PI:s honorary member, D.Sc. (Tech.), professor
HANNU PAULAPURO
Professor Hannu Paulapuro died after a long and difficult illness in Vantaa, Finland on 8 June 2019.
Professor Paulapuro was born in Rauma, Finland on 7 January 1947. During his studies for obtaining a Master of Science in Technology, which he completed in 1971, he was already working for Jaakko Pöyry Ltd. Hannu Paulapuro graduated as a Doctor of Technology in 1979. For his dissertation Hannu Paulapuro developed, in cooperation with Professor Hannu Manner, the Automatic Groundwood Mill Operator, AGMO, which was unique in the paper industry at that time.
After he had finished his dissertation and before moving on to work for Keskuslaboratorio Ab, (KCL), in 1984, Paulapuro continued to work for Jaakko Pöyry Ltd in different tasks in Finland and the United States. He was appointed as a Professor of Paper Technology at the Helsinki University of Technology in 1990, from which post he retired in 2010.
As a professor and researcher, Paulapuro’s work is unmatched. Over 350 Masters of Technology and 50 Licentiates and Doctors of Technology graduated under his direction and supervision. In particular, it serves to mention Professor Paulapuro’s input in the International Graduate Linkage Programme since its beginning in 1987, and as the director of which he served from 1992 to 2002. As a continuation of that, later on the English-language doctoral programme PaPSat was founded, which Paulapuro also chaired in the years 1995—2010. The department of forest products technology at the Helsinki University of Technology had thus practised internationalism under Paulapuro’s direction well before the trend became mainstream in the Aalto University. Besides his duties as a professor, Paulapuro was active in the Paper Science School that operated within Finnpap Ltd. The School’s aim was to familiarise the people who market Finnish paper in all corners of the world with the secrets of pulp and paper manufacturing.
Professor Paulapuro’s academic production comprises hundreds of international articles and conference presentations. His research interests included, among others, process diagnostics, the production of mechanical pulp, wet pressing, the production of paper from high consistencies as well as fibre and paper physics. As regards to his publications, it serves to also mention the book series “Papermaking Science and Technology”, which required considerable effort. This vast collection of 20 volumes in English encompasses the whole production chain for pulp, paper and paperboard, including machinery, all the way from the harvesting of trees to the process chemicals. The editors of the first version of the book series were Prof. Paulapuro and Prof. Johan Gullichsen. The books, published by Forest Products Engineers (PI) from Finland, are still widely used around the world. They have bolstered Finland’s status as a globally respected expert in the forest industry both theoretically and in practice.
Professor Hannu Paulapuro has been recognised for his remarkable work with numerous awards, the most notable of them being his appointment to the Paper Industry Hall of Fame (PIIHF) in 2012. Internationally, Prof. Paulapuro was also e.g. nominated as TAPPI Fellow in 1998 and received a prestigious Johannes Van der Akken Prize in 2000. After receiving a number of Forest Products Engineers’s esteemed prizes and recognitions during his career, the association nominated prof. Paulapuro as PI’s honorary member in 2014.
Professor Hannu Paulapuro’s life’s work has significantly developed Finnish competence in the field and enhanced international student exchange. He was a demanding but well-liked teacher and gave encouraging support to researchers with their problems.
Jaakko Laine, Jouni Paltakari, Eero Hiltunen
Professor Hannu Paulapuro’s co-workers