When did you graduate, and what was your major and minor? 

I graduated with a Master of Science in Engineering in the fall of 2017. My major was biometrics, and my minor electronics. The most useful courses for my career were related to sensor technology in biometrics. In hindsight, choosing electronics as a minor may not have been the best decision. While it provided some useful knowledge for my career, my expertise in the subject remained superficial mostly due to my limited dedication to those studies. If I were to choose again, I would focus more on programming, data analysis, and regulatory requirements for medical devices (both EU and US regulations). 

Did you work during your studies? 

Yes, I worked from the time I completed my bachelor’s thesis in 2014 until the end of my studies. 

What was your first job after graduation? 

Olfactomics Oy and Tampere University of Technology. At Olfactomics, I worked as a System Engineer, while at the university, I was a doctoral researcher. 

Where do you work now? 

I am currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a shareholder at Olfactomics Oy. The company initially focused solely on manufacturing medical devices, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have increasingly shifted toward industrial applications. Although our commercial operations are now primarily industry-focused, we continue medical device research and development through various research projects and university collaborations. 

How did you end up in your current job? / What was your career path? 

I started as a research assistant in the summer of 2014 at the Department of Systems Engineering in Professor Jukka Lekkala’s group. I greatly enjoyed my time there due to the diverse tasks and flexible working hours. During the summers, I worked full-time, and during the academic year, I worked 8–10 hours per week. I continued working as a research assistant until I graduated. 

In 2017, I started my master’s thesis on “smelling cancer,” which involved utilizing smoke generated during electrosurgery to identify tissue type and malignancy. Although the research was partially funded by a grant from Niku Oksala and a personal grant from Etelä-Savon kulttuurirahasto (South Savo Cultural Foundation), it also aligned with Olfactomics Oy’s goal of commercializing cancer detection technology applicable for smelling cancer. My thesis won TEK’s “Thesis of the Year” award, which helped secure funding for further research and earned me a four-year doctoral research position at the university. I however couldn’t fully utilize my doctoral funding, because Olfactomics received EU funding to commercialize the technology at the same time. When I began my doctoral studies, I also joined Olfactomics part-time as a System Engineer. 

The years 2018–2020 were hectic, as I was simultaneously writing my doctoral research papers and advancing the commercialization of the technology. During this period, I gained extensive knowledge about the medical device development process and regulatory requirements while helping set up an ISO 13485-certified quality management system at Olfactomics alongside CEO Antti Roine and an external consultant. 

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted our MedTech commercialization plans. Clinical trials were put on hold, and various obstacles hindered project progress. Obtaining regulatory approval became impossible in the short term, forcing Olfactomics to pivot towards industrial applications, where market entry is faster and easier, atleast in terms of regulatory requirements. 

Despite the pandemic, academic research in the medical field continued almost as usual, allowing me to complete five research papers and finalize my doctoral dissertation by late 2021. I defended my dissertation in March 2022, after which my role at Olfactomics transitioned to COO. 

Since 2022, I have focused on acquiring new sales projects and conducting laboratory work on existing projects. While my job includes some administrative tasks, I actively participate in hands-on measurement and development work with the operational team. Additionally, after completing my PhD, I have continued working at the university as a part-time or hourly-paid Postdoctoral Researcher. This university work has provided a refreshing contrast to the business world and helped balance work resources during slower periods at Olfactomics. However, as business operations continue to accelerate, I may soon have to end my academic career, which started over ten years ago. 🥲 

Have you completed any additional training after graduation? 

Apart from my doctoral studies, I have completed ISO 13485 (and MDR/IVDR) compliant internal auditor training. 

Describe a typical workday. 

This is a tough question because my workdays are highly variable because we have frequent business trips, customer demonstrations, and measurement projects. My current typical workday might look something like this: 

• 6:00 AM – Wake up after a restless night to the baby hustling and morning chatter. 

• 8:00 AM – Arrive at the lab. 

• 8:00–8:30 AM – First coffee of the day, checking emails, and updating task lists. 

• 8:30–10:00 AM – Lab work, project-related documentation, or writing sales emails. 

• 10:00–10:30 AM – Morning coffee meeting, where after starting with casual conversations, we go through work matters related to the day. 

• 10:30 AM–3:30 PM – Active work time (lab work, documentation, sales emails), often including planning meetings or customer meetings. Nowadays almost all meetings are held remotely via Teams. 

• Around 3:30–4:00 PM – Time to head home. 

Since we are still a small company working to acquire global customer projects, some meetings inevitably take place in the evenings. I however now aim to not work after 4 PM, whenever possible. 

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

Definitely the work atmosphere, colleagues, and meaningful tasks. One advantage of a small company is that we don’t really need a complex corporate hierarchy. This means that everyone involved in operations, including the CEO, are in some ways on equal footing, making communication more relaxed. I believe this and the great working group best enable effective problem-solving in projects. 

With a growing family, work flexibility has become increasingly important to me. In larger companies, it might be difficult to take time off for a doctor’s appointment or switch to remote work when my baby is sick. At Olfactomics, we all work actively toward our goals, so we haven’t found strict time tracking necessary. However, if the company expands, this flexible model may need to change, but for now the more free approach has turned out to be effective. 

What kind of aspirations do you have for the future of your career? 

1. The Practical Dream: As a family man with a mortgage, job security and a stable income have become extremely important to me. Because of that a smaller goal of mine is to help make Olfactomics’ business profitable and stable enough to ensure salaries for current and future employees for decades onward. 
2. The Ultimate Dream: I aspire to help Olfactomics break into multiple industrial sectors, generating tens of millions in device sales. This would allow us to finalize our medical device development, bring cancer-detecting technology to market, and save millions of people from the disease. Eventually, we could sell the company to a major international player for a few billion, enabling global adoption of our technology (and financial independence of the shareholders 🤑). 

What advice would you give to students in this field? 

Don’t worry if don’t know where or how you will get employed. A degree in biomedical engineering provides an excellent base for succeeding in working life. Study broadly in areas that interest you, but also develop a niche expertise that makes you highly employable (e.g., mechanics, regulations, programming, data analysis).