Welcoming Anssi Liikanen

Today we are pleased to welcome M.Sc. Anssi Liikanen as a new member of the Air Quality group at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Anssi starts his PhD studies during which he will develop ozone reactivity measurements and conduct field measurements.

As a part of my REAC-FORTE project (Academy of Finland, grant 307797), ozone reactivity will be used as a tool to assess our understanding of tree emissions and air chemistry in forest air at high latitude (Finland) and high altitude (Switzerland). Biogenic volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation, such as isoprene and monoterpenes, have a double carbon-carbon bond in their structures, enabling reaction with ozone. By comparing the total ozone reactivity with the reactivity expected from known emissions in combination with other measurement techniques, we will be able to know how much of the chemical composition of forest air is still not well understood.

Anssi's background in atmospheric sciences with a focus on instrumentation development is a strong asset for our group. His previous work includes the construction and characterization of a reaction chamber  at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio to study secondary organic aerosol from α-pinene (a monoterpene). Anssi is a taekwon-do champion and was a paratrooper. Therefore, he is not afraid of challenges and focuses fully on the task at hand. We are looking forward to work with Anssi and supervise him tackling his latest challenge... a doctoral degree!

Welcome!