University of Helsinki · Department of physics
Aleksi Vuorinen
Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics
Director of Theory Programme
Helsinki Institute of Physics
Research interests
My research revolves around questions related to QCD and other quantum field theories at nonzero temperature and density. The physical systems I study include neutron-star cores and the early Universe, while the methods I apply range from perturbative thermal field theory to effective field theories and applied gauge/gravity duality. I am also interested in the use of the same techniques in other physical settings, such as heavy-ion physics, nuclear theory and BSM phenomenology.
Short biography
I obtained my PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Helsinki in January 2004. Following postdoctoral periods at the University of Washington and CERN, I moved to Bielefeld University in 2009, where I led a Sofja Kovalevskaja research group funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation until 2013. At that point, I returned to the University of Helsinki, joining its Department of Physics as an Academy Research Fellow and the Helsinki Institute of Physics (HIP) as a theory project leader.
I became an associate professor of theoretical particle physics in Helsinki in 2017 and a full professor in 2021. Over these years, my research has been supported by multiple Research Council of Finland (RCF) projects, a HIP theory project, and the European Research Council Consolidator Grant DenseMatter (2017–2022). My ERC Advanced Grant StellarQCD will support research from 2027 to 2031. Since January 2025, I have also served as the director of the HIP Theory Programme and, since January 2026, as the director of the Centre of Excellence in Neutron-Star Physics, funded by the RCF.
Open positions
If you are a University of Helsinki student looking for a BSc or MSc thesis topic or interested in pursuing a PhD within my group, feel free to contact me anytime.
For postdoc and external PhD student inquiries, please note that all openings are advertised here and on INSPIRE. I therefore ask prospective applicants not to send generic inquiries outside these calls, although I am always happy to hear from exceptional candidates with suitable backgrounds.
Contact information
Office: A319
Physicum, Kumpula campus
Mail: P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Univ. of Helsinki, Finland
Phone: +358 50 338 6725
Email:
aleksi.vuorinen@helsinki.fi