Uula Kantojärvi

Uula Kantojärvi has a diverse work experience spanning over two decades. Uula is currently serving as the Director of Photonics Products at PiBond since September 2022. Prior to this, Uula held multiple roles at Spectral Engines Oy from May 2014 to February 2022. Uula co-founded the company and served as the CTO, Country Manager, Solution Sales, and Innovation Wizard. During their tenure, Uula played a key role in developing, commercializing, and ramping up material sensing solutions based on MEMS near-infrared spectrometers, cloud systems, and machine learning methods. Uula grew the company from 4 to 30 experts, establishing it as a global player in anti-counterfeit of pharmaceutical products, circular economy, and illegal drug detection.

Before joining Spectral Engines Oy, Uula worked at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland from May 2004 to May 2014. Uula served as a Senior Scientist, Team Leader, and Research Scientist. In their role as an Entrepreneur and Senior Scientist, they prepared a spin-off company to commercialize miniaturized Spectral Sensors based on MEMS Fabry-Perot technology. As a Team Leader and Senior Scientist, they led a team of 14 research experts in photonic sensors. During their time as a Research Scientist, they developed optical instruments and components for industrial, automotive, and space applications.

Uula also gained experience as a Visiting Researcher at SICK AG from June 2009 to May 2010. Here, they developed a novel time-of-flight laser scanner laboratory demonstrator for automotive applications and designed and implemented a control system for resonant MEMS mirrors.

At the beginning of their career, Uula worked as a Software Developer at QPR Software from May 2000 to August 2003. Uula was responsible for developing Windows-based performance and process management software using Borland Delphi. Uula also designed and maintained web pages using HTML and Java.

Uula Kantojärvi pursued their education in a chronological manner. From 1997 to 2000, they attended Hyvinkää Sveitsi High School, focusing on the field of natural sciences. After completing high school, they went on to Teknillinen korkeakoulu-Tekniska högskolan, where they obtained their M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, Space Technology, and Micro- and Nanosystems. This educational journey occurred from 2001 to 2006. In November 2019, Uula also obtained the certification of Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) from Scrum Alliance.