Professor Himanen is one of the internationally best-known researchers of the information age, and has been published in 20 languages. He obtained his PhD in Philosophy aged 20 from the University of Helsinki in 1994. Himanen subsequently conducted research in England and California (Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley).

The best-known publication of this research is The Hacker Ethic (Random House 2001). Himanen also co-authored the influential, leading academic and political book The Information Society and the Welfare State (Oxford University Press 2002), with Professor Manuel Castells. Today he is a professor at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford, a Visiting Professor at the IN3 Institute in Barcelona and a Principal Scientist at the HIIT (Helsinki Institute for Information Technology).

He also influences policy making through his work advising leading global organisations and corporations.