10 promising young researchers from Finland participated in the prestigious Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore
The highly esteemed Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) brought together again the world’s most renowned scientists and 350 promising young researchers in Singapore. Technology Academy Finland (TAF) is a long-standing partner of GYSS and was responsible for sending Finland’s representatives to Singapore.
The hot topics in the scientific world right now are AI, quantum computing, climate change, the energy sector, and satellite technology, the Finnish participants state.
“Both Finland and Singapore are doing extremely impressive work in GNSS (global navigation satellite system) and AI. As Finland’s Ambassador to Singapore, Juha Markkanen, stated, both countries are similar in their close cooperation between science and industry. This spurs research funding and increases corporate returns, which promotes broader innovation,” says Yelyzaveta Pervysheva, a doctoral student at Tampere University and a representative at GYSS.
“Several disciplines are intensely researching the application of AI, which has already had a huge impact on the speed and accuracy of obtaining results. However, as AI models are not yet mature, obtaining scientifically reliable information remains a challenge,” says Bahar Mostafiz, a doctoral researcher at the University of Turku and a representative at GYSS.
Mostafiz won the Millennium Young Scientist Contest in October 2024. She moderated the Young Scientist Quickfire Pitch session at GYSS on Thursday.
Every year, GYSS brings together the world’s most brilliant scientific minds – including the winners of the Millennium Technology Prize, the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, and the Turing Award – to discuss the latest trends and inventions in science and how they can solve the world’s most crucial problems. In addition to the 10 representatives from Finland, 350 researchers from 49 countries participated in this year’s Summit. The annual event week includes lectures, panel discussions, small group sessions, and various side events.
“Meeting top scientists at GYSS was a dream come true. I was very excited to meet and talk with legends such as Sir Konstantin Novoselov, Professor Wendelin Werner, and Professor Leslie Valiant. The atmosphere was incredibly friendly, encouraging open discussions between leading scientists, researchers, and young students. The summit also gave me a better understanding of the National University of Singapore and its strong connections with industry. Their extensive use of high-tech technologies led me to reflect on the potential for broader collaboration between universities in Singapore and Finland. Expanding student exchange programs between the two countries would create excellent opportunities for Finnish students to learn from cutting-edge research and innovation”, says Seyedehsahar Seyedbarhagh, doctoral researcher at the University of Vaasa and a representative at GYSS.
Technology Academy Finland (TAF) is a partner of GYSS and was again responsible for sending the most promising Finnish researchers to Singapore.
“The way Finland selects its participants with a national application is extraordinary. Many GYSS participants have been appointed directly by their universities and may not be familiar with the other representatives of their country. TAF makes the Finnish participants’ journey more useful by getting them to know each other before they leave and by facilitating networking moments, such as the discussion we organized for the second time in cooperation with the Embassy of Singapore in Finland,” says Noora Ervelius, Project Manager at Technology Academy Finland.
Technology Academy Finland and the Embassy of Finland in Singapore collaborated for a second year in a row to arrange a discussion event to coincide with GYSS. The event featured a panel discussion Translating Research Data into Innovations and Global Welfare with Dr. Pauline Tay, Director of the National Health Innovation Centre of Singapore; Mr. Teemu Suna, CEO and founder of Nightingale Health, a Finnish company that recently opened a new laboratory in Singapore; and Dr. Julius Rönkkö, a GYSS representative from the University of Helsinki. The opening words of the event were provided by Ambassador Juha Markkanen and Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development and Chairman of A*STAR, Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
Jessica Koski from the University of Helsinki, Minne Jartti from Tampere University, Mahmoud Negm from the University of Eastern Finland, Sachin Kochrekar and Vilhelmiina Juusti from the University of Turku and Cristian Galvis Florez from Aalto University also participated in the Summit.
The GYSS 2025 was held in Singapore on January 6–10, 2025.
