E. Elias Hakalehto, PhD, MSc, graduated as a microbiologist from the University of Helsinki in 1983. He received the Postgraduate Diploma in Biotechnology in 1985 from Canterbury and London, U.K. He is an alumnus of University College London in biochemical engineering and participated in the first gene transfer of antibiotic genes from streptomycetes to Escherichia coli at the Polytechnic of Central London. Dr Hakalehto was the first researcher in a joint project between Valio Corporation and the University of Helsinki, leading to the launching of the GG probiotic strain. In 1989-90, he was a visiting scientist in the biotechnology unit and the department of membrane and ultrastructure research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr Hakalehto became an Adjunct Professor of biotechnical microbe analytics at Kuopio (University of Eastern Finland) in 2008 and of microbiological agroecology at the University of Helsinki in 2016. His R&D company, Finnoflag Oy (est.1993), served as the key technology provider for numerous important microbiology, molecular biology and biotechnology projects. Dr. Hakalehto has edited several scientific books, authored 120 chapters, and has about 80 patents or applications. He has served as a keynote lecturer at numerous conferences and is a Fellow Member of the International Society for Development and Sustainability.
