Contact us at pdp@aalto.fi
Tua Björklund
Course Professor
tua.bjorklund@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 511 3182
Tua is a professor of product development and the teacher-in-charge of PdP. She is also the director of the Design Factory and responsible for the interdisciplinary product development major and minor. Tua teaches human-centered product design and design thinking, and her research focuses on effective development collaboration practices and advancing new ideas in organizations.
Senni Kirjavainen
Coordinating teacher
senni.kirjavainen@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 521 5964
Senni is a researcher and teacher focusing on users, product development, design processes, and ways of supporting creativity.
Senni draws from a MA degree in industrial and strategic design from Aalto University, and doctoral studies in product development. In PDP her role is to coordinate the teaching team and help students in their learning journey.
Eerika Hietaniemi
Course Assistant
eerika.hietaniemi@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 320 8850
TG @eerikahietaniemi
Eerika is a Master’s student in the Creative Sustainability program and studies in the Chemical Engineering track. She was the project manager of Team Kemira during the 2024–2025 PdP course. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing board games with friends, staying active through sports, and baking. Eerika enjoys supporting others and is always happy to hear new ideas, questions or thoughts.
Kalevi “Eetu” Ekman
PDP Founding Father
kalevi.ekman@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 555 3566
Eetu is Professor of Machine Design at Aalto University School of Engineering and the Professor responsible for PdP. He is also the Director of Aalto University Design Factory, an experimental co-creation platform for education, research and application of product design. His research and education activities relate to integrated product development process, conceptual design phase, prototyping, and especially interdisciplinary co-creation between engineers, designers, and business professionals.
Markku Koskela
Teacher
markku.koskela@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 408 1760
Markku has a MSc in product development and more than a decade of teaching experience in interdisciplinary project courses such as ME310 SUGAR, IDBM and now PDP, too. He specializes in global collaboration.
Aaro Packalén
Coach
aaro.packalen@aalto.fi
+358 (0) 50 407 4114
Aaro is the coordinator of Design Factory Global Network and a part of the DF research team. He is enthusiastic about innovation, exponential thinking, and leveraging team dynamics to bring out the best in your team.
His background is in Electrical engineering and health technologies, with a research focus on product development.
