Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)

Email[email protected]
Websitehttp://www.helsinki.fi/vips

Organisation Profile

The Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS) is a virtual research environment on the Viikki campus of the University of Helsinki.
More than 300 researchers from 50 different research groups are part of the centre which integrates basic and applied plant science.

ViPS facilitates our understanding of fundamental processes in the biology of plants and translates them into practical benefits for society.

ViPS is guided by a board with members from the key research fields, as well as advisers and stakeholders representing the important players in the national life science sector.

There are several infrastructures associated with ViPS and available to members for use in their research.

Training of doctoral researchers is an important part of ViPS, and the centre actively participates and develops education in collaboration with doctoral programmes at the University of Helsinki.

Fields of Science

1183 Plant biology, microbiology, virology
1181 Ecology, evolutionary biology
1182 Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology
1184 Genetics, developmental biology, physiology
1172 Environmental sciences

Pedro Aphalo
- pedro.aphalohelsinkifi
- Department of Agricultural Sciences - Visiting scholar
- Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- SenPEP
- Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)
Person: Visiting scholar, UH
19862026
Fred Asiegbu
- fred.asiegbuhelsinkifi
- Department of Forest Sciences - Professor
- Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS)
- Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)
Person: UH , U4 Research and teaching staff
19922026
Helena Åström
- helena.astromhelsinkifi
- Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology - University Lecturer
- Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Teachers' Academy
- The Academic Outreach Network
- Cultivating Expertise in Learning of Life Sciences (CELLS)
- Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)
- Plant Ecophysiology and Climate Change Group
Person: U3 Research and teaching staff, UH
19872026
Jaana Bäck
- jaana.backhelsinkifi
- Department of Forest Sciences - Professor, Title of Docent
- Doctoral Programme in Atmospheric Sciences - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)
- Ecosystem processes (INAR Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry)
Person: UH , U4 Research and teaching staff
19872026
Mikael Brosche
- mikael.broschehelsinkifi
- Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology - University Lecturer
- Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Doctoral Programme in Plant Sciences - Supervisor for doctoral programme
- Plant stress and natural variation
- Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS)
Person: U3 Research and teaching staff, UH
20032026

Forages for the future
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS)
Organisational unit: Research group

eLTER Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone and Socio-ecological RI (INAR)
Bäck, J. (Manager), Rasilo, T. (Other), De Souza, A. T. (Other), Alam, S. A. (Other), Olascoaga Gracia, B. (Other), Oivukkamäki, J. (Other), Rajewicz, P. (Other) & Sladakovic, K. (Other)
Ecosystem processes (INAR Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry)
Facility/equipment: Coordination office
FBES/OEB/SenPEP meteorological station
Aphalo, P. (Manager)
Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
Facility/equipment: Equipment
National Plant Phenotyping Infrastructure (LS-RIA/ ViGoR)
Himanen, K. (Manager)
Facility/equipment: Core Facility
Photobiology Plant Growth Facilities
Aphalo, P. (Manager)
Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
Facility/equipment: Research Laboratory
SMEAR Stations for Measuring Earth system-Atmosphere Relations
Kulmala, M. (Manager), Petäjä, T. (Manager), Sipilä, M. (Manager), Bäck, J. (Manager) & Pihlatie, M. (Manager)
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)
Facility/equipment: Core Facility

11 Not started
28 Active
108 Finished

Future forests: underpinnings of genetic diversity towards adaptation for changing climate
Kujala, S. (Participant), Honkavaara, E. (Principal Investigator), Mähönen, A. P. (Principal Investigator), Pyhäjärvi, T. S. (Principal Investigator) & Salojärvi, J. (Principal Investigator)
01/05/2025 → 01/05/2029
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)
SOLgenbio: Genomics and biogeography of Physalideae (Solanaceae): integration of molecules, morphology and fossils to resolve the evolutionary history of the physaloids
Deanna, R. (Scientific coordinator), Poczai, P. (Principal Investigator) & Sanmartin Bastida, I. (CoIlaborator)
01/08/2024 → 31/07/2026
Project: EU Horizon Europe: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships: European Fellowships (HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF)
COST Action CLEANFOREST
Salmon, Y. (Co-Principal Investigator)
01/11/2022 → 31/10/2026
Project: EU Horizon Europe: Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA)
New ways of imaging photosynthesis
Shapiguzov, A. (Project manager)
01/02/2022 → 31/01/2027
Project: Research project
ASTROS: How meristems guide plant reproductive development? Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation
Elomaa, P. (Project manager), Hytönen, T. (Principal Investigator), Ishihara, H. (Participant), Koivumaa, J. M. (Participant), Mackenzie, K. (Participant), Rastas, P. (Participant), Suprun, S. (Participant), Vaattovaara, A. (Participant), Wang, F. (Participant) & Zhou, Q. (Participant)
Jane ja Aatos Erkon säätiö
01/01/2022 → 31/08/2026
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)

Achieving Harmonized and Integrated Long‐Term Environmental Observation of Essential Ecosystem Variables ‐ The eLTER Framework of Standard Observations
Zacharias, S., Lumpi, T., Weldon, J. K., Dirnböck, T., Gaillardet, J., Haase, P., Kühn, I., Vereecken, H., Bäck, J. K., Bergami, C., Bertsch-Hoermann, B., Braud, I., Cools, N., Dick, J., Dor‐Haim, S., Forsius, M., Futter, M. N., Gaube, V., Groner, E. & Halada, L. & 25 others, Kauppi, L., Lami, A., Lindholm, T. M., Marangi, C., Matteucci, G., Méndez, P. F., Mueller, C., Monteith, D., Nejstgaard, J. C., Nikolaidis, N. P., Oggioni, A., Orenstein, D. E., Piscart, C., Pons, M., Ptáčník, R., Rinke, K., Sandén, T., Schaub, M., Schrön, M., Schütze, C., Siebert, C., Spiegel, A., Thornton, J. M., Vogel, H.-J. & Mirtl, M., 18 Apr 2026, In: Earth's future. 14, 4, 35 p., e2025EF006743.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Open Access
File
A new phylogeny and phylogenetic classification for Solanaceae
Deanna, R., Barboza, G. E., Bohs, L., Dodsworth, S., Gagnon, E., Giacomin, L., Knapp, S., Orejuela, A., Poczai, P., Särkinen, T., Smith, S. D. & Olmstead, R. G., Apr 2026, In: Taxon. 75, 2, 24 p., e70129.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Open Access
File
Another dark taxon comes to light: Semicentenialomycetes, a new class within the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota), and its first described representative, Semicentenialea rex
Nogerius, V. T., Sánchez‐García, M., Kluting, K., Heinonsalo, E. J., Ryberg, M., Toome, M., Haridas, S., Mondo, S., LaButti, K., Nolan , M., Lipzen, A., Koriabine, M., Bauer, D., Barry, K., Grigoriev, I. V., Aime, M. C. & Rosling, A., 1 Jul 2026, In: IMA Fungus. 17, 31 p., e189848.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Open Access
File
Antibiosis and transcriptomic analysis of inhibitory effect of the endophytic fungus Simplicillium lamellicola against phytopathogenic fungi
Azeez, A. A., Wen, Z. & Asiegbu, F., Jan 2026, In: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology. 141, 103034, p. 1-13 13 p., 103034.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Open Access
File
An unsupervised machine learning approach for enhancing forest structure estimation in uneven-aged stands
Lozano, I. L., Minunno, F., Srinet, R., Holder, J. & Mäkelä-Carter, A. A., 4 Jul 2026, In: Ecological Modelling. 521, 11 p., 111733.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Open Access
File