application of new technologies”, Teija Laitinen, Chair of the Finnish Union of University Professors, justifies the choice of Professor of the Year.

Kuusniemi has played a decisive role in Nordic collaboration related to the new space business.

”An increasing number of nations and companies are investing in space infrastructure and programmes. Ever more services and applications used in, for example, transportation, agriculture and forestry, weather forecasts and communications are derived from satellite signals and data”, emphasises Teija Laitinen.

Professor Kuusniemi is an active participant in social discourse and a popular speaker who communicates about technology and its impacts on everyday life in an understandable manner. She has often appeared in the media to shed light on the importance of geospatial data in future innovations and in solving problems in society. Kuusniemi is also a promoter of science education for children and has been involved in inspiring young people to take an interest in science and technology with LUMA Centre Finland. 

Kuusniemi is a very active author, and her research work has received broad international recognition. Kuusniemi has been involved in leading significant EU projects, including the creation of GNSS-based positioning solutions for future autonomous systems. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in international scientific journals and conferences. Kuusniemi has received several awards for her innovative work on the development of geospatial data and satellite navigation.

Kuusniemi has been granted the Title of Docent in satellite navigation at Tampere University and Aalto University, and she is also a part-time Research Professor at the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute of the National Land Survey of Finland. Kuusniemi has been a consultant for European Commission and European Space Agency working groups on satellite navigation and acted as the President of the Nordic Institute of Navigation for a long time. In addition, she heads the Finnish-Swedish Kvarken Space Center project and coordinates the Digital Economy research platform at the University of Vaasa.