Researcher Mikko Impiö: Machine learning in support of environmental research
Mikko Impiö, researcher
Unit and Group: Quality of information unit, Method development group
Where do you work at? Mostly remote, but my office is at Viikki, Helsinki
Which species would represent you the most?
“A Caddisfly. They are water engineers in their own right, building shelters and nets for themselves.”
Mikko works as a researcher in the Quality of information unit, and he has been at Syke since 2020. Mikko graduated as Master of Science in Technology from Tampere University, where he majored in signal processing and machine learning. Before Syke, he has worked in large technology and industrial companies as well as a research assistant. At Syke, the Quality of information unit focuses on developing services and methods that support research.
Mikko came to Syke for the first time through cooperation between Syke and Tampere university. Initially he came to Syke to do his bachelor’s thesis, but later he continued at Syke with his master’s thesis on remote sensing of habitats in Northern Lapland. Interest in a career in research and nature strongly influenced Mikko’s career choice. While studying, he imagined that with his educational background, he couldn’t get a job at an environmental research institute like Syke, but a position to do his master’s thesis was offered. ‘I chose Syke from several other places to do a thesis in because, as a nature-loving person, working here felt meaningful’, Mikko says.
Workdays consist of data processing, training and testing AI models, as well as background research and structuring information. According to Mikko, work at Syke stands out from other jobs in the field because, at a research institute, one can delve directly into large real-world problems and focus deeply on solving them. Mikko sees his work as a small but significant part of a bigger sustainability transformation. ‘It’s great to work in a job that is involved in such a major societal transformation’, Mikko continues. According to Mikko, the best things about his job are finding new solutions to current problems and working with top professionals and learning from them.
The best memory of his career is a visit to a German university which Syke has long collaborated with. During the visit, he got acquainted with molecular methods, laboratory work, and saw how research is conducted in other research institutes. International collaborations are particularly rewarding for Mikko. ‘International collaborations are interesting, and Syke is also valued internationally as a research institute’, Mikko sums up.
Why should people come to work at Syke?
‘At Syke, you get to work at the forefront of contemporary research with top experts in your field. We are at a turning point, within which new opportunities are opening up. We get good data, and information can be processed in new ways and methods. The environment can be monitored differently than before, which is motivating!’