Scientific Customer Panel

CSC receives regular feedback on its services for research through the Scientific Customer Panel. Convening four times a year, the panel plays an important role in the development of CSC's services. The panel tasks also include scientific evaluation of Grand Challenge and DECI applications.

Read more about the terms of reference, membership and the panel's ways of working.

Ilpo Vattulainen, Chair

University of Helsinki

Biological physics & soft matter

Antti Poso, Vice-Chair

University of Eastern Finland

Medicinal chemistry and drug design

Sampsa Hautaniemi

University of Helsinki

Systems biology


Karoliina Honkala

University of Jyväskylä

Computational catalysis


Minna Palmroth

University of Helsinki

Space weather & physics


Mikko Tolonen

University of Helsinki

Digital humanities


Keijo Heljanko

Aalto University

Computer science and engineering


Hannu Kurki-Suonio

University of Helsinki

Cosmology


Laura Ruotsalainen

University of Helsinki

Spatiotemporal data analysis


Anssi Laukkanen

VTT Technical Research Center of Finland Ltd.

Computational Materials Science and AI


Terms of Reference

The main purpose of the panel is to promote research by:

  • Provide CSC with customer input,
  • Perform scientific evaluation of predefined applications (currently CSC Grand Challenge and DECI applications),
  • Give suggestions on how resources should best be allocated,
  • Inform CSC about upcoming trends in research that should be taken into account when developing CSC's services,
  • Give an evaluation of CSC's services from the customer point of view upon request by Ministry of culture and education (OKM), CSC board etc.

Membership

  • The number of members in the panel is 8–10.
  • CSC appoints the new members. The panelists are encouraged to suggest successors. The panel should represent extensively the fields of science using CSC services. Panel composition should also have representatives also from new / emerging user communities. The geographical coverage of panel members will be secondary criteria when choosing between candidates.
  • The name of the panelists and the discipline they represent are public.
  • Members of panel should commit at least for two 2-year periods.
  • The panel members elect their chair and vice-chair for a 2-year period. Preferably vice-chair will be appointed as the next chair.
  • Maximum duration of membership in the panel is recommend to be ten years. The thought is that when someone is elected to panel chair position it has been preceded one or two terms of ordinary membership, then 2+2 years as vice-chair and chair and then one more terms to support new chair if needed.
  • CSC does not pay any salary for the members of the advisory board. Reasonable travel expenses to the meetings from members outside of the capital region will be covered.

Ways of working

  • The panel has typically 4 annual meetings. The chair should provide a report to CSC within two weeks of the meeting.
  • Depending on the calendars the scientific evaluations can also be coordinated by the chair and done outside the actual meetings.
  • The panel handles internally any possible conflict of interest regarding scientific evaluation of Grand challenge and DECI applications.
  • The panel might consult external reviewers, if needed.
  • The role of the panel is to advice and propose improvements for CSC services, in the end CSC will make the final decision how to implement customer panel recommendations.
  • The scientific customer panel can act as a representative for all customers when solving for instance issues related to misuse of CSC's services.