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Alumnus of the Year title was awarded for the first time at the School of Chemical Engineering at the school's annual Autumn Party 31 August.

Niklas Von Weymarn, Vice-President for Research at Metsä Fibre, graduated as a Master of Science (Tech.) in 1999 in Bioprocess Technology and Industrial Management, and as a Doctor of Science (Tech.) in 2002 in Bioprocess Technology from Aalto University, former Helsinki University of Technology.

- At upper secondary school I was determined to build a career in hotel management and I didn’t study mathematics that much. After the school I moved to Germany to work in a hotel for a year. I realized then that it wasn’t what I wanted. I came back to Finland and began to study at Helsinki University of Technology. The first year was especially tough, after the lectures at the university I had to attend mathematics classes at evening school in order to catch up on the required skills. Aalto has an important role in teaching students problem solving skills, science-based argumentation and teamwork, for example. But the most important of all is the network of people that it offers.

Von Weymarn’s professional career begun in 1999 as a Research Scientist at Cultor Technology Center. He has since then held various positions at Aalto University, VTT and CLIC Innovation Ltd. He is currently Vice President for Research at Metsä Fibre, which is a part of Metsä Group . He is also a Board Member of Bio-based Industries Consortium and the Forest-based Sector Technology Platform, both organisations active in Brussels and working in the EU level.

- The highlight of my career, so far, has been April 23, 2014, the day of the publication of Metsä Group’s Bioproduct mill project. It was an emotional day. The project had been a top secret until then, even within our company. The public reaction to the publication was something that I will never forget. My role in the project is the development of new bioproducts and building the industrial ecosystem through development of new partnerships.

Throughout his career, von Weymarn has stayed in close contact with Aalto University, especially with the School of Chemical Engineering. He has had significant research collaboration with different research groups at Aalto and has supported Aalto’s infrastructure development, being a member of the advisory board of Bioeconomy infrastructure since 2014. He has actively participated in education by giving several lectures and instructing theses. He has also held the title of docent in Bioprocess technology during the years 2007-2012.