Group Leader
Associate Professor Kirsi A. Virtanen
Associate Prof. Kirsi A. Virtanen currently works at Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Finland, and leads the research group of Human Brown Fat Metabolism. She is a pioneer in establishing the existence of brown fat in human adults and has several decades of clinical research experience.
Email: kirsi.virtanen@utu.fi
Senior Scientists & Post-doctoral Researchers
Dr Mueez U-Din
Dr Mueez U-Din is an Adjunct Professor (Docent) in Medical Imaging & Metabolic Research at the University of Turku and a Fellow of Research Council of Finland (Suomen Akatemia, 2023-2027).
Dr. Mueez U-Din’s research focuses on understanding the biology and molecular pathways of adipose tissue metabolism in humans. He studies how hormones and signaling molecules control metabolic effects in fat tissues. His work aims to develop new strategies to prevent and treat metabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. Dr. U-Din is dedicated to advancing medical imaging methods for metabolic health research and leads the Meta-Imageomics Research Laboratory.
Email: mueez.udin@utu.fi
LinkedIn: Mueez U-Din
Twitter (X): @MueezUdin
Dr Francisco M. Acosta
Dr Francisco M. Acosta is an Adjunct Professor (Docent) at the University of Turku and an Academy Research Fellow (2025-2029), based in Finland, where he leads several research projects.
Dr. Francisco M. Acosta’s research focuses on characterizing the plasticity and heterogeneity of human brown adipose tissue (hBAT) using translational approaches integrated with single-cell omics technologies. Building on these insights, his work investigates behavioral interventions (such as cold exposure and physical exercise) and pharmacological strategies that may enhance hBAT metabolic function, as well as whether such improvements translate into better cardiometabolic health.
In parallel, he explores the mechanisms that regulate human BAT function – with particular emphasis on immune-adipocyte interactions- and he is developing advanced 3D in vitro models that more accurately recapitulate the in vivo tissue environment. Additional research interests include adipose tissue crosstalk with other organs, whole-body energy metabolism, and strategies to prevent and manage obesity.
Email: fm.acostamanzano@gmail.com / facman@utu.fi
LinkedIn: Francisco M. Acosta
Twitter (X): @fran_acostam
Dr Milena Monfort-Pires
Dr Milena Monfort-Pires has a bachelor’s degree in Sports (2003) and Nutrition (2008) and She got her master’s degree and her PhD (2015) in Nutrition and Public Health at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Campinas, Brazil, she worked on a project aiming at activating brown adipose tissue with olive oil supplementation (2016-2021). Moreover, she worked as a researcher for the Lipidinflammages project at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU, Norway) between 2021 and 2022, investigating the effects of different sources of animal fats on cardiovascular risk markers. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Turku PET Centre and she is working on the project “The gut microbiome and immunological system as Modulators of Brown Adipose Tissue function in obese adults” (MOTORBAT) under Kirsi Virtanen’s supervision. From the beginning of her academic career, the focus of her research has been to investigate the effects of foods and nutrients on cardiometabolic diseases and metabolism. She has experience in conducting clinical trials and she has been studying the effects of foods and nutrients on brown adipose tissue activity since 2016.
Email: milenamonfort@gmail.com
Dr Teemu Saari
Dr Teemu Saari is keenly interest in PET imaging and the metabolism of brown adipose tissue in the context of obesity and type II diabetes. He holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Physiology and Isotope Medicine from the University of Turku, Finland.
Email: tejusa@utu.fi
Doctoral Researchers
Johanna Örling
Johanna graduated from Turku University of Applied Sciences as a medical laboratory technologist in 2007. Since then, she has worked in preclinical research in Pharmatest Services, mainly with cancer and bone-related preclinical disease models. In 2019, she started her master’s studies in the Drug Discovery and Development track at the University of Turku. After completing her master’s studies, she joined the Human BAT metabolism group in April 2022 as a doctoral researcher. Her research focuses on the immunology of brown adipose tissue and its significance for human health.
Email: jkorli@utu.fi
Syeda Erum Zaidi
Syeda earned her master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Turku, where her research focused on renal metabolism under cold stress, with obesity as a focal point. Building on this foundation, her current work investigates brown fat metabolism and its role in inter-organ communication during cold stress, particularly in the context of obesity. Her research seeks to advance understanding of metabolic adaptations and contribute to innovative strategies for managing metabolic diseases.
Email: sezaid@utu.fi
Research Staff
Sanna Himanen
Sanna is a registered study nurse working at Turku PET Centre. Sanna has several years of experience in assisting and coordinating metabolic research projects.