Personal data

Name:                           Jussi Matias Hepojoki

Gender:                         Male

Birth date and place:    29.10.1977, Espoo, Finland

Citizenship:                   Finnish

Current address:           Toukolankatu 2bA, 00560 Helsinki, Finland

Telephone:                    +358504040243

Email:                            jussi.hepojoki@helsinki.fi

Degrees

PhD (virology)

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Virology, 14th of February 2012 Helsinki (contact details for verification med-studentaffairs@helsinki.fi).

MSc (biochemistry)

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental sciences, Department of Biochemistry, 30^th of June 2008 Helsinki.

BSc (biotechnology and industrial bioprocesses)

Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology, May 2000 Vantaa.

Other education and special skills

More than 10 years of experience in solid-phase peptide synthesis (soluble peptides and peptide arrays). Involved in two TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) funded projects, the first (2 years) aiming at development of photo-guided peptide synthesis with nano-sized light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and the second (past three years) aiming at development of novel TR-FRET based serodiagnostic approaches.

Linguistic skills

Finnish

Mother tongue

Swedish

Good skills (spoken and written)

English

Very good skills (spoken and written)

German

Spoken: poor, written: average

Current position

Postdoctoral researcher funded by University of Helsinki (“The aim of the postdoctoral researcher pool is to encourage talented, recently graduated doctoral degree holders to seek further qualifications and become independent professional researchers.”, http://www.helsinki.fi/recruitment/postdoctoral/index.html), part-time position, employment started 01.01.2014 and ends 31.12.2015. Current place of work and office is Haartman Institute, Department of Virology, University of Helsinki.

Previous work experience

Title/Nimike                                                          Started                                Ended

Postdoctoral researcher (funding, Antti Vaheri)  01.09.2012                          31.12.2013

On research grant                                                 01.04.2011                          31.08.2012

Graduate student                                                  01.01.2008                          31.03.2011

Under different job descriptions                         01.11.2000                          31.12.2007

All above experience gained at Haartman Institute, Peptide and protein laboratory, Department of Virology (except 1.9.2002 – 31.7.2003 and 1.9.2004 – 31.4.2005 when employed by University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental sciences, Department of Biochemistry).

Foreign visits

Technology transfer (Celluspot mini- and microarrays) from Ronald Frank’s laboratory (Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Braunschweigh, Germany), in July 2005. Visit to Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Martinsried, Germany), structural study of Tula hantavirus, in September 2008.

Research Funding, Leadership and supervision

Research funding obtained

1 year grant (20000 Eur) from Instrumentarium science foundation 2010

0.5 year grant (9250 Eur) from Magnus Ehrnrooth foundation 2011

1 year (26000 Eur) from Jenny and Antti Wihuri foundation 2013

Assisting role in preparing funding applications for research group (name of PI)

Hilkka Lankinen

Klaus Hedman

Antti Vaheri

Supervision of undergraduate and post-graduate students

Supervision and teaching of special laboratory techniques to students and researchers at various levels.

Merits in teaching and pedagogical competence

-       Teaching undergraduate and graduate students in peptide chemistry (5 courses, 2 hours/course, during 2005-2010).

-       Supervisor or co-supervisor of 3 final year projects (2 B.Sc. and 1 M.Sc).

Awards, prizes and honours

-       Best Oral Presentation, Young Scientist Session, 10^th Finnish Peptide Symposium 2010.

-       Young virologist 2014 (Finnish Foundation for Research on Viral Diseases).

Other academic merits

-       Co-author in a taxonomic proposal (to the International Committee on Taxonomy Viruses) suggesting the establishment of a new genus and new species in the family Arenaviridae

-       Editorial board member in World Journal of Virology (2011-2015)

-       Postdoc member of American Society for Microbiology (2010, 2013-2014)

-       Reviewed a grant application for Michael J. Fox foundation (2013)

-       Reviewed scientific papers for Journal of Genaral Virology, Viruses, Nephron, and Future Virology

Scientific and societal impact of research

Scientific papers

Total number of peer-reviewed articles: 17

Total number of citations: 175 (23.09.2013, ISI web of knowledge)

Patents and invention disclosures

1. Co-applicant in a patent (pending) describing a novel diagnostic method, 2014.

2. Invention disclosure on novel serodiagnostic approach, 2013.

3. Co-applicant in a patent (pending) describing a novel diagnostic method, 2012.

4. Invention disclosure on novel deprotection chemistry for light-guided peptide synthesis, 2010.