Prof. Valden was appointed as Professor of Physics in 2005 at the Department of Physics in Tampere University of Technology. He has decades of experience of investigating atomic and molecular level interactions on solid surfaces relevant to functional materials by employing photoelectron spectroscopy, spectromicroscopy and scanning probe techniques. Recently, Surface Science Group has focused on developing molecular and electronic properties of the ALD thin films used in artificial photosynthesis and other applications of photonics.