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Academician and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Risto Nieminen has been elected as an associate of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS). NAS members and associates carry great prestige: they have made significant contributions to science and are among the most respected researchers in the world.

‘Being an associate allows me to participate in significant and interesting forecast reports – in shaping the future of physics. Also, I expect to see an increase in the number of diverse international scientific assessment tasks, such as evaluating research projects in nanoscience and scientific computing,’ explains Risto Nieminen.

Risto Nieminen serves as President of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters 2018–2019. Nieminen is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Aalto University and has also served as Dean of the Aalto University School of Science during 2013–2016. He was invited to become a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters in 1984.

Nieminen is a pioneer and trendsetter in nanoscience and material physics research. He has specialised in computational methods for material physics.

‘The NAS is one of the world’s strongest and most prestigious science academies. The accomplishments of my career have been recognised by a very significant scientific community, and I am very pleased and humbled to receive such an accolade, Nieminen adds.

Nieminen has carried out his scientific work in key universities and research centres in both Finland and other countries, with the main locations for his work being Helsinki University of Technology, which later became Aalto University, the IT Centre for Science at CSC, the University of Jyväskylä, NORDITA in Sweden, Cornell University in the US, and Cambridge University in England.

Among many other achievements, Nieminen received an award from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation in recognition of his significant contribution to scientific research and his role as a multi-talented influencer in the Finnish science community. Nieminen received the honorary title of Academician of Science from the Academy of Finland in 2014.

The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was founded in 1863 and has now 2382 active members, and 484 international associates, who are not US citizens. Around 200 members and associates of the Academy have received a Nobel Prize. All fields of science are represented in the NAS.

Academician of Science Eva-Mari Aro from the University of Turku has also been elected as an associate of the NAS. She is one of the world’s leading photosynthesis researchers. Only six Finns have previously received membership of the NAS: Academician of Science Riitta Hari, Academician of Science Olli V. Lounasmaa (1930–2002) and Professor Tuija Pulkkinen from Aalto University, and Academy Professor Kari Alitalo, Academician of Science Ilkka Hanski (1953–2016) and Academician of Science Irma Thesleff from the University of Helsinki.

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