Risto Ihamuotila (born 15 May 1938) is a retired Finnish academic and ex-

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...

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'' Jaakko Ihamuotila. 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 ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

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: D ...

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 university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

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 Dean of the faculty of agriculture and forestry from 1979, and as the Rector 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 research centre and science park, among others. He was also a member of the Council of the United Nations University 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 Corporation () is a Finland, 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 it ...

. They have farmed the family's in

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

since the 1960s. His main personal interest is

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

: 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