I am a full professor at the Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. I study complex systems and networks. Besides academia, I have worked in the telecommunications and data mining industries (back then, the term “data science” had not been invented yet, but that is what we in fact did!). I did my PhD in the late 90s on superfluid-solid interfaces in helium-4, so you could say that my career trajectory has not been entirely straight.

However, complex networks and superfluid-solid interfaces do have things in common! In both cases, we are dealing with systems whose properties are best understood through the lens of statistics – the macro-level things we observe arise out of the interactions of very large numbers of micro-level things. In the case of superfluids and solids, the micro-level things are atoms, and they cannot be seen directly. In network science, the micro level is often directly observable – say, the people whose social ties span networks. The central question in both the statistical mechanics of weird quantum interfaces and the science of networks is “How does the micro level translate to the macro level?” That is, how do interesting and complex macro-level structures emerge from whatever happens at the micro level?

Regarding complex systems and networks, my scientific ADD has led me to study several very different systems from the social networks of humans to the genetic structures of ant supercolonies and from the stock market to the human immune system.

When I don’t do science or play with my kids, I play bass guitar in a band whose music could perhaps be categorized as impressionistic rock. I also produce the band (write songs, record, and mix). Here are some songs on Spotify: No Time, Damage (All Undone), Anybody, Staring Back at You, YouTube: No Time, Damage (All Undone), Anybody