Research Careers in Finland: Tainise Lourençon turns forestry side streams into sustainable solutions
Case - Published 24.10.2025
Tainise Lourençon, PhD, has built a career driven by a sense of a bigger purpose. Now, she works as a Research and Development Manager at Boreal Bioproducts, helping transform forest industry side streams into valuable materials for a more sustainable world.
When she was 17 years old, Tainise Lourençon began her studies in Brazil with Wood Industrial Engineering. “At that age I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study,” she says. The choice of field was not based on a clear career plan, but rather by ruling out what she was not interested in.
During her master’s studies in Material Science and Engineering, an exchange period working in a Biorefinery Processes research group of the University of the Basque Country, proved to be a turning point.
“Studying forest and agricultural biomass as sources of biopolymers brought a new perspective and fascinated me. Biopolymers found in nature are vital for the shift from fossil-based to renewable materials. Finding applications to apply them in everyday life, such as in clothing and packaging, became a driving force for me”, she explains.
“It gave me a sense of a bigger purpose: I can actually work for a more sustainable world!”
Working in Finland
Her PhD in Forest Engineering focused on the valorization of lignin from wood biomass. During the doctoral studies, she knew she wanted to go abroad again, but funding opportunities in Brazil were limited.
“I tried for two years to get scholarships, but the funds were cut to zero. In 2017, I got one last chance before graduation – and fortunately succeeded,” Tainise tells.
Finland was an easy choice for her: “Based on my background in forest science, and the fact that Finland is well recognized for its cutting-edge research in forestry resources, how could I not choose Finland?”
She started working at VTT as a visiting researcher, gaining both technical experience and valuable contacts.
“I met people who were pivotal for a job proposal I later got,” she says. “It is always about the people, isn’t it?”
Those connections and the job proposal brought her back to Finland in 2018, this time to work as a researcher at Aalto University. “And the best part was that my husband also got a similar opportunity at Aalto.”
Turning side streams into value
Today, Tainise works as a Research and Development Manager at Boreal Bioproducts, a company focused on converting forest industry side streams, such as wood sawdust, into valuable ingredients for the cosmetics and chemical industries.
“My typical workday includes laboratory experiments, literature reviews, and discussions with colleagues about data and ongoing challenges,” she explains. “It’s very dynamic and never the same.”
Her work requires knowledge of lignocellulosic chemistry, strong laboratory skills, creativity, and a holistic understanding of the bioeconomy.
She is motivated by the company’s impact on sustainability. “We extract bio-based fractions using chemical-free, water-based technology that ensures both efficiency and sustainability. Our natural ingredients help industries replace fossil-based materials in their products, such as cosmetics, packaging, and adhesives. And at the end of their life cycle, these materials are no longer an environmental problem.”
The main challenge, she notes, is that transformation is needed across the entire value chain – and that takes time.
“We already have the materials and technology to achieve a more sustainable world. Now we need to adapt systems that were originally designed for fossil-based polymers to accommodate bio-based ones.”
Throughout the year, Biotalous.fi is sharing career stories from researchers in the bioeconomy sector. #ResearchCareersInFinland
Writer of the article is Selma Salin, editor of Biotalous.fi (selma.salin(at)tapio.fi)
Photos: Boreal Bioproducts