International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, IEAS

Academician

Veli-Matti Kerminen

Profile:

Elected Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences on 28 September 2017, Professor Veli-Matti Kerminen is a distinguished Finnish atmospheric physicist and an internationally recognised authority on aerosol science, new particle formation, and aerosol–climate interactions. Born in Huittinen, Finland, on 25 February 1967, he received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Helsinki and earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics there in 1995, with a dissertation on the homogeneous nucleation of sulfuric acid–water particles in the lower troposphere. He began his research career at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), progressing from air-quality researcher to Senior Researcher and Research Professor, and subsequently joined the University of Helsinki, where he was appointed to a permanent chair in physics in 2016. He is currently Professor of Aerosol Physics at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki. His international standing is reflected in his service as a Lead Author of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and his recognition as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Geosciences for several consecutive years. He has also received the Marian Smoluchowski Award for Aerosol Research and the Nordic Aerosologist Award.

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His research has focused on the formation, transformation, and climatic effects of atmospheric aerosol particles, particularly new particle formation and growth, aerosol–cloud interactions, and the coupling between air quality and climate. Through long-term measurements at the SMEAR II station in Hyytiälä and extensive international observation networks, he has made major contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of atmospheric nucleation and the roles of sulfuric acid, ammonia, amines, and biogenic vapours in particle formation. His work has further revealed substantial spatial variability in new particle formation across contrasting environments, from boreal forests to densely populated Chinese megacities, thereby strengthening the scientific basis for assessing aerosol effects on climate and air quality. He has authored 293 peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 67, more than 16,700 citations, and seven papers published in Nature and Science. His selected works on atmospheric particle formation, aerosol pollution in China, and the effects of emission-control policies illustrate a research career that has connected fundamental aerosol physics with large-scale environmental observation and provided important scientific foundations for climate assessment and air-quality management across Eurasia.