Petriina Paturi
Professor, Dean of Faculty of Science
petriina.paturi@utu.fi +358 29 450 2396 +358 41 506 0895 Vesilinnantie 5 Turku : 028 |
Neuromorphic Computing; Memristors; Oxide Electronics; Functional Oxides; Manganites; Gd₁₋ₓCaₓMnO₃ (GCMO); Superconductivity; High-Temperature Superconductors; YBCO Coated Conductors; Magnetism; Flux Pinning; Thin Films; Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD); X-ray Diffraction; Magnetometry; Electronic Materials
Memristor research with GdCaMnO: www.utu.fi/memristors
I am Professor of Experimental Solid State Physics and Director of Wihuri Physical Laboratory at the University of Turku. I received my MSc degree in Physics from the University of Turku in 1994 and completed my PhD on YBCO thin films and nanoparticles in 1998. Following postdoctoral appointments at Risø National Laboratory in Denmark and the University of Turku, I worked as an Academy Research Fellow from 2003 to 2009 before being appointed Professor in 2009.
Alongside my research career, I have held several academic leadership positions. I served as Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 2012 to 2017, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science responsible for education from 2017 to 2024, and have been Dean of the Faculty of Science since 2025.
My research focuses on functional oxide materials, particularly manganites and high-temperature superconductors, as well as memristive devices and neuromorphic computing. My group develops novel electronic materials and devices for energy-efficient information processing using thin-film technologies, advanced structural characterization, and magnetic and electrical measurements.
My research focuses on functional oxide materials and devices, particularly high-temperature superconductors, manganites, memristors, and neuromorphic computing. My group develops thin-film materials and electronic devices using a combination of materials synthesis, device fabrication, and advanced structural, magnetic, and electrical characterization methods.
Our current research spans two main areas. In superconductivity, we study current transport and quench behaviour in YBCO coated conductors, aiming to improve the understanding of stability and failure mechanisms in superconducting systems. In neuromorphic electronics, we develop Gd₁₋ₓCaₓMnO₃ (GCMO)-based memristors and neuromorphic systems for edge artificial intelligence. These technologies have the potential to enable highly energy-efficient computing and real-time data processing directly on the device, reducing dependence on cloud computing in demanding environments.
Teaching and learning have been central themes throughout my academic career. I have taught a wide range of courses in solid-state physics, superconductivity, magnetism, and materials physics at both BSc and MSc levels. In addition to classroom teaching, I have supervised numerous doctoral, master's, and bachelor's theses and have been actively involved in curriculum development and the continuous improvement of degree education.
I am particularly interested in student-centred and active learning approaches. In my teaching, I have employed methods such as flipped classrooms, pre-lecture assignments, and other practices designed to encourage student engagement and deeper understanding. I hold the full university pedagogical qualification.
Although my current responsibilities as Dean limit the amount of regular teaching I can undertake, I continue to teach the BSc seminar course for physics students and remain strongly committed to the development of high-quality university education.
- Manipulating magnetic and magnetoresistive properties by oxygen vacancy complexes in GCMO thin films (2022)
- Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
- Optimized BaZrO3 nanorod density in YBa2Cu3O6+x matrix for high field applications (2022)
- Superconductor Science and Technology
- Role of the Deposition Distance on Nanorod Growth and Flux Pinning in BaZrO3-Doped YBa2Cu3O6+x Thin Films: Implications for Superconducting Tapes (2022)
- ACS Applied Nano Materials
- Roles of electron mean free path and flux pinning in optimizing the critical current in YBCO superconductors (2022)
- Superconductor Science and Technology
- Strongly Enhanced Growth of High-Temperature Superconducting Films on an Advanced Metallic Template (2022)
- Crystal Growth and Design
- Superconducting HfO2-added solution-derived YBa2Cu3O7 nanocomposite films: the effect of colloidal nanocrystal shape and crystallinity on pinning mechanism (2022)
- Superconductor Science and Technology
- Vortex dynamics simulation for pinning structure optimization in the applications of high-temperature superconductors (2022)
- Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
- Control of the nanosized defect network in superconducting thin films by target grain size (2021)
- Scientific Reports
- Detection of X-Ray Doses with Color-Changing Hackmanites: Mechanism and Application (2021)
- Advanced Optical Materials
- Electron Doping Effect in the Resistive Switching Properties of Al/Gd 1- x Ca x MnO 3/Au Memristor Devices (2021)
- ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces



