Natural materials inspire Associate Professor Paavo Penttilä
PhD Paavo Penttilä started in his five-year tenure track position as Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the Ģֱ on 2 May 2025. His research focuses on wood and plant materials as well as products made from them. He is interested in understanding the structures and properties of plant biomass, as more detailed knowledge is needed to fully exploit it. He studies the structure of various types of biomass, particularly using X-ray and neutron scattering and X-ray imaging techniques.
“Natural materials are a source of inspiration for my applied research,” says Associate Professor Penttilä. “Understanding how plant structures are formed can have a significant impact. For instance, genetic engineering could be used to adapt the properties of crops and trees to different uses in the future.”
Funding to boost sustainable agriculture and forestry
In April 2025, Penttilä was awarded significant funding of €1,500,000 from the Novo Nordisk Foundation for his research on the nanostructure of plant cell walls. The FibForm project (Understanding the role of hemicelluloses in the formation of plant microfibril structures to enable their informed design) aims to understand how the nanostructures of plant cell walls acquire their desired strength and other unique properties.
“I study the role of hemicelluloses in the formation of cellulose microfibrils and aggregates thereof through coupled experiments and modelling,” says Penttilä. “I aim to demonstrate how plants control the formation of microfibril structures and equip them with desired properties by incorporating specifically structured hemicelluloses into the fibril aggregates during the biosynthesis process.”
Research makes use of machine learning
The X-ray and neutron scattering methods generate vast amounts of data, which is addressed in Penttilä’s current projects by developing data analysis methods based on machine learning. The new project aims to understand, also with the aid of machine learning, the relationships between biosynthesis, structure and properties of plant cell walls.
“The project will provide new fundamental knowledge about plant cell wall biosynthesis, which will lead to the development of plants for sustainable agriculture and carbon-binding wood-based materials,” says Penttilä.
JYU develops X-ray imaging techniques
Penttilä studied physics at the University of Helsinki and completed his doctorate in 2013. After that, he spent a total of four years as a postdoctoral researcher in Japan and France. Despite not being too familiar with Jyväskylä, he did not hesitate to apply for the position of Associate Professor at the Ģֱ.
“This job was perfect for me,” says Penttilä. “Throughout my research career, I have focused on studying the structure of hierarchical and natural materials at the nano- and micrometre scale using X-ray and neutron techniques. I am honoured to have the opportunity to use the X-ray imaging facilities of the Department of Physics and to develop research this area at the Ģֱ.”
In addition to conducting basic research, the research team also collaborates with industry on research projects. Many companies need research expertise to develop their products. They require research data to understand the structure of their materials and for instance to make their products more environmentally friendly.
“Such characterization is possible with our methods,” Penttilä says, “for instance with X-ray tomography, which provides three-dimensional structural images of the studied objects. It can even be used to see how different substances move in the material or how the material reacts to changes in temperature or moisture. Our strength is the ability to investigate processes at different size scales.”
Interdisciplinary cooperation is at the heart of research
In addition to physics, Penttilä feels close to chemistry and biology and appreciates interdisciplinarity. As the phenomena are often diverse and complex, a multidisciplinary approach is required to study and understand them.
“Together, we can understand better our environment and the structures produced by nature,” he says. “Our faculty has strong research collaboration between physics, chemistry and biology, which also benefits my own research. In fact, that was one of the reasons I applied for this job at the Ģֱ.”
