Academy professor Heikki Mannila appointed new HIIT director

The Council of the Helsinki University of Technology TKK and the rector of the University of Helsinki have appointed Academy Professor Heikki Mannila to a three-year term as the new director of the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT.

Professor Mannila is a pioneer in data mining research and one of the world’s leading developers of data mining methods. In addition to working with basic computer science research, he is active in several application areas, including bioinformatics, genetics, telecommunications, palaeontology and linguistics. He is currently serving as Academy Professor at HIIT.

Outside the university world, Mannila has also worked in industry at Microsoft Research and Nokia Research Center. He received the ACM SIGKDD’s Innovation Award in 2003.

Mannila will take over as director of the joint research centre of Helsinki University of Technology TKK and the University of Helsinki on 1 January 2009. Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT officially consists of two units, one from TKK and the other from the University of Helsinki. Mannila will be in charge of both units.

Over the past three years, the HIIT Board has implemented the road map approved by the parent universities in spring 2005. The aim is to improve the prerequisites for top-level research at HIIT, increase financial and administrative transparency, and improve the links to stakeholders and the departments at the parent universities. In accordance with the road map, a new guiding principle was approved earlier this year, under which HIIT will be led by one director rather than two.

For further information:
Academy Professor Heikki Mannila
+358 9 191 51246,
Heikki.Mannila ÄT hiit.fi

Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
www.hiit.fi