Other activities
Other academic activities:
Member of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, since 2025
Vice-President of IAU, since 2024
President of the IAU Commission "Local Universe", 2021-2024
President of Lithuanian Physical Society, since 2021
Member of Research Council of Lithuania, since 2023
Vice-President of the IAU Commission "Local Universe", 2018-2021
Member of the IAU Special Nominating committee, 2018–2021
IAU National Outreach coordinator, 2018–2024
Vice-President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, 2014–2017
Vice-President of Lithuanian Physical Society, 2007-2021
Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), since 1992
Member of the IAU Special Nominating committee, 2006–2009
Member of the IAU Organizing committee of the commission in Stellar Evolution, 2015–2018
Member of the IAU Organizing committee of Division IX “Optical and Infrared Techniques”, 2009–2012
Member of the IAU Organizing committee of the commission in Theory of Stellar Atmospheres, 2003–2009
Chair of the Astrophysics Commission at the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, 2014–2017, member 2008–2014
Founding member of the European Astronomical Society, since 1994
Member of the Lithuanian Astronomical Union, since 1995
Executive Board member of the ASTRONET project, 2006–2016
Coordination Group member at the Nordic Network of astrobiology, since 2012
Member of the GAIA space mission Classification working group (European Space Agency) Referee of the Astronomy & Astrophysics, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astron. Soc., New Astronomy, Astronomical Journal, Publ. Astr. Soc. Japan, Baltic Astronomy
Member of the Editorial Board of the science journal "Mol", since 2018
Member of the Editorial Board of the science journal "Baltic Astronomy", 2006–2016
Science Communication:
Chief Editor of the annual science outreach book “Lietuvos dangus” (Sky of Lithuania), since 2001 (about 170 pages per year).
Science outreach articles, interviews, appearances on TV and Radio: more than 200.
Public events and lectures: Initiator and organizer of many public science outreach events like “European Researchers Night”, science festival “Spacecraft Earth” activities, Year of Astronomy 2009 activities, observing of Solar eclipses, planet transits, close approaches of comets and other events, was lecturing at these events, often was invited to talk for industry people, to national and international school-children Olympiads and other events.
Participation in studies and methodical work:
1997 Lecture courses for VU master students „Theoretical astrophysics“;
1994, 1996, 1998 ir 2000 Lecture course for VPU master students “Modern astrophysics”;
2003–2005 Vilnius University: professor (1/4 pos.), „Modern astrospectroscopy“ and „Stellar Physics“;
2004–2007 Vytautas Magnus University: professor (1/4 pos.), „Astrospectroscopy“, “Astrophysics”;
1996–2009 Courses for VU ITPA PhD students “Theoretical astrophysics and stellar physics”, „Stellar spectroscopy“, „Physics of stellar atmospheres, stellar internal structure and evolution“;
Lecture notes „Introduction to Astrospectroscopy“ for bachelors in physics, 2012.
Lecturer at international training courses (1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015–2019).
2010–present Courses for VU PhD students „Modern Astrospectroscopy“.
2019–present Courses for all the Vilnius University bachelor-students "Exploring Time and Space"
PhD students supervised:
Dr. A. Kučinskas, defended in 1998
Dr. R. Karpuškienė, 2000 (consultant)
Dr. E. Puzeras, 2011
Dr. Š. Mikolaitis, 2012
Dr. E. Stonkutė, 2013
Dr. R. Ženovienė, 2015
Dr. A. Drazdauskas, 2016
Dr. C. Viscasillas Vazquez, 2022
B. Bale (ongoing, since 2021)
V. Bagdonas (ongoing, since 2023)
Organizing of international summer schools and research courses:
1. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET summer school "Space missions: ground-based observations and science communication", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2023;
2. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET research Course “Asteroid research”, Tartu Observatory, Estonia, 2023;
3. Gaia MW-Gaia School: Better Inclusion, Better Science, Building Impact in MW-GAIA, 2023, Vilnius (SOC member)
4. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET virtual summer school “Asteroid Photometry”, 2021
5. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET summer school "Space missions: ground-based observations and science", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2019;
6. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET summer school "Space missions: ground-based observations and science", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2018;
7. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET summer school "Space missions: ground-based observations and science", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2017;
8. Horizon2020 EUROPLANET and ERASMUS+ summer school "Exoplanets", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2016;
9. ERASMUS+ and COST Summer School ,,Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems and Habitable Planets", together with W. Geppert, Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2015;
10. NordForsk Summer School "Observational Stellar Astrophysics in the Era of Gaia and Kepler Space Missions", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2012;
11. FP7 "OPTICON" project Summer School NEON 9, together with M. Dennefield, Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2011; BalticGrid-II vasaros mokykla, Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2009;
12. EU SF Training Course "European Joint Research Centre: science - industry - product - user - science", Vilnius, 2008;
13. NordForsk Summer School "Stellar Astrophysics", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2008;
14. EU SF Training Course "International Termonusclear Reactor ITER - perspectives of Energetics", Vilnius, 2007;
15. EU SF Summer School "Virtual Observatories", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2007;
16. EU SF Training Course "Synchrotron Radiation - Tool for Future Changing", Vilnius, 2007;
17. EU SF Summer School "ESO databases and their usage", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2006;
18. EU SF Training Course "European Organization for Nuclear CERN reaveals secrets in structure of matter", Vilnius, 2006;
19. NordForsk Summer School "Looking Inside Stars", Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2005;
20. NordForsk Summer School "Astrophysics of Interacting Stars", together with J.E. Solheim, Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 2002;
21. NordForsk Summer School "Applications of Astrophysical Photometry", together with J.E. Solheim, Moletai Observatory ITPA VU, 1999.
Organizing of scientific conferences (since 2007):
Co-Chair of Organising Committee of the International Conference “Europlanet Telescope Network Science Workshop”, 2023, Bratislava, Slovakia;
Member of Scientific organising committee of the 8th international scientific conference “Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space data Processing” (BAASP), 2023, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Latvia;
Member of Scientific organising committee of the European Astronomical Society Special Session “ European Forum of Astronomical Communities”, 2023, Kracow, Poland;
Chair of Organising Committee of the International Conference “Europlanet Telescope Network Science Workshop”, February 9 - 11, 2022, virtual;
Member of Scientific organising committee of the International Astronomical Union General Assembly Division Days "Interstellar Matter and Local Universe”, 2022, Busan, South Korea;
Member of the Scientific organizing committee of the international conference “Alive Universe - from Planets to Galaxies", 2022, Shamakhi, Azerbaijan;
Member of Scientific organising committee of Horizon2020 EUROPLANET Pro-AM Comet Community (Hybrid) Workshop, 2022, Prague, Check Republic;
Member of Scientific organising committee of the European Astronomical Society Special Session “ European Forum of Astronomical Communities”, 2022, Valencia, Spain;
Member of Scientific organising committee of the European Astronomical Society Special Session “ European Forum of Astronomical Communities”, 2021, virtual;
Member of the Scientific organizing committee of the international conference "Physics of stars and planets: atmospheres, activity, magnetic fields", September 16-20, 2019, Shamakhi, Azerbaijan;
Member of the Scientific organizing committee of the international conference XXIX Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, December 3–8, 2017, Cape Town, South Africa;
member of the Scientific organizing committee of the international conference “Early Earth and ExoEarths: origin and evolution of life, Warsaw, Poland, 3 – 7 April, 2017;
member of the Local organizing committee of the European Planetary Science Congress 2017, Riga, Latvia, 17 – 22 September, 2017;
Co-Chair of the Scientific organizing committee of the 42nd National Physics Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, October 4 – 16, 2017;
member of the Scientific organizing committee of the international conference “Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space Data Processing”, August 23–24, 2017, Ventspils, Latvia;
Chair of the Scientific organizing committee of the international Europlanet Summer School “Space missions: ground-based observations and science communication”, July 18–28, 2017, Molėtai, Lithuania;
COST TD1308 conference “From star and planet formation to early life”, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2016, April 25 – 28 (SOC Chair);
Gaia-ESO Third Science Meeting, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2015, December 1–4 (SOC Chair);
XXVIII Texas Symposium on Reletivistic Astrophysics, Geneva, Switzerland, 2015, December 13-18 (SOC member);
„Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space data Processing“, Ventspls, Latvia, 2015, August 19-21 (SOC member);
„Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space data Processing“, Tartu, Estonia, 2014, September 22-24 (SOC member);
XXVII Texas Symposium on Reletivistic Astrophysics, Dallas, USA, 2013, December 8-13 (SOC member);
„Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space data Processing“, Ventspils, Latvia, 2013, May 15-16 (SOC member);
Dig Sites of Stellar Archeology: Giant Stars in the Milky Way, Izmir, Turkey, 2013, September 4-6 (SOC member);
Astronomy Education and Public Outreach: the European perspective, Heidelberg, Germany, 2013, June 17-18 (SOC member);
„Baltic Applied Astroinformatics and Space data Processing“, Ventspils, Latvia, 2012, May 7-8 (SOC member);
“Science, Inovation, and Gender”, Vilnius, 2011, November 24–25 (SOC member);
„Astronomy education in Lithuania: new tendencies and challenges“, 2009, October 29–30 (SOC member);
Lithuanian National Physics conference 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 (SOC member), 2017 (SOC Co-Chair), 2019, 2021, 2023 (Chair).
About myself
Professional Preparation:
M.Sc., 1982, Vilnius University, Lithuania
Ph.D., 1988, Institute of Astronomy and Atmosphere Physics, Tartu, Estonia
Dr. Hability, 2002, Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy of Vilnius University, (ITPA VU) Vilnius, Lithuania
Employment records at the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy of Vilnius University:
Assistant, 1982
Ph.D. student, 1983–1985
Junior scientific researcher, 1986–1988
Scientific researcher, 1988–1991
Senior scientific researcher, 1991–2002
Deputy director, 1998–2003
Chief scientific researcher, 2002 – present
Professor, 2003–2005, 2019 – present
Head of Observatory, 2003 – present
Director, 2003–2013
Deputy director, 2013–2018
Director, 2018-2023
Positions at other institutions:
Professor at Vytautas Magnus University, 2004–2007
Recent fellowships:
2017-02 Research Course “From molecules to Life: Molecules in Astrophysics and Astrobiology”, Zurich, Switzerland.
2015-05 Fellowship at Munich Institute for Astro- and Particle-Physics, Garching, Germany;
2013-09-22 – 2013-08-28 ERASMUS fellowship at Padova Astronomical Observatory, Italy;
2011-05-10 – 2011-06-09 Fellowship at Keipenhauer Solar institute in Freiburg Germany;
2011-09-04 – 2011-09-10 ERASMUS fellowship at Canary astrophysics Institute, Tenerife and La Palma, Spain.
Awards:
2025, Ignotas Domeika Medal
2016, Prize of Vilnius University Rector
2014, Gratitude of Vilnius University Rector
2011, Prize of Vilnius University Rector
2008, Gratitude of Prime Minister of Lithuania
2003, National Science Prize of Lithuania
2002, Fellowship of The Royal Society, UK
1997, NORDITA Baltic NW/Russia Fellowship by the Nordic Council of Ministers
1994, Prize of the American Astronomical Society
habil. dr. Gražina Tautvaišienė