Professor Peeter Tulviste memorial fund prize went to Uku Tooming

On 21 February, the Peeter Tulviste memorial fund prize was presented at the ceremony marking the Republic of Estonia’s anniversary at the University of Tartu. The 5,000-euro prize was awarded to Research Fellow in Theoretical Philosophy Uku Tooming, whose research focuses on understanding the cultural nature of humans.

The evaluation committee took into account Tooming’s high-level research published over the last three years and his contribution to the development of the field. His research focuses on understanding the cultural nature of humans. In particular, Tooming has studied the relationship between imagination and desires, the temporal continuity of value judgements, and whether new knowledge can be obtained with the help of imagination and memory. His work is interdisciplinary – in his philosophical studies, he considers the findings of cognitive science and neuroscience.

Head of the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics Bruno Mölder describes Uku Tooming as a talented young researcher. “Uku is one of the few Estonians who has published articles in prestigious philosophy journals such as Analysis, Nous, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, etc. In addition to his success in publishing, he has received several research grants, most recently the team grant from the Estonian Research Council this year,” said Mölder.

For Uku Tooming, receiving the Professor Tulviste prize is a recognition of his contribution to understanding the phenomena of the mind underlying the human creation of culture. “The prize allows me to continue studying the cognitive role of imagination, which will open a dialogue with the history of philosophy, especially ancient Greek philosophy,” said Tooming.

Uku defended his doctoral thesis in 2014. Since then, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, Hokkaido and Hiroshima universities in Japan and worked as a research fellow at the University of Tartu. In March, Uku will take up a position as an associate professor. He is an active member of the university’s early-career researchers’ advisory board and a programme director of the bachelor’s curriculum in Philosophy. Besides that, he has taught philosophy to schoolchildren.

The 80th birth anniversary of the former University of Tartu rector, Professor Peeter Tulviste, will be celebrated in October 2025. The Peeter Tulviste prize is presented for the seventh time this year with the support of donations from the Tartu City Government, Rotary Club, family and colleagues.

The Peeter Tulviste memorial fund was established in the autumn of 2017 by the University of Tartu, the Tarty City Government, the Tartu Rotary Club, the Union of Estonian Psychologists and the University of Tartu Foundation. The memorial fund aims to students and staff of the University of Tartu who are socially active and, with their outstanding teaching and research, contribute to the advancement of Estonian society and understanding of the cultural nature of people.