Famous Finnish Scientists

Mikael Agricola was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman. Referred to as the father of literary Finnish, Agricola is credited with founding literary Finnish. Mikael Agricola is also credited with translating the New Testament into Finnish and producing the hymns and prayer book used regularly in Finland's new Lutheran Church. 

Lars Ahlfors was a Finnish mathematician best remembered for his text on complex analysis and his work concerning Riemann surfaces. He also made decisive contributions to value distribution theory, meromorphic curves, quasiconformal mappings, and conformal geometry among other areas. Lars Ahlfors was the recipient of the Fields Medal, Wolf Prize, Wihuri Prize, and Leroy P. Steele Prize. 

Johan Gadolin was a Finnish physicist, chemist, and mineralogist. He achieved popularity for his description of yttrium, the first rare-earth element. Johan Gadolin is also remembered for his service as a professor at the Royal Academy of Turku, where he became one of the first chemists to give laboratory exercises to students.

Nobel Prize-winning Finnish biochemist Artturi Ilmari Virtanen is remembered for his pioneering research on the production and storage of protein-rich AIV fodder, or green fodder. He was associated with the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology and was a member of countless scientific academies.

Finnish mathematician Rolf Nevanlinna is remembered for his pioneering research on complex analysis. He developed what later came to be known as the Nevanlinna theory. Hailing from a family of renowned mathematicians, he grew up to be a school teacher before he joined the faculty of the University of Helsinki.

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim was a Finnish entomologist who devoted much of his time to acquire a large scientific collection of Coleoptera. He is also remembered for his service as the chief judge of the Imperial Court of Appeals from 1839 until his death in 1854.

Finnish astronomer, meteorologist, and physicist Yrjö Väisälä is remembered for contributing to the development of meteorological measurement. He also helped establish the Turku University Astronomical Observatory and served as its director. Also known as the Wizard of Tuorla, he was also part of the faculty of the Geodetic Institute of Turku University.

Finnish geologist and petrologist Jakob Sederholm is remembered for his pioneering research on Precambrian rocks such as migmatites. He was associated with the Geological Survey of Finland for decades and also served as its director. His works include On Granite and Gneiss, while he also encouraged the development of accurate maps and reports.