Dr. Saksala obtained his Ph.D. (2010) in Mechanical Engineering from Tampere University of Technology (TUT). His research interests include numerical modeling of brittle materials, rock and concrete, with drilling as the main application, as well as multiphysics problems in rock mechanics. He has published over 90 scientific articles in international journals and conference proceedings. Presently, Dr. Saksala works as a Senior Research Fellow at Tampere University. He also holds the title of Docent in Rock Dynamics at Tampere University.