News

On December 3, the Community Welfare Department of Vilnius University (VU) invites the community to a conference "Beyond the Wall of Silence: The Challenges of Neurodiversity," dedicated to openly discussing what is still too often overlooked in society—different ways of thinking, perceiving, and communicating, and the challenges and opportunities associated with them. The conference will be opened by Prof. Vilmantė Pakalniškienė, Vice-Rector for Organizational Development and Community Affairs at Vilnius University.

Dr Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė, a scientist from the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University (VU), has been awarded the Baltic Women in Science fellowship, within a program co-organised by the Baltic National Academies of Sciences and National Commissions for UNESCO. A researcher has been awarded a 2025 fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Technology. The €7,000 fellowship recognises her scientific achievements and supports further research.

The joint award ceremony for the Baltic laureates will take place on Thursday, 27 November at 13:00 at the Latvian Academy of Sciences in Riga.

Scientists from the Laser Research Center at Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Physics, together with colleagues from the University of Geneva, have conducted a study that may pave the way for the development of new materials. The results, published in the journal “Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics”, reveal how the light affects special compounds called photoinitiators, that trigger formation of polymers and usually governs the final quality of 3D structure.

Scientists from Vilnius University’s (VU) Physics Faculty, led by Dr Karolis Kazlauskas, have contributed to an international study published in the prestigious journal “Nature Communications”. Cooperating with colleagues from Barcelona, Spain, and other countries, they demonstrated a non-invasive optical method for controlling the heart rhythms of tadpoles. The breakthrough is expected to open new possibilities in photopharmacology – a field of science that uses light to control biological processes.

The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences is announcing three calls for proposals for researchers and students. We invite you to participate actively.

We ask candidates to send the title of the work to be submitted and an abstract of up to one page in length to the Head of the relevant Department of Faculty of Physics  (ff.vu.lt/en/about/structure/departments) by 12:00 on December 1, 2025.

We announce the election results confirmed by the Election Commission of the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University (VU). 

An event dedicated to the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope mission will take place at 11:00 on 28 November in the Research Council of Lithuania, Great Hall, Gedimino Avenue 3, Vilnius.

From 27 July 2014 to 15 January 2025, Gaia has made more than three trillion observations of two billion stars and other objects throughout our Milky Way galaxy and beyond, mapping their motions, luminosity, temperature and composition. Gaia's extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map will provide the data needed to tackle an enormous range of important questions related to the origin, structure and evolutionary history of our galaxy.

Ana Ulla, Professor at the University of Vigo and Member of the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) Consortium Team, will give a public lecture "GAIA: A Wealth of Galactic Achievements". She will speak about the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission – the most precise and comprehensive astrometric study of space ever undertaken.

On 26 November at 16:00 in A101 aud. (National Center for Physical and Technological Sciences, Saulėtekio ave. 3), Dr Adam Benjamin Morris will give a public seminar "Computing at the LHC". He is a long-standing member of the LHCb experiment.

As November progresses and the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) publishes the final results of the allocation of 1.2% of personal income tax (PIT) for donations, it has become clear that the Vilnius University (VU) Foundation received strong public support this year – a total of €50,847 was donated.

Congratulations to our faculty students and alumni – Center's for Physical Sciences and Technology team “Quantum Bäcon“ (A. Paskačimaitė, V. Šilys, J. Dobilas, P. Rindzevičius ir U. Šilingaitė).

The Faculty of Physics students team “Not Today, Eve” (G. Usevičius, I. Pocius, J. Turčak, U. Tarvydytė, J. Minkevičius) took second place.

What connects Vilnius University (VU) with Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ symphonic poem The Sea, cents, and stars? As it turns out – quite a lot, according to VU students. To mark the International Students’ Day on 17 November, we asked them to share their favourite places on campus, their most memorable university moments, and what being part of VU means to them.

The Arqus Alliance and the University of Graz invite instructors from Arqus Universities to the Arqus Teaching Innovation Workshop on beneficial self-study settings. Join us on Friday, 12 December from 9:00 to 13:00 CET.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming teaching in higher education – but how can these opportunities be used most effectively?

Join the Arqus Alumni Mentorship Programme for the 2025-2026 academic year. Whether you are an alumni, a young professional eager to share your knowledge or a student looking to get some advice in shaping your university or professional career, this programme offers an enriching experience for all participants.

As in previous years, Vilnius University Library invites you to “Data Days”—specialised training sessions for researchers and scientists on topics related to research data management. This year’s sessions, led by guests from the Netherlands, are tailored for researchers in the field of health sciences and research software developers.

Scientists at Vilnius University (VU), together with partners in Hungary, are developing a new high-resolution optical measurement methodology based on the autofluorescence of algal cells and its correlation with their physiological state. This research could enable the development of a biosensor that uses algal health status to help detect pollution in bodies of water.

On 13–14 November, researchers from the Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) in Szeged visited the Faculty of Physics and the Life Sciences Centre at Vilnius University to discuss the results. According to VU researchers, the project is fostering and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in the development of innovative methods for monitoring environmental pollution.

The Arqus Alliance announces the launch of the fifth Arqus Teaching Excellence Award contest. This award seeks to recognise educators who exemplify innovation and excellence in their pedagogical practices, fostering a culture of learning that transcends disciplinary boundaries and empowers students from diverse backgrounds to thrive in inclusive, community-based and dynamic learning environments.

On 1 December at 16:00 in A101 aud. (National Center for Physical and Technological Sciences, Saulėtekio ave. 3), Dr Jascha Peter Grabowsky will give a public lecture "Guiding Beams and Twisting Spins: The Precision Channeling Studies of TWOCRYST and ALADDIN". He is a particle physicist and a long-standing member of the LHCb experiment.