On 1 January 2022 Petro Julkunen, Ph.D., was appointed Professor of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at the Department of Applied Physics at the Faculty of Science and Forestry at the University of Eastern Finland. He leads the Neuromodulation research group and is involved in the Biophysics of Bone and Cartilage (BBC) research group. Petro also works as Chief Physicist at Kuopio University Hospital Imaging Center (50%).  

The neuromodulation research group investigates and develops neuromodulation for mapping brain functions. Neuromodulation is also used to treat patients with depression, pain, and neurosurgery daily. Neuromodulation is the key method used and therefore the main focus of research. It allows the patient to be examined and treated noninvasively, i.e. without touching into the brain tissue. “We are conducting translational research where the prototypes of devices and new research methods are aimed at developing for clinical use,” Petro sums up.  

Petro’s research team’s key corporate partners are Nexstim Oyj, a manufacturer of neuromodulation systems, and Bittium Oyj, the TMS-EEG equipment manufacturer. International partners include e.g. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and The Technische Universität München in Germany. The neuromodulation research group works as part of the University of Eastern Finland’s Musculoskeletal Diseases Research Community (MSD).  

“The University of Eastern Finland and the University Hospital of Kuopio form an attractive and close collaboration platform for businesses on the Savilahti campus,” describes Petro their long and successful business cooperation. “Commercialization of research is also a key prerequisite for the emergence of health growth enterprises,” he says. 

Petro Julkunen appointed as Professor of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering: https://www.uef.fi/en/article/petro-julkunen-appointed-as-professor-of-medical-physics-and-biomedical-engineering  

Neuromodulation research group: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/neuromodulation-research-group/  

Biophysics of Bone and Cartilage (BBC): https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/biophysics-of-bone-and-cartilage-bbc/  

Musculoskeletal Diseases Community (MSD): https://www.uef.fi/en/research-community/musculoskeletal-diseases-msd