Academic Placements of Previous Doctoral Students
Placements of Former Aalto University, Department of Finance Doctoral Students
This list includes some former doctoral students' first placements after graduation. It does not include all former doctoral students.
- Dr. Paul Rintamäki defended his PhD dissertation in May 2025 and started at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management as an Assistant Professor in fall 2025.
- Dr. Aleksi Pitkäjärvi defended his PhD dissertation in May 2023 and started at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as an Assistant Professor in fall 2023.
- Dr. Ellapulli Vasudevan defended his PhD dissertation in May 2020. His first placement was at ESCP Paris as an Assistant Professor in 2020 and second placement at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad as an Assistant Professor in 2021.
- Dr. Mikael Paaso defended his PhD disseration in June 2019 and started at Erasmus University Rotterdam as an Assistant Professor in fall 2019.
- Dr. Petra Vokatá defended her PhD disseration in May 2019 and started at the Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University as an Assistant Professor in fall 2019.
- Dr. Markus Sihvonen defended his PhD dissertation in June 2018 and immediately after it started at the Bank of Finland as a Research Economist.
- Dr. Deniz Okat defended his PhD dissertation in May 2016 and started at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as an Assistant Professor in Finance in August 2016.
- Dr. Ville Rantala defended his PhD dissertation in May 2016 and started at University of Miami as an Assistant Professor of Finance in August 2016.
- Dr. Petri Jylhä defended his PhD dissertation in May 2012 and started at Imperial College Business School as an Assistant Professor of Finance in September 2012.
- Dr. Kalle Rinne defended his PhD dissertation in May 2012 and started immediately after it as a Post Doc researcher at the Luxembourg School of Finance.
- Dr. Joni Kokkonen joined the CATÓLICA-LISBON School of Business & Economics as an Assistant Professor of Finance in September 2011.
Paul Rintamäki
Assistant Professor
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Graduated: 2025
“My experience in the Finance doctoral program at Aalto was both rewarding and inspiring. The program offers rigorous coursework taught by outstanding faculty and visiting scholars, giving students a solid grounding in contemporary finance research. The mentorship and guidance I received from Aalto professors were invaluable as I developed my own projects and research agenda. One of the program’s greatest strengths is the close-knit community within the Finance department. Continuous feedback, collaboration, and shared expertise from faculty and peers helped me grow as a researcher. The program has a strong track record of successful placements in academia, and graduates regularly publish in leading finance journals."
Aleksi Pitkäjärvi
Assistant Professor
VU Amsterdam
Graduated: 2023
“The Aalto Finance PhD programme is an excellent choice for ambitious and motivated students looking to pursue a career in academic research. The programme offers interesting coursework taught by leading scholars from around the world, good opportunities to network with other researchers at the Helsinki Finance Summit and other conferences organized by the department, an active seminar series, generous funding for conference visits, and an excellent track record of placing students on the academic job market. I greatly enjoyed my time at Aalto and I can strongly recommend the programme to all students considering a career in academia.â€
Ellapulli Vasudevan
Assistant Professor
IIM Ahmedabad
Graduated: 2020
"The design of the Finance PhD programme at Aalto is comparable to some of the best schools in the world. There are regular seminars by some of the best researchers in the field, and the doctoral students get an opportunity to interact with the seminar guests directly. The faculty at the department regularly publish in the top journals, which motivates the PhD students to strive for high-quality research. The finance department’s academic placement record is a testament to the quality of supervision and assistance. I also immensely benefited from the department’s generous support to attend AFA, EFA, and other top finance conferences.â€
Petra Vokata
Assistant Professor
Ohio State University
Graduated: 2019
"My PhD studies at Aalto enabled me to meet some of the brightest people in our field, helped me develop both soft and technical skills, and fostered my passion for finance research. I give much credit to the fantastic circle of mentors and friends at Aalto for all their support and intellectual discussions."