Press Release

Henrik Saxén and Guillaume Jacquemet are awarded the 2025 Chancellor’s Prize at Åbo Akademi University

Professor Henrik Saxén and Associate Professor Guillaume Jacquemet both receive a prize from Chancellor Marianne Stenius for their successful research at Åbo Akademi University. 

Henrik Saxén, Professor of Heat Engineering, has been awarded the Chancellor’s Prize for established researchers at Åbo Akademi University in recognition of his outstanding research in heat engineering, particularly in iron and steel production, with a focus on blast furnaces. In recent years, his research has focused on developing new technologies for hydrogen-based iron production in shaft furnaces. With around 250 international journal publications, Saxén is the world’s most published researcher in the field of blast furnace technology.

Saxén has held the position of Professor of Heat Engineering at Åbo Akademi University since 1997. He earned his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Åbo Akademi University in 1988. He is a Visiting Professor at Shanghai University and at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. Since 2019, Saxén has headed the subject cluster Process and Energy Technology at the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He has also served as Vice-Rector for Research (2006–2009) and as Dean of the former Faculty of Chemical Technology at Åbo Akademi University (1998–2000).

Saxén has led numerous national and international research projects, including nine European projects funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), several other EU projects, as well as projects supported by the Academy of Finland and Business Finland. He is currently leading an RFCS project, two Horizon Europe projects, a project funded by the Academy of Finland, and a Business Finland project, all focused on the green transition in the steel industry. 

Henrik Saxén conducts extensive research on how industrial processes can be made more efficient through mathematical modelling, simulation, optimisation, and artificial intelligence. Since the steel industry is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, much of his work has focused on developing solutions that reduce emissions while keeping steel production economically viable.

 “I am honoured to present this award to Professor Henrik Saxén in recognition of his groundbreaking research. His distinguished international career, exemplary leadership in major research initiatives, close collaboration with industry, and unwavering commitment to doctoral education stand as an inspiring model for researchers everywhere,” says Chancellor Marianne Stenius.

Guillaume Jacquemet, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, has been awarded the Chancellor’s Prize for young researchers at Åbo Akademi University. Jacquemet specialises in cell biology, cancer biology, and microscopy techniques, including super-resolution imaging, live-cell imaging, and image analysis.  His articles have been cited over 4, 300 times, and the number continues to grow, reflecting the significant impact of his research.

 Jacquemet studied biology at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne in France before joining the Martin Humphries Lab at the University of Manchester in 2008, where he undertook a four-year doctoral fellowship funded by the Wellcome Trust.  Jacquemet obtained his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Manchester in 2013.

From 2014 to 2019, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Johanna Ivaska’s laboratory (Åbo Akademi University), where he investigated the role of filopodia in cancer cell migration. During this period, his work was supported by a long-term EMBO fellowship and a postdoctoral grant from the Academy of Finland. 

Jacquemet established his own laboratory at Åbo Akademi University in 2019 and was appointed an Academy Research Fellow by the Academy of Finland in 2021. He was appointed Assistant Professor (tenure track) within the research profile Solutions for Health and the flagship programme InFLAMES, effective from September 2022.

Guillaume Jacquemet has received numerous awards for his outstanding research. In 2021, Jacquemet received the Turku Cancer Research Society’s Young Principal Investigator Award, and he has recently been appointed to the prestigious five-year K. Albin Johansson Research Professorship, funded by the K. Albin Johansson Foundation and the Finnish Cancer Institute.

“It is evident that Associate Professor Guillaume Jacquemet is an exceptionally accomplished researcher who has achieved remarkable international success, despite his young age,” says Chancellor Marianne Stenius.

The laureates were selected by a prize committee based on proposals from the departments and the quality and impact of their research. The prize fund of 40,000 euro will be divided, so that Saxén receives 20,000 euro and Jacquemet 20,000 euro. The awards were presented at the ÅAU Research Day on 12 December 2025.