Rate My Professor Heikki Remes

Heikki Remes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University, specializing in Marine and Arctic Technology. He obtained his Doctor of Science (Tech.) degree in Naval Architecture and Mechanics of Materials from Helsinki University of Technology in 2008, a Master's degree in Engineering and Technology from the same institution in 1999, and completed pedagogical studies (20 ECTS) at Aalto University in 2010. Appointed as Assistant Professor of Marine Technology at Aalto University in 2014, he advanced to tenured Associate Professor effective 1 August 2020. Remes has also served as an invited professor at EPFL and as a visiting researcher at TUHH and the University of Waterloo. His academic contributions extend to teaching courses such as Ship Conceptual Design, Ship Structural Design, Shipyard Engineering, and Large Complex Structures.

Remes's research centers on high-performance steel structures for demanding marine environments, focusing on lightweight and efficient ship structures that leverage high-strength materials and modern manufacturing technologies. His work addresses fundamental aspects of fatigue and fracture mechanics, spanning crystal-level behavior to continuum-scale modeling, alongside practical challenges in strength analysis and characterization of complex structures. As principal investigator, he leads projects including HyFAT (Multiscale Continuum Damage Mechanics Framework for Hydrogen-Assisted Fatigue in FCC Materials, 2025-2029), FatDED (Zero defect manufacturing and predictive design of DED-arc components for demanding fatigue applications, 2025-2029), RETROFIT55 (Retrofit solutions to achieve 55% GHG reduction by 2030, 2023-2025), and CaNeLis (Carbon-neutral lightweight ship structures, 2022-2025). He co-chairs the ISSC Committee III.2 on Fatigue and Fracture. Key publications include 'Fatigue strength modelling of high-performing welded joints' (2020), 'Data-driven surface reconstruction for assessing welding-induced distortions in ship-deck panels' (Christmann, Mancini, Remes; 2026), 'Analysis of distorted stiffened panels under uniaxial loading using non-linear equivalent single layer formulation' (Hagnäs, Remes, Mancini, Romanoff; 2026), 'The severity of local undercut on fatigue life of welded joints' (Niraula, Remes; 2025), 'Round robin study on the determination of weld geometry parameters - Part A: analysis of a reference specimen' (Jung, Braun, Schubnell, Remes; 2025), and 'Committee III.2: Fatigue and Fracture' (Remes et al.; 2026). His research has pioneered structural solutions for passenger ships. Remes has earned the Aalto Education Impact Award (2018) for establishing the Marine Technology study program at the network University Finnish Institute of Technology, an Honorable Mention from the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers for the 2018 Vice Admiral E. L. Cochrane Award for the paper 'Influence of Nonsymmetric Steel Sandwich Panel Joints on Response and Fatigue Strength of Passenger Ship Deck Structures,' and the Aalto School of Engineering Teaching Award (2012) for 'Shipbuilder’s Portfolio and Toolbox.'