Conferment Officiants and committee roles
The School of Electrical Engineering is the school responsible for organising the 2026 Ceremonial Conferment. The conferment committee is chaired by the dean of the hosting school and has academia representation from all the four schools of technology as well as experts in different areas of arrangements.
2026 Conferment Committee members
Jussi Ryynänen (Dean, School of Electrical Engineering)
Visa Koivunen (Distinguished Professor, School of Electrical Engineering)
Caterina Soldano (Assistant Professor, School of Electrical Engineering)
Filip Elvander (Assistant Professor, School of Electrical Engineering)
Marjatta Louhi-Kultanen (Associate Professor, School of Chemical Engineering)
Tapio Lokki (Professor, School of Electrical Engineering)
Saija Toivonen (Assistant Professor, School of Engineering)
Pauliina Ilmonen (Associate Professor, School of Science)
Outi Elina Kansanen (Development manager, School of Electrical Engineering)
Harriet Jehkonen (Executive Assistant, School of Electrical Engineering)
Sini Myllyniemi (Communications Services)
Nicoletta Michieletto (Producer, Schools of Technology)
Officiants in the field of technology
The conferrer of degrees bestows the academic title of doctor on the promovendi and ensures that the ceremonies proceed smoothly. The conferring of the promovendi includes the speech to the promovendi, reading the diplomas of the honorary doctors, reading the names of the promovendi as well as placing the doctoral hats on the heads. By tradition, an academically distinguished professor of senior tenure is named to serve in this honorary role.
The master of ceremonies' role includes the guidance of the academic procession and seeing to the conventions and protocols at all the ceremonies and events. For the banquet, the masters of ceremonies prepare and give instructions for the progress of the evening as well as introduce the performers of the event. In the ball, the masters of ceremonies lead the opening dance Polonaise. In the field of technology, the tradition is to elect two masters of ceremonies and the persons serving in this honorary role are chosen from the younger ranks of the professorial faculty. The insignia of the master of ceremonies features a broad golden sash.
Other roles
The Conferrer's assistants: the Conferrer has two assistants on stage to handle the doctoral hats and honorary doctors' diplomas during the Act of Conferment. The assistants are traditionally students as well as children of professors of Aalto University.
The ushers help organising the procession, guide guests to the right seats and make sure that all the subjects involved in the Act and Banquet find their right spot and role. The ushers are selected among the university students belonging to the guilds of the schools of technology.
The guilds of the schools of technology
School of Chemical Engineering:
Association of process engineering students (PK)
Forest Product’s Guild (PJK)
Chemistry Guild (KK)
Guild of Materials and Metallurgy Students
School of Electrical Engineering:
Guild of Automation and Systems Technology (AS)
Guild of Bioinformation Technology (Inkubio)
Guild of Electrical Engineering (SIK)
School of Engineering:
Guild of Mechanical Engineers
Guild of Surveying Engineers
Guild of Civil Engineers
School of Science:
Computer Science Guild
Data Guild
Guild of Physics
Athene (Guild of Information Networks)
Prodeko (Guild of Industrial Engineering and Management)