Seppo Pohjolainen received his PhD degree in applied mathematics in 1980 from Tampere University of Technology (TUT). In 1998 he was appointed as a professor in mathematics at TUT.   

His research interests include mathematical control theory, distributed parameter systems, mathematical modelling and simulation, development and use of information technology to support learning. Currently he is leading a nationwide network in Finland on teaching mathematical modelling on the Internet. He has led several national and international research projects and written a number of journal articles and conference papers on all these fields.