Research interests

• Epidemiology, diagnostics, and genetics of psyhrotrophic and spore-forming bacteria
• Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
• Mechanism of psyhrotrophy

Recent administravite duties and assessment experience

• Head of the Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2010-2013
• Head of the Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, 1998-2009
• Director of Applied Bioscience Graduate School, 2009-2014
• Vice Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. 2001-2003
• Member of the expert group in evaluating of activities of the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, 2010-2011
• Evaluation of the Veterinary Faculty VetSuisse at University of Zurich, 2009
• Evaluation of the quality and impact of Food Science and Safety of Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, Member of the evaluation panel, 2009
• Scientific expert panel for Listeria monocytogenes in Foods, ILSI Risk Science Institute, Alexandria, USA, 2003
• Member of the expert group in European System of Evaluating of Veterinary Training in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, 2002 

Honours

• Walter Frei Preis, 2010
• Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, 2010-
• Honorary member of the Finnish Society of Food Science and Technology, 2007-
• Topi Salmi Scientific Prize, 2007
• Foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, 2007-
• The Veterinarian of the Year, 2006
• Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, 2004
• Honorary member of the Society of the Finnish Veterinary Food Hygienists
• Golden Medal of the Finnish Veterinary Association, 1992