Doctoral researchers in the Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences filled the Joki Visitor and Innovation Centre
The Annual Seminar Day of the Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences (EXACTUS) in 2026 brought members of the doctoral programme together at the Joki Visitor Centre. At the seminar, awards were given for the best talk and the best poster, and the award for the best doctoral dissertation of the doctoral programme was announced.
The doctoral researchers of the Doctoral Programme in Exact Sciences, together with their supervisors, gathered for the annual seminar day on Thursday 7 May 2026. For the first time the seminar was held at the Joki Visitor Centre in the heart of Turku Science Park, which made it possible to organise an event worthy of the entire doctoral programme. “The Joki Centre has good facilities and technology for events like this,” says Aleksi Winstén from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, a member of the organising group, describing the opportunities offered by the venue.
EXACTUS Director Pasi Virta presented the awards for the best talk and best poster. The winners were selected by a vote among participants during the seminar. The award for best talk went to Sachin Kochrekar of the Department of Chemistry for his presentation on colour-changing molecules. The best poster award was given to Maryam Ghasemi of the Department of Chemistry for her research on perovskites.
Sachin Kochrekar, Energy Storage You Can See: Porphyrin Polymers That Think in Color, EXACTUS Seminar Day 2026. Photo: Hemmo Hartikainen.
“The talks and posters at the event were simply excellent. The talks placed even greater emphasis on making science accessible to a general audience, and they sparked active interdisciplinary discussion. The presentation styles of the posters also increasingly reflected the importance of accessibility and visuality in sharing new research findings,” commented doctoral programme Director Pasi Virta.
At the event, Pyry Herva from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics was announced as the winner of the EXACTUS Doctoral Programme’s award for the best doctoral dissertation of 2025. The winner was selected by a vote of members with a doctoral degree of the EXACTUS steering committee from among alumni who defended their dissertations last year.
About 50 doctoral researchers and their supervisors from all fields within the EXACTUS doctoral programme attended the event. Sixteen participants took part in the poster session, and 13 researchers gave talks. Feedback after the event was collected via a Webropol survey. About half of the 18 respondents had made new contacts, and a clear majority felt they had learned new things during the event.
Posterisessio, EXACTUS Seminar Day 2026. Photo: Hemmo Hartikainen.
The talks covered a wide range of topics, including colour-changing molecules, the robustness of statistical models, neutrons emitted by black holes, and computational thinking. The diverse presentations from different scientific disciplines prompted participants to engage in broad, cross-disciplinary discussion about research conducted under the doctoral programme.
Written by: Aleksi Winstén, member of the EXACTUS doctoral programme steering committee, representative of doctoral researchers, Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Doctoral programme Director:
Professori Pasi Virta