Professor of Practice Riikka Virkkunen has worked in various manager positions at VTT and headed VTT’s strategic opening of the Industrial Renewal Lighthouse, as well as the research area on production. Virkkunen has plenty of experience working in international research networks.
She is co-chair of the Factories of the Made in Europe Partnership, board member of EFFRA (European Factories of the Future Research Association) and vice-chair of the EIT Manufacturing North advisory board. She has assessed diverse European activities, such as the Swedish competence center proposals, the Swedish national program Production2030 and the TNO unit Industry.
Recently, she was nominated as member of the BRTA International Advisory Committee. In her home country, Virkkunen has been supporting the Ministry of Economics and Employment in the execution of the national Artificial Intelligence 4.0 program and leading FIIF, the Finnish Industrial Internet Forum, with circa 200 company members. Virkkunen holds a PhD in computational materials science.