School of Engineering welcomed four new professors during spring 2025
During the first half of 2025, the School of Engineering was joined by tenure track professors and professors of practice representing academic expertise and industrial experience in wastewater engineering, wood construction, hydrogen energy carriers, and the industrial internet. Read on for brief introductions by the new professors.
Raed Al-Juboori
Assistant Professor in Water and Wastewater Engineering,
I am passionate about my field of study because it has a direct impact on our most vital resource, water.
Within water and wastewater treatment, I work in three intertwined areas: degradation of emerging contaminants through advanced oxidation, separation of contaminants using filtration and adsorption techniques, and resource recovery. By developing wastewater treatment, we can not only work toward cleaner water but also recover resources from the waste and reuse them in industrial processes and the food system. An example of such practices is my earlier work on the NPHarvest project, which has become an award-winning startup company focused on recovering phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater.
This insatiable commitment and dedication to translating research results into real-life applications is what Aalto University is known for and is exactly what I am looking for.
Steven Collins
Professor of Practice in Industrial Wood Construction,
My expertise lies in structural timber engineering. I am drawn to this field by the enduring appeal of wood—a biologically engineered material, refined by nature over millennia—whose mechanical performance makes it uniquely suited for constructing the next generation of sustainable structures. Our built environment is an integrated part of the natural world, and the materials we use matter deeply.
For nearly a decade, I’ve been immersed in studying wood and how structural timber responds to mechanical loading. Hands-on laboratory work, including both destructive and non-destructive testing, has played a significant role in deepening my understanding of this material. A key focus of my research has been analysing how growth characteristics relate to the mechanical properties of timber and developing statistical models to represent and predict these properties. My future research aims to leverage this experience to improve the efficiency and reliability of wood constructions.
As a professor of practice, my aim is to link academic research with the pressing needs of industry and society at large. I’m committed to developing scientific knowledge and fostering innovation that benefits the wood construction industry, while cultivating a sense of inspiration in future structural engineers through the significant opportunities wood presents.
Hamid Reza Godini
Associate Professor in Energy Carriers in Green Energy Transition,
The green energy transition fascinates me because it reflects the very essence of life—an ongoing series of transformations governed by fundamental principles. One such principle is the need to understand the current state, define the desired target state, and determine the most efficient pathway for transition. This perspective guides my approach to knowledge acquisition, expertise application, and the optimization of energy carrier production and utilization within the green energy transition. My particular focus is on the production and utilization of hydrogen energy carriers, with the aim of enhancing the energy efficiency of chemical processes and fostering a circular economy by reducing emissions and waste.
I see my role as an associate professor at Aalto University as an opportunity to build upon my previous work in developing efficient technologies for the sustainable use of energy and feedstock resources. I look forward to working on these topics in collaboration with my new colleagues in the department while maintaining and expanding connections with academic and industrial partners. Equally important is the responsibility of preparing the next generation of engineers to address the critical challenges that lie ahead in this field.
Mika Karaila
Professor of Practice in Industrial Internet,
I got my start at Valmet as a summer intern 39 years ago. I have always been interested new and challenging work, and there was plenty of it for a young, aspiring software designer in the late 1980s. Now, as research director at Valmet Automation, I am immersed in the world of digital twins, the industrial metaverse, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. They are fascinating areas to research and read about, but I also like the hands-on experience that you get by developing prototypes.
Projects I have been involved in at Aalto University have dealt with digital twins in the context of a wastewater treatment facility as well as new algorithms for condition monitoring. In future projects, I am looking forward to applying industrial foundation models, federated learning, the Agent-to-Agent Protocol, and the Model Context Protocol.
I expect my professor of practice position to serve as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration between industry and academia. I want to create a dynamic learning environment in which students can engage with real-life challenges and develop practical solutions, which can be tested with Valmet’s new DNAe platform.
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