During the Marcus Wallenberg Prize event, 26 outstanding young PhD students and PostDocs took part in an exclusive three-day scientific program aimed at inspiring the next generation of forest researchers. This year’s participants represented 18 universities and research institutes across seven countries — Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the USA.
The program encouraged the exchange of innovative ideas, showcased cutting-edge forest-related research, and fostered collaboration and networking among talented young scientists from around the world.
The young researchers are able to participate through the sponsorship of the
Erik Johan Ljungbergs Educational Foundation, Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association, VTT, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Pöyry Foundations, universities and research institutes.
The Young Researchers’ Program began with engaging presentations from two Wallenberg Research Initiatives — the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE) and the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC).
Associate Professor Mika Sipponen, leader of the Sustainable Materials Chemistry (SUSMATCHEM) research group, opened the session by introducing WISE and sharing insights into his team’s pioneering work. His research explores the creation of functional materials from lignin and other industrial by-products, emphasizing fundamental understanding and sustainability. He also presented examples from some of the projects, such as the WISE-funded UPSIDEHYB project, which upcycles food side streams into hybrid organic-inorganic materials.
The session continued with postdoc Carl Moser from WWSC, who highlighted innovative material developments achieved within the center over the years. A small exhibition showcased a variety of materials, sparking lively discussions that carried on into the coffee break.
The program concluded with an inspiring panel discussion featuring the 2025 Marcus Wallenberg Prize Laureate, Dr. Gerald Tuskan. The conversation ranged from broad reflections on building a successful academic career to in-depth discussions about molecular genetics, GMOs, and gene-edited food. The engaging dialogue extended well beyond the scheduled time, as Dr. Tuskan showed great interest in the young researchers’ projects and spent time visiting their posters after the session.
The second day of the program continued with a series of inspiring talks highlighting cutting-edge forest research and innovation.
The day began with an engaging presentation by MWP Young Researcher alumna Katariina Kemppainen, Senior Vice President of Group R&D at Metsä Group. She shared insights from her career journey and the company’s forward-looking work in regenerative forest management, innovation projects, and investments in startups. She also highlighted how Metsä Group drives collaboration through industry-led innovation ecosystems and partnerships between academia and industry.
The program then featured Professor Nathaniel Street from Umeå University, who presented his group’s genomics research on aspen, Norway spruce, and Scots pine. His team works on genome assembly, transcriptome, and co-expression network analyses to uncover the genetic foundations of complex traits such as leaf shape variation, wood development, and specialized metabolite production — as well as the regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs.
The speaker session concluded with two presentations by the newest members of the Marcus Wallenberg Prize Selection Committee. Professor Ingo Burgert from ETH Zurich introduced his research in wood material science, while Professor Erik Næsset from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) shared his groundbreaking work integrating airborne laser scanning as a core component of modern forest inventory.
Lecturers at the MWP 2025 Young Researchers’ Program
In the afternoon, the young researchers took the stage to present their own work through engaging Three Minute Thesis (3MT) presentations. Members of the MWP Selection Committee attended the session and both the committee and the young researchers voted for their favorite presentations, and three outstanding talks were awarded.
1st prize – Marina Mehling, The University of British Columbia, Canada
2nd prize – Joel Kostensalo, LUKE, Finland
3rd prize – Giiguulen Enkhsaikhan, Aalto University, Finland
All 3MT presentations were filmed and the recordings are available at the Marcus Wallenberg Prize Youtube channel
Throughout the event, the young researchers showcased their work through poster presentations, offering a closer look at their innovative research. A dedicated poster session was held in connection with the MWP Symposium on 4 November, where three outstanding posters were recognized and awarded by the MWP Selection Committee.
1. Shiying Zhang, Aalto University, Finland
2.Anran Lui, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Belgium
3. Linus Kron, Chalmers Univiersity of Technology, Sweden
To learn more about the Young Researchers’ research projects read their abstracts that are available here: Young Researchers’ abstracts 2025.
In the evening, the young researchers attended the Marcus Wallenberg Prize Ceremony and Banquet — a memorable celebration honoring the Laureate and his remarkable achievements. The event brought together researchers, industry leaders, and guests to celebrate excellence in forest science.
The third and final day of the program, the young researchers participated in the MWP Symposium and networked with the symposium attendees during the poster session.
The application period for the MWP Young Researchers’ Challenge 2026 will open 4 May 2026. Stay tuned for more information!
