Risto Ihamuotila (born 15 May 1938) is a retired

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

academic and ex-

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of the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

Early life and education

Risto Veikko Artturi Ihamuotila was born as the first of four children to Veikko and Anna Liisa ( Kouki) Ihamuotila. His younger brother is the business executive, ''

Vuorineuvos Vuorineuvos ("mining counselor", literally Finnish for "mountain counselor"; sv, bergsråd) is a Finnish honorary title granted by the President of Finland to leading figures in industry and commerce. The title is honorary and has no responsibilit ...

Jaakko Ihamuotila Jaakko Ihamuotila (born 15 November 1939) is a retired Finnish business executive known for his senior roles in some of Finland's largest corporations, including as the CEO of Valmet and long-serving President and Chairman of Neste. He has been ...

. Risto Ihamuotila studied agriculture and forestry at the

, gaining his first degree in 1962, followed by Licentiate in 1965 and

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in 1968. His 1968

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was on the subject of income levels of Finnish farmers in the 1950-1960s.

Career

Ihamuotila held various research positions in agriculture and forestry at the University of Helsinki in the 1960s and early 1970s. He also served as Assistant Professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1969–1970. In 1973, Ihamuotila was appointed Professor of agricultural policy at the University of Helsinki; aged 34, he was at the time the youngest full professor of the university. Afterwards he held several advisory and board positions in Finnish and Nordic academic and agricultural research organisations. Ihamuotila served as the

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of the faculty of agriculture and forestry from 1979, and as the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the university in 1992–1996, before being promoted to the

of the

in 1996, which position he held until his retirement in 2003. His legacy as the head of the university includes the establishment of the

Biomedicum Helsinki The Biomedicum Helsinki is a research and teaching center located in the Meilahti district of Helsinki, Finland. It contains two buildings (Biomedicum Helsinki 1 and 2), and features research and teaching facilities of the University of Helsinki ...

research centre and science park, among others. He was also a member of the Council of the

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from 1995 to 2001.

Personal life

Risto Ihamuotila is married to the textile designer Kristiina Malmivuo; they have three children, including , the ex-owner of

Marimekko Marimekko Oyj is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951. Marimekko made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored pri ...

. They have farmed the family's in

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

since the 1960s. His main personal interest is

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

: he has collected, photographed and catalogued over 1,000 plants, and written two guide books on Finnish flora. He is also a keen amateur weather observer, with journals recording weather details going back 50 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ihamuotila, Risto University of Helsinki alumni Academic staff of the University of Helsinki Cornell University faculty 1938 births Living people Chancellors of the University of Helsinki