Rate My Professor Mika Järvinen

Mika Järvinen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University School of Engineering. He serves as Vice Head of the Department, Head of the Energy Conversion and Systems research group, and Director of the Aalto University Hydrogen Innovation Centre since September 2023. Järvinen earned his Master's degree in Engineering and Technology from LUT University in 1997 and his Doctoral Degree in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Energy, from Helsinki University of Technology in 2002.

His research centers on sustainable energy systems, renewable energy technologies including wind and solar power, bioenergy, waste gasification, supercritical water gasification, carbon capture and utilization, hydrogen production, methanol synthesis, thermal power plant technologies, energy storage, calcium looping, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal liquefaction. Under his leadership, the Energy Conversion and Systems group investigates the energy value chain from sustainable production to conversion, storage, and end-use, with emphasis on energy markets, economics, modeling, optimization, and green energy transitions. Järvinen co-authored over 128 publications, accumulating more than 1,800 citations. Key contributions include editing 'Designing Renewable Energy Systems within Planetary Boundaries – A Textbook for Energy Engineers' (Springer, 2025) with Hanna Paulomäki, which addresses energy transition within planetary boundaries and social sustainability. Recent publications are 'Fast pyrolysis pathway for production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from demolition wood: Experimental and process simulation approach' (Biomass and Bioenergy, 2026), 'Economic feasibility assessment of calcium looping energy storage and carbon capture with multi-market modelling approach' (Journal of Energy Storage, 2026), 'Flexible heat and power generation in retrofitted oxy-fuel CCGTs with electrolysis-derived O2 and H2 co-firing' (Fuel, 2026), and 'Supercritical water gasification of Kraft black liquor: Process design, analysis, pulp mill integration and economic evaluation' (Fuel, 2020). His innovations earned the School of Engineering Impact Award (2026) for societal impact of research and the Resonate Award (2015) for a steel slag-based CO2 sequestration process producing precipitated calcium carbonate.