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Centres of Excellence

Centres of Excellence in Research
Centres of Excellence by the Research Council of Finland

Centres of Excellence in Research

With the support from the Åbo Akademi University Foundation, Åbo Akademi University has appointed Centres of Excellence in Research since 2006. The CoE programme supports research at Åbo Akademi University with the aim of achieving the highest possible quality and impact. The strategic investment in the CoE programme will also support researchers and research teams to become competitive in the contest for funding from the most competitive funding sources.

The current (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2028) Centres of Excellence in Research are:

Psych-AID: Psychology at the Frontiers: Asylum Interviewing and Decision-Making

The asylum process rests on interviews with the applicant and a subsequent decision regarding which claims are credible. Troublingly, asylum officials use methods not supported by psychological science, invalidating the process. We will adapt interviewing and decision-making methods to the asylum context and train European asylum officials. Our world-leading research on the psychological aspects of asylum interviewing and decision-making is vital to upholding the integrity of the asylum system.

  • Director: Jan Antfolk, Professor in Psychology, primarily Applied Psychology.
  • Vice-director: Julia Korkman, Professor of Practise in Legal Psychology.
RELEX: Religion and Social Exclusion: A Cross-Cultural Approach and New Methodology

RELEX investigates how socially excluded people view and relate to religion on a cross-cultural scale using a new mixed-methods framework specifically developed for this purpose.

Research is conducted in Ghana, Finland, India, and Peru. In each context, the empirical research focuses on the religious views of persons subjected to three particular forms of social exclusion related to: 1) imprisonment; 2) ethnic minority position; and 3) identification as LGBTQI+.

MADNESS: Materials-Driven Solutions for Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance

The Centre of Excellence aims to counter antimicrobial resistance (AMR) issues and tackle biofilms by developing material-based treatment strategies for infectious diseases. The urgency for innovative solutions stems from the fact that new antibiotic drugs are falling short in addressing the global AMR threat. With expertise in materials science, pharmacy, and artificial intelligence, the research team will formulate efficient AMR solutions.

SOS: Centre for Sustainable Ocean Science

Our blue planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis where marine life is critical to our wellbeing and society’s green transition. The vision of Centre for Sustainable Ocean Science is to establish a novel, transdisciplinary and user-centric paradigm for identifying and analysing marine biodiversity-related wicked problems and their solutions that supports sustainability transitions.

It enables ÅAU to be a world-leader in transdisciplinary ocean science and a driver of UN’s Ocean Decade work.

  • Director: Anna Törnroos-Remes, Professor in Marine Ecology, within the strategic research profile The Sea.
  • Vice-director: Nina Tynkkynen, Professor in Environmental Governance and Policy.

Centres of Excellence by the Research Council of Finland

The Research Council of Finland has selected Centres of Excellence for the 2026–2033 programme period. Researchers from Åbo Akademi University are represented in three of the selected Centres of Excellence.

The aim of the Centres of Excellence Programme is to elevate the quality of Finnish research, support scientific renewal, and increase the societal impact of research. Groups selected for the programme demonstrate strong capacity for innovation, maintain a high scientific standard, and have the potential to make a significant societal contribution, according to the Research Council of Finland.

The current (2026–2033) Centres of Excellence in Research at ÅAU, financed by the Research Council of Finland are:

ACE-Forest: Anthropocenic Chemical Ecology of Forests

Within the ACE-Forestproject, researchers study how chemical interactions in forests change across time and space during the Anthropocene – the era dominated by human impact on the environment.

In the project, the researchers will elucidate the ecology of plant and insect responses to chemical cues from root to the apex of mature trees, resolving scales from localized chemical signaling to ecosystem fluxes of secondary organic aerosols. The project will make fundamental advances in understanding environmental impacts on chemical ecology at the ecosystem level.

  • Tan Phat Huynh, Professor of Materials Chemistry at Åbo Akademi University, is one of eight principal investigators (PIs) in the research consortium coordinated by the University of Eastern Finland.

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