Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

Research profile
In the evaluation period, the research has spanned a very broad field of physical 
chemistry, including computational chemistry and experimental homogeneous and 
heterogeneous catalysis. Some of the activity in catalysis has strong links to local 
industry, and several research projects involve industry.
Research quality
Considering the significant administrative responsibilities of key scientific members 
of the unit, the number of publications is at an acceptable level, and part of the 
work of the unit receives a reasonable amount of international recognition. The 
more applied research is, however, less visible at the international level, and this 
activity needs to consider channels for disseminating scientific achievements. 
Industrial contacts appear to be very good, and there are a large number of 
industry-driven projects (or projects with strong industry involvement).  
However, this activity is still too young to enable an assessment of the impact on 
local industry.
The unit does not appear as a single unit, neither in terms of research methods nor 
in terms of research goals. Even if physical chemistry in a wide sense is considered as 
a uniting theme, the research topics are very diverse with significant elements of 
research outside the traditional scope of physical chemistry (organic and inorganic 
chemistry) and with limited internal collaboration.
Despite the opportunities offered by the recent vacancy of a professor position, 
there appears to be no clear strategy for developing the unit into a high-quality 
research unit.