At the joint Academic Day of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University on 22 March 2024, Antti Hakanen, the Docent of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Turku and the Chief of Department at Tyks Laboratories of the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland, was presented with the Docent of the Year recognition.
The University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University organise the annual Academic Day to honour the Royal Academy of Turku which was established in 1640. The celebration takes place every year close to the date of the Academy's foundation on 26 March. This year, Åbo Akademi University is hosting the event.
As part of the Academic Day, Turun Yliopistojen dosenttiyhdistys ry. (Docent association of Turku universities) has traditionally awarded the Docent of the Year recognition. The Docent of the Year 2024 is Antti Hakanen, the Docent of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Turku and the Chief of Department at Tyks Laboratories of the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland. The recognition was awarded at the Academic Day held on Friday 22 March 2024.
Docent Antti Hakanen at the Academic Day
The award justifications state that Docent Antti Hakanen is a great example of how working at the interface between the university and society can put scientific results into practice, while at the same time being an active scientist and educator of future researchers.
“The Docent of the Year award has a very special meaning for me. It is a great honour to receive the recognition at the ceremony celebrating the history of the Royal Academy of Turku, presented by the joint docent association of the Turku universities. The expertise in and appreciation of medical and clinical microbiology in Turku is reflected by the fact that the first ever Docent of the Year award went to my doctoral dissertation supervisor, Professor Pentti Huovinen, who retired last December, which means that now ‘the lightning has struck the same place twice’”, says Hakanen.
Dr Hakanen is the Chief of Department at Tyks Laboratories of the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland and Docent of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Turku. He leads a research group investigating antimicrobial resistance, pathogens of intestinal infections, and the health effects of the human microbiota, as well as the recently established joint Turku Microbe Center of the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland and the University of Turku. He is also the Chief of the Centre of Excellence in Infections and Microbes of the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland.
From the perspective of the University of Turku, Hakanen also has important positions in the steering group of Aurio Biobank, the board of the Finnish Biobank Cooperative – FINBB, and the steering committee of the national FinnGen study.
Hakanen has published 80 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious international scientific journals. He has supervised three doctoral dissertations and currently supervises six doctoral researchers.
“Docent Hakanen's work in promoting clinical practice based on high-quality research was perfectly highlighted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, the Tyks laboratories set up COVID-19 PCR diagnostics in January 2020, even before the virus arrived in Finland. As no ready-made diagnostic tests were available at the outbreak of the pandemic, the ability to conduct diagnostics was invaluable. Due to the co-operation between Tyks Laboratories and the University of Turku, Turku has been an active centre for COVID diagnostics, which has been repeatedly highlighted in the public discourse,” it is described in the award justifications.
