Rate My Professor Jani Lukkarinen

Jani Lukkarinen is Professor of Mathematical Physics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science. He obtained his doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of Helsinki in 2001, with a thesis titled Statistical analysis of finite equilibrium quantum systems. After his PhD, he spent half a year as a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University in the USA, focusing on mathematical physics. From 2002 to 2007, he worked in Professor Herbert Spohn's team at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Returning to Finland in 2008, he held an Academy Research Fellow position funded by the Academy of Finland. In 2009, he was appointed University Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Helsinki, advancing to Professor of Mathematical Physics in 2018. Throughout his career, Lukkarinen has served as scientific coordinator for the Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence in Analysis and Dynamics Research, director of the Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods, and deputy head of the Department of Mathematics. He leads the Mathematical Physics research group and supervises doctoral theses in the Doctoral Programme in Mathematics and Statistics, having overseen two doctoral theses and three other theses as supervisor or co-supervisor. He teaches advanced courses including Introduction to Mathematical Physics and Kinetic Theory I.

Lukkarinen's research centers on mathematical physics, encompassing fields such as kinetic theory, non-linear lattice models, energy transport properties of wave equations, statistical physics of non-equilibrium states, quantum systems, and mathematical models in economics. Key contributions include precise mathematical results for physical phenomena, such as the divergence of thermal conductivity in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam chain, developed in collaboration with international researchers from the USA and Germany. He has produced over 30 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals. Notable works include 'Weakly nonlinear Schrödinger equation with random initial data' with Herbert Spohn (Inventiones Mathematicae, 2011), 'Fourier's law for a harmonic crystal with self-consistent stochastic reservoirs' with F. Bonetto and J.L. Lebowitz (Journal of Statistical Physics, 2004), 'Anomalous Energy Transport in the FPU-beta Chain' with Herbert Spohn (Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, 2008), 'Multi-state Condensation in Berlin-Kac Spherical Models' (Communications in Mathematical Physics, 2020), and 'Asymptotic Localization in Multicomponent Mass Conserving Coagulation Equations' with M.A. Ferreira, A. Nota, and J.J.L. Velázquez (Pure and Applied Analysis, 2024). In recognition of his achievements, he received the Väisälä Prize on 10 December 2018.