Mattia Cordioli, Paavo Huotari, Ita Puusepp and Ina Satokangas were each awarded €4,000 for their distinguished doctoral theses.
The University of Helsinki has presented its doctoral thesis awards to Mattia Cordioli, Paavo Huotari, Ita Puusepp and Ina Satokangas for their excellent theses completed at the University in 2024.
Mattia Cordioli, PhD, was recognised for his doctoral thesis entitled Leveraging large-scale biobanks for genetic discovery and better public health at the Faculty of Medicine, while Paavo Huotari, DTh, received the award at the Faculty of Theology for his doctoral thesis entitled The Lucianic revision and Its characteristics. Changes in 2 Samuel 1:1-10:5 , which investigated a Greek-language revision of the Old Testament.
Ita Puusepp, PhD, received the award at the Faculty of Educational Sciences for her doctoral thesis entitled Elementary school students' learning-related mindsets: Associations with physiological processes reflecting attention and vigilance during an arithmetic task , while Ina Satokangas, PhD, was recognised for her doctoral thesis entitled Interactions from genes to populations - the genetic background of speciation and adaptation , which investigated ant genetics.
The doctoral thesis awards were presented by Chancellor Kaarle Hämeri on Tuesday, 6 May at the traditional gala for donors and grant recipients at the University of Helsinki. The award sum was €4,000 each.
Versatile utilisation of biobanks to understand health and diseases
Mattia Cordioli's doctoral thesis focused on the utilisation of biobank research in combining genetic and socio-demographic data. The study provided important information on how large-scale biobanks can be leveraged to promote understanding of human health and diseases, ultimately promoting population health.
The doctoral thesis was the first in the world to identify polygenic factors, associated with the genome, which affected COVID-19 morbidity and severity.
In addition, the study identified, among other things, a factor affecting survey-based studies: individuals who systematically choose non-response options in surveys share a specific genetic basis.
In contrast, the effect of the genome on, for example, adherence to drug therapies was much smaller than that of socioeconomic status. In fact, socio-economically disadvantaged groups would likely benefit from targeted measures aimed at improving their adherence.
Mattia Cordioli (b. 1993, Italy) obtained his Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering at the University of Pavia, Italy in 2015. He obtained a Master's degree in Bioengineering at the University of Pavia, Italy in 2018, carrying out his master thesis at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. After that he obtained his PhD in June 2024 at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki. He now continues working as a Senior Data Scientist at Nightingale Health Oyj, Helsinki.
The doctoral thesis is of a high standard and produces significant knowledge relevant to promoting population health.
A Greek-language revision from 1,700 years ago opens up a view to early textual history of the Old Testament
In his doctoral thesis, Paavo Huotari investigates the Lucianic revision of the Bible, completed in the beginning of the fourth century in Antioch, Syria. The Lucianic revision is one of the later versions of the Septuagint, or the Old Testament in Greek. It opens up a view to an earlier Greek-language translation that differs from the Masoretic texts, or the Hebrew-language standard texts, currently in use.
In his doctoral thesis, Huotari particularly examined the Greek-language manuscript of the Second Book of Samuel, employing a method of textual criticism and digital tools to analyse the changes.
Paavo Huotari (b. 1988) completed his Bachelor's degree with a major in Exegesis at the University of Helsinki in 2016. That same year, he also earned his Master's degree, specialising in New Testament Exegesis. Following his graduation, he worked as a project manager at Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, as a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki, and within the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence "Changes in Sacred Texts and Traditions." He also served as a parish pastor in the Parish of Maaria, part of the Parish Union of Turku and Kaarina. Together with his colleague Ville Mäkipelto, Huotari co-authored the non-fiction book Sensuroitu - Raamatun muutosten vaiettu historia (Censored - The Hidden History of Changes in the Bible, Otava), which was shortlisted for the Finlandia Prize for Non-Fiction in 2023. He earned his Doctorate in Theology in September 2024 from the University of Helsinki, specialising in Old Testament Exegesis. He currently works as a specialist at the Finnish Bible Society.
The study has shifted a paradigm lasting over a century and set a new standard for studying Lucian of Antioch. Understanding the nature of his revision is very important for understanding the textual history of the Old Testament, but untangling it has been one of the most difficult problems in textual criticism.
New information on the development of associations between mindsets and psychophysiological processes during comprehensive school years
In her doctoral thesis, Ita Puusepp investigated the effects of mindsets related to intelligence and mathematical ability among elementary school pupils on their reactions during tasks. Electroencephalographic and electrodermal activity was measured, in an authentic school context, in second-, third- and fourth-grade children.
The study focused on how mindsets affect making mistakes, processing feedback and brain responses, as well as how these connections develop during school years. The doctoral thesis also examines the dynamics of mindsets and physiological arousal while completing tasks.
Ita Puusepp earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Tallinn University, Estonia in 2011. She completed a Master's degree in Psychology at the same university in 2018. In 2024, she obtained a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Helsinki. Currently, she is working as a postdoctoral researcher in the longitudinal research project Copernicus - Connecting Psychological, Educational, and Neuroscientific Evidence at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki (2024-2025). In addition, she is a visiting researcher at the Centre for Educational Psychology, School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Estonia (2025-2027).
The doctoral thesis successfully combines theories of educational psychology and neuroscience, utilising innovative and topical research questions and approaches.
Ant research deepens understanding of biodiversity preservation and maintenance
Ina Satokangas's doctoral thesis investigated the effect of hybridisation, or interbreeding, and gene flow between populations on speciation and adaptation in wood ants. The study, encompassing the genome data of five ant species, demonstrates the prevalence among them of hybridisation, particularly between Formica aquilonia, F. polyctena and F. rufa.
While hybrids are better able to adapt to climate change, natural selection acts against the mixing of genetic material and can limit the viability of hybrids. Gene flow can leave traces in the genome, which may in some cases promote climatic adaptation.
The study emphasises the importance of gene networks for the maintenance of biodiversity, as they can support the adaptation of populations to environmental change and prevent harmful gene flow.
Ina Satokangas (b. 1984) completed a Bachelor's degree in Biology at the University of Helsinki in 2013 and graduated with a Master's degree in 2018, majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Helsinki in September 2024. Currently, Ina Satokangas is working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki and will be relocating to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in the summer of 2025.
The work is ambitious and of a high standard, with a unique approach distinguishing it from similar output. Satokangas has expanded the perspective by investigating entire species groups and examining gene flow between multiple interacting lineages.
