Matti Ruuskanen
PhD, Docent
matti.ruuskanen@utu.fi |
Microbiomes; bioinformatics; microbiology; data science
Mikrobiomes and health, microbiome data science
I received my MSc in Microbiology from University of Helsinki in 2014, where I studied e.g., the spread of antibiotic resistance genes during manure application. I completed my PhD research between 2015 and 2019 at University of Ottawa (Canada), where I investigated the sediment communities in Arctic lakes and how they respond to anthropogenic stresses. I started working at University of Turku in the groups of Teemu Niiranen as a postdoctoral researcher. Between 2021 and 2025 I continued my work in the group of Leo Lahti with postdoctoral funding from the Finnish Research Council and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. During my postdoc period I studied e.g., associations between incident and prevalent chronic diseases and human gut microbiomes in the FINRISK cohort. In 2023, I received the Title of Docent in Microbiology, from University of Helsinki.
I have taught several laboratory and lecture courses as an assistant teacher at University of Helsinki and University of Ottawa (Canada) during my studies. Since 2019 I have been asked to give lectures on microbiome data science and related topics on courses at University of Helsinki, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Savitribai Phule Pune University (India), Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia), University of Tirana (Albania). Additionally, I have organized and taught in several international workshops in Finland and in other European countries. At University of Turku, I was the main lecturer on the Machine Learning and Algorithmics course (TKO_3121) between 2021-2024.
I am currently teaching on Solu ja Biomolekyylit -teoria (BKEM5030), Elintarvikelainsäädäntö ja elintarvikevalvonta (ETEK0003), and Mikrobiologia (BKEM5013).
I have supervised 3 BSc theses, 3 MSc theses, and I am currently a co-supervisor for 2 PhD researchers.
I have a docent contract with University of Helsinki and I have completed the teacher's pedagogical studies (60 ECTS).
- Variation and prognostic potential of the gut antibiotic resistome in the FINRISK 2002 cohort (2025)
- Nature Communications
- Integration of polygenic and gut metagenomic risk prediction for common diseases (2024)
- Nature Aging
- Role of Gut Microbiota in Statin-Associated New-Onset Diabetes—a Cross-Sectional and Prospective Analysis of the FINRISK 2002 Cohort (2024)
- Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
- Comprehensive biomarker profiling of hypertension in 36 985 Finnish individuals (2022)
- Journal of Hypertension
- COMPREHENSIVE BIOMARKER PROFILING OF HYPERTENSION IN 36,985 FINNISH INDIVIDUALS (2022)
- Journal of Hypertension
- Early prediction of incident liver disease using conventional risk factors and gut-microbiome-augmented gradient boosting (2022)
- Cell Metabolism
- Gut Microbiome Composition Is Predictive of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in a Population Cohort of 5,572 Finnish Adults (2022)
- Diabetes Care
- Suomalaisten suolistomikrobiston koostumus on yhteydessä tyypin 2 diabeteksen riskiin (2022)
- Diabetes ja lääkäri
- Towards standardized and reproducible research in skin microbiomes (2022)
- Environmental Microbiology
- Associations of healthy food choices with gut microbiota profiles (2021)
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Links between gut microbiome composition and fatty liver disease in a large population sample (2021)
- Gut Microbes
- Modelling spatial patterns in host-associated microbial communities (2021)
- Environmental Microbiology
- Microbial genomes retrieved from High Arctic lake sediments encode for adaptation to cold and oligotrophic environments (2020)
- Limnology and Oceanography
- Swift evolutionary response of microbes to a rise in anthropogenic mercury in the Northern Hemisphere (2020)
- ISME Journal
- Warming climate is reducing the diversity of dominant microbes in the largest High Arctic lake (2020)
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Physicochemical drivers of microbial community structure in sediments of Lake Hazen, Nunavut, Canada (2018)
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Ionic Strength Differentially Affects the Bioavailability of Neutral and Negatively Charged Inorganic Hg Complexes (2017)
- Environmental Science and Technology
- Fertilizing with animal manure disseminates antibiotic resistance genes to the farm environment (2016)
- Journal of Environmental Quality