Mervi Puska, Doctor of Philosophy and Materials Chemist, Durat's Director of Materials Development, took up her position in 2021. Mervi's expertise and experience brought a whole new dimension to the company's product development work.
Material development director Mervi Puska brings courage to Durat's material development.
"My most extensive work experience is in research and product development of functionally active composite materials, as well as in manufacturing, testing and research of biodegradable plastics and various medical biomaterials. During my career of about 28 years, I have held research, product development and teaching positions, as well as expert positions, mostly in academic research units. In the private sector, I have worked in research, development and innovation for more than seven years." Mervi is also an docent in medical biopolymer research at the University of Turku since 2011.
"It has been great to be able to apply the knowledge gained in research to practical product development projects. Chemical reactions and material science phenomena are always the same, whether in the lab or in real life.
For me, transferring research knowledge into practical applications is relatively easy. Although I switched from research on medical composite materials to building materials, I feel like I've just picked up where many unfinished projects left off at university," says Mervi.
"I've always done a lot of work in the lab. It's a way of working that suits me and I like it. Laboratory work keeps me in touch with practical work and often gives me good insights."
Mervi says that she likes to do "out of the box" tests: "I try to think broadly and not in a formulaic way.
At university, colleagues sometimes wondered about my unusual composite samples. But they were always related to a bigger picture or project."
"I constantly try to look for solutions in a creative and versatile way. Colleagues watching what I was doing from the sidelines may not have immediately realised how my experiments related to the bigger picture and the larger theme. I had a mentor for many years, Professor Emeritus of Surgery at the University of Turku, Allan J. Aho, who was a very creative and encouraging partner. He had great ideas. He also inspired me to try bold experiments and taught me to think from a slightly different perspective than I was used to."
"In science, you need to go deep into your own field of research and subject area, but in practice you need a broader range of skills in many other areas. My boundary-breaking experiments in materials science and composite structures at university have now proved very useful in Durat's product development work," Mervi smiles happily.
Inspired by Durat colours
Working at Durat has made colour an important part of Mervi’s life. She works surrounded by cans of colour.
"Durat colours brought a whole new dimension to my work. In my previous jobs, I worked with a fairly limited colour palette, such as bone cement and dental materials. Even a researcher interested in aesthetics is inspired by Durat's jars of colour paste. It's great to see how all these amazing colours are made and to be involved in their development," says Mervi.
