Rate My Professor Lea Hannola

Lea Hannola is an Associate Professor at LUT University's School of Engineering Science, serving as Head of the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) department. She holds a Doctor of Science (Tech.) in Industrial Engineering and Management from Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT. Her career at LUT began around 2010 as a post-doctoral researcher and project manager in the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, progressing to her current leadership role. Hannola's research specializes in industrial engineering, with a focus on innovation and technology management, digitalization of manufacturing processes, agile methods in innovation, sustainable and low-carbon operations, digital twins in product-service lifecycles, and empowering production workers through digital knowledge processes.

Her scholarly contributions are evidenced by over 1,300 citations on Google Scholar. Key publications include 'Quantum computing challenges in the software industry: A fuzzy AHP-based approach' (2022, Information and Software Technology, 194 citations, co-authored with U. Awan et al.); 'Empowering production workers with digitally facilitated knowledge processes – a conceptual framework' (2018, International Journal of Production Research, 178 citations, co-authored with A. Richter et al.); 'When and how the implementation of green human resource management and data-driven culture to improve the firm sustainable environmental development?' (2023, Sustainable Development, 100 citations, co-authored with U. Awan and P. Braathen); 'Application of agile methods in the innovation process' (2013, International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 92 citations); and 'Developing smart services by internet of things in manufacturing business' (2018, LogForum, 69 citations). Other notable works encompass 'IT on the Shop Floor - Challenges of the Digitalization of manufacturing companies' (2017, 53 citations), 'The benefits and impact of digital twins in product development phase of PLM' (2018, 50 citations), and recent publications on simulation-based digital twins and physics-based digital twins (2024 and 2022). Hannola leads research projects such as 'Innovaatioita, Osaamista ja Työllistymistä Kymenlaaksoon' (2024-2026) and contributes to initiatives in sustainable energy systems and lean leadership in industrial engineering.