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Kaisa Poutanen nominated as Academy Professor
17.06.2009
Professors for the years 2010-2014. Persons appointed to the position of Academy Professor shall have demonstrated their skills as high-calibre researchers, and they are expected to promote the advancement of science within their field.
Kaisa Poutanen has worked in the fields of food technology and nutritional
science, first as a research scientist and as a senior scientist at VTT from
1980 to 1989, and as a research professor since 1989. Since 2001, she has
acted both as a research professor at VTT and as director of the Food and
Health Research Centre (ETTK) of the University of Kuopio. The new position
continues the collaboration between VTT and University of Kuopio.
Poutanen
aims to develop foods with beneficial effects on metabolic health. Her goals
are to identify structural factors of food products with importance in the
prevention of insulin resistance and in the regulation of satiety. Her
specific research aim is to investigate the effects of certain types of
bioprocessing on structural food factors, especially those of cereal-based
dietary fibre, in relation to their significance for the release, conversions
and absorption of nutrients and polyphenols in the gastrointestinal tract. In
addition, the hormonal responses of the gut and the functions of the human
body related to insulin sensitivity are areas of interest for professor
Poutanen.