News

“It’s one of the best experiences I have had, to live and study in Vilnius. The city is very beautiful, and I used to just walk around the old town at least every weekend to refresh my mind”, says Dharma Prasetya Permana, Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Physics alumnus from Indonesia. He just received a master’s degree in physical sciences in the Laser Physics and Optical Technologies study programme, in which he was actively involved in various national and international scientific activities.

Dr Julius Vengelis, researcher from the Laser Research Center at the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University (VU), has been admitted to the Young Academy of Europe (YAE). The organization brings together young researchers from a range of scientific disciplines across Europe.

Students from across the Arqus Alliance are invited to take part in a five-day international workshop programme exploring research, collaboration and academic development in an intercultural environment.

“Being part of this community has been instrumental in shaping my development as an experimental physicist,” says Seda Türkcan, a student from İstanbul, speaking about her academic journey at Vilnius University (VU). She just finished her master’s degree in the Photonics and Nanotechnology program at the VU Faculty of Physics and will be pursuing a PhD here as well. Here is her story of pursuing her passion for physics, developing as a researcher, and finding opportunities to grow academically at Vilnius University.

Vilnius University (VU), together with its Arqus Alliance partners – the University of Graz (Austria), Leipzig University (Germany), Durham University (United Kingdom), the University of Granada (Spain), and Maynooth University (Ireland) – as well as the consulting firm Ernst & Young, will implement the project “European AI Sandbox for Entrepreneurial Learning (EAS-EL).”, awarded by European Innovation and Technology Institute.

At the beginning of June, 30 young members of the Lithuanian diaspora arrived in Lithuania to take part in internships through the six-week “Bring Together Lithuania” programme. The initiative offered participants a unique opportunity to explore the country, its culture, and its professional landscape. Born in the United States, Andrew Basso is delighted with his decision to undertake an internship at Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Physics. He completed his placement in the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology, where he gained valuable experience.

Paulius Kazlauskas, a master’s student in the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University (VU), is participating in the Toruń Student Summer Program in the Exact Sciences (TSSP ExSci 2026) at Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) in Poland. 

P. Kazlauskas is conducting research on astronomy in Toruń, where, together with Dr Pawel Zielinski, he is working with observational data on the gravitational microlensing effect from the Gaia space mission. Using spectral observations, he aims to determine the parameters of distant stars.

It would be difficult to name a prize that rivals the Nobel Prize in prestige. When the laureates are announced every December, journalists and audiences around the world suddenly turn their attention to that small group of people whose discoveries and achievements have earned them a place in history. Yet Nobel laureates often seem distant and out of reach to the rest of society. The Lindau Meetings, now in their 75th year, have done much to close that gap. Each year, the project brings together Nobel laureates and promising young scientists from around the world. This year, one of those young scientists was Justas Lekavičius, an alumnus of Vilnius University’s (VU) Faculty of Physics. 

The seminar will take place on 22 July at 14:00 val. at NFTMC B435 "Aquarium". 

The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Oleg Chalykh (University of Leeds, UK).

Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Physics PhD student Eulàlia Puig Vilardell, who is pursuing a joint doctorate between VU and the University of Tartu, completed a research internship at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. During her stay, she visited the research group of Professor Saulius Juodkazis, Head of Nanotechnology Research Facility and VU adjunct research professor. This specialised facility is a world-class research institution, where she built international connections and investigated how a very advanced class of materials – high-entropy alloys (HEAs) – respond to extremely fast femtosecond laser pulses.

Rasa Miliukaitė, a doctoral researcher at Vilnius University (VU), received the award for best poster presentation at the summer school organised by the European Society for Photobiology. She presented her biophysics PhD project, Mitigation of Quantum Dots Effects on Autotrophs, conducted at the VU Laser Research Centre (supervisor Dr Agnė Kalnaitytė-Vengelienė).

The Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics Center at the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University (VU) is participating in the development of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector technology at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). VU physicists contributing to the upgrade of the inner tracker are the only ones in Lithuania refining the assembly of the electronic components of the TEPX (Tracker Endcap Pixel) modules, verifying and testing their durability and performance.

The fourth session of the Arqus Research Security webinar series will take place on Wednesday 8 July, from 11:30 to 12:30 CEST on Microsoft Teams. Researchers and research administration professionals working with research governance, compliance and international collaboration are invited to join.

Scientists from the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University (VU) have developed a sensor capable of accurately detecting radiation, identifying its sources, and determining their intensity and precise location. The device, developed by physicists at the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology, Photoelectric Phenomena Research Group, is designed to measure radiation doses. It can detect doses ranging from very small to very large ones, including those typical of industrial environments or nuclear emergencies, from a few gray to megagray.

The Danielius, Piskarskas, Juozapavičius, and Sirutkaitis families have donated €1 million to the Vilnius University (VU) Foundation. The philanthropic fund’s managed portfolio has grown to €25 million.

Congratulations to PhD student Gediminas Usevičius on winning the International EPR Society’s Best Paper Award. Together with an international team, he developed a promising new spectroscopic device – a superconducting microwave microresonator.

An international team of scientists, including physicists from Vilnius University (VU), has been selected to develop next-generation quantum simulators. Using multicomponent ultracold atoms, the team will build highly controllable quantum simulators – systems designed to create and study complex quantum materials that are difficult to model with conventional computers.

Dovilė & Elijus Burgis, the Piskarskas family, Ina & Darius Zubas, and Reda & Alvydas Žabolis are donating €0.9 million to the Vilnius University (VU) Endowment Fund.

In the latest QS World University Rankings 2027, Vilnius University (VU) ranks 465th globally, maintaining its position as the highest-ranked higher education institution in Lithuania.