Gustaf Gabriel Hällström was born in Ilmajoki, Finland on 25 November 1775.

He entered the
Royal Academy of Turku as a student in 1792 and made a rapid career as an academic. He would
remain tied to the academy throughout his life, also after it moved to Helsinki in 1827, becoming
president of the university (today known as Helsinki University) for several years. He was made a
professor of physics already in 1801, after having abandoned his initial studies in mathematics.
He published his research widely, mainly in the form of dissertations and in
Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar (sv), the scientific journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences, as well as in the journal of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, but also in
foreign publications. His interests ranged from thermodynamics to acoustics and meteorology;
"his dissertations in physics covered almost all the areas of the field of physics at that time."[1] In
addition, he was ordained as a priest in 1804 and received a doctorate in theology in 1826; he
was the last professor of physics at the Royal Academy of Turku to be ordained as a priest in
order to augment his salary (as priests had a certain level of guaranteed income).[2]

As a person, he has been described as "naturally conservative" and, especially in his later years,
received criticism for being too cautious as an academic. He was respected as a scientist and in
1830 his children were ennobled and subsequently had their surnames changed to af Hällström
in recognition of their father's achievements.[1]

The minor planet 2640 Hällström is named after him.[3]