Olli
Virtanen
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Areas of expertise
Biography
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Molecular Plant Biology unit at the University of Turku, where I also earned my Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Biology (2020–2023). My research focuses on the photosynthetic light reactions, light harvesting, algal physiology, and the application of spectroscopy techniques in photosynthesis reserach in various light-utilizing organisms.
In addition to my work in Finland, I was a postdoctoral reseracher in the Biophysics of Photosynthesis group at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, contributing to interdisciplinary efforts in understanding the characteristics of algal light-harvesting regulation. I have also gained experience in student supervision, mentoring exchange students and research interns.
Teaching
I've experience in giving lectures, teaching in practical courses and supervising students in the laboratory work during their exchange and internship programs. The topics of my teaching and supervised projects have been mainly related to examining functioning of photosynthetic light reactions and applying Chl a fluoresecence in biophysical studies, but contained also methods from molecular biology.
I'm always willing to answer questions regarding my research areas.
Research
I'm currenlty conducting fundamental reserach with an aim to understand how cyanobacterial metabolism could be better utilized in photobiotransformation of valuable compounds in various biotechnological applications. In this study I'm applying my full expertise in biophysical and physiological examination of the photosynthetic machinery of aquatic photosynthesizers via implementation of various techniques in spectroscopy and molecular biology.