Juhan Aru and Jüri Reimand received the scholarship for expatriate Estonian visiting professor

The scholarship holders will start work at the University of Tartu in the 2026/2027 academic year. Juhan Aru is Associate Professor of the Institute of Mathematics of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). For the past 20 years, he has studied and worked at several leading European research institutions, earning, among other qualifications, two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree. In his research, Aru focuses on random geometry, with an emphasis on developing a new probabilistic perspective and exploring the Gaussian free field. In the autumn semester of 2026, he will work at the University of Tartu Faculty of Science and Technology.

Aru wishes to bring the spirit of collaboration of the international mathematics community to his hometown Tartu and to share with students the joy of discovery that mathematics offers. “I feel part of both the international and the Estonian academic communities. It is this latter connection that I would like to strengthen, and I believe that a semester at the University of Tartu as expatriate Estonian visiting professor is a perfect step in that direction,” said Aru. During the semester, he plans to organise an evening course in mathematics for a wider audience, deliver lectures on modern probability theory, invite colleagues from around the world to exchange ideas at the university, and, where possible, contribute to research.

Jüri Reimand is an internationally recognised Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, Canada. He has received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree at the University of Tartu. In his research, Reimand focuses on understanding the genetic mechanisms of cancer and developing genome-based treatment strategies.

As University of Tartu visiting professor in the spring semester of 2027, he aims to collaborate with University of Tartu researchers to develop new solutions for precision diagnostics and the creation of personalised treatment plans, using and advancing the latest tools for genome data analysis. Reimand also plans to contribute to mentoring researchers and young doctors, as well as strengthening international research cooperation.

Reimand is the first the receive the expatriate Estonian visiting professor’s scholarship to work at the Faculty of Medicine. He hopes that the semester at the University of Tartu will enable him to contribute to research and development in Estonia: “I believe that my experience in international projects and my connections with leading research institutions will help increase the global visibility of Estonia’s research community and advance the development of personalised medicine.”

The scholarship for expatriate Estonian visiting professor was created in 2018 to invite acknowledged researchers of Estonian descent working abroad to work at the University of Tartu for one year or one semester. The scholarship of €25,000 per semester allows the scholarship holder to participate in teaching and research, give public lectures, and introduce their field of research in Estonia and internationally. The scholarship is supported by the Chair of Estonian Studies Foundation, the University of Tartu Fund, Lembit Jänes, and Peeter and Svea Einola.