Titta Kotilainen, Ph.D.

Titta Kotilainen, Ph.D.

Titta Kotilainen has specialized in light measurements and analysis of different light environments and plant photobiology and applied this knowledge to controlled environment agriculture. After completing her PhD in 2010, she worked as a research manager at Valoya Ltd (now part of Greenlux Lighting Solutions), responsible for R&D planning and conducting in-house plant photobiological experiments and coordinating experiments with collaborators. Subsequently, she worked as postdoc at the University of Helsinki, providing knowledge transfer to growers who need to understand how best to use light and to adjust spectral quality for specific production purposes. During that time, she spent 6 months working with Associate Professor Ricardo Hernandez at NC State University.

Titta Kotilainen has worked at the Natural Resources Institute Finland since 2018 and appointed Research Professor of Horticultural Technology in March 2025. Together with her colleagues, she is doing research to tackle the biggest challenges for modern greenhouse and vertical farming production in Northern Europe, namely, coping with high production costs related to heating and lighting and finding sustainable solutions for growing media.