The 68th International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences "Open Readings 2025" will take place from May 13 to 16, 2025, at the National Center for Physical Sciences and Technology. The organizers invite prospective speakers to register by February 17, 2025.
On the birth anniversary of Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas (1942–2022), the Vilnius University (VU) Foundation, in collaboration with the VU Faculty of Physics, announced the recipient of the Prof. A. P. Piskarskas Postdoctoral Fellowship. The inaugural named fellowship was awarded to Dr. Balys Momgaudis, a researcher at the VU Laser Research Center. The talented laser physics researcher was awarded a €20,000 named fellowship.
Two members of the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy of the Faculty of Physics have taken new roles in the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) for the 2024–2027 term.
Patrik Ščajev, a senior researcher at the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University (VU), in collaboration with colleagues from the US, has published an article in the prestigious journal "Advanced Energy Materials". The research team applied an innovative method that has been advanced at VU and offered new insights into replacing silicon in the creation of more efficient and affordable solar cells.
The 68th International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences “Open Readings 2025” presents its first invited speakers!
In the wake of collaborations between national European research centers, a new course promoted by EuroCC Italy and EuroCC Lithuania has been established: “HPC Molecular Modelling“, scheduled from February 19th to 21st, 2025, in streaming mode.
Dr. Carlos Viscasillas Vázquez, Vilnius University, Faculty of Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy (ITPA), researcher undertook an academic visit to Lund University as part of the Erasmus+ for Teaching program.
A delegation from the Faculty of Physics visited CERN this week.
The 68th International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences “Open Readings 2025” invites its prospective participants to register!
Philanthropists Irena and Algirdas Juozapavičius have allocated €1.3 million from the inheritance of their late son to the Vilnius University (VU) Foundation. In memory of their son, a €1 million sub-fund named after Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023) has been established within the VU Foundation. One hundred thousand euros each has been allocated to the VU Life Sciences Center sub-fund, the Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas sub-fund, and to strengthen other VU Foundation initiatives.
Juozapavičius family reception with the Rector of Vilnius University. From left to right: Justinas Noreika, Irena Juozapavičienė, Prof Rimvydas Petrauskas, Mykolas Juozapavičius (photo by Ugnius Bagdonavičius)
In the webinar SIESTA: a DFT code for large scale computational materials science in HPC environments, SIESTA founder Pablo Ordejón will share insights into the challenges and opportunities of computational materials science. He will explain how SIESTA, the tool he developed, enables the modelling of large atomic systems and how it adapts to today's and tomorrow's HPC environments. You will also learn about the further development of SIESTA and its application in scientific computing.
In celebration of World Photonics Day, The Vilnius University Foundation, together with the VU Faculty of Physics, announces a competition for the Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas (1942-2022) Named Postdoctoral Fellowship, honoring one of the most renowned scientists in the country, known as the father of Lithuanian lasers.
The goal of the newly established postdoctoral fellowship is to provide financial support to talented and promising researchers who seek to begin or continue their academic work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center. The competition winner will receive a two-year postdoctoral fellowship worth 20,000 EUR, funded by the investment returns of the Prof. A. P. Piskarskas Endowment Subfund, established in 2023, and targeted donations.
All researchers who have defended their doctoral dissertation in the field of laser physics no earlier than 2.5 years ago, and who are currently working or planning to work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center, are invited to participate in the competition. In case of success, the winner will be expected to actively participate in the scientific activities of the VU Faculty of Physics, supervise student theses, prepare research projects, teach, and more.
The application period begins on October 21, 2024, and ends on November 22, 2024. The competition results will be announced by December 31 of this year. More information and the application form can be found on the VU Foundation’s website.
The organisers are forced to postpone the training due to technical difficulties. We will inform you separately about the new date.
The Žabolis family, patrons of Vilnius University (VU) and the city of Vilnius, entrepreneurs, and VU alumni Reda and Alvydas Žabolis, have donated 100,000 euros to the named Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas Endowment Subfund, which was established last year. This subfund aims to promote and support research in laser physics.
"Talent development at VU’s Faculty of Physics is the foundation of Vilnius' photonics ecosystem," said Alvydas Žabolis, one of the founders and contributors to the VU Endowment Fund.
In April 2023, the company "Light Conversion" and the Piskarskas family established this named subfund, which received an additional 100,000 euros in the same year from the family of Prof. A. P. Piskarskas' student and colleague, Dr. Algirdas Juozapavičius. With the latest contribution from the Žabolis family, the subfund’s value has risen to 500,000 euros.
"Prof. A. P. Piskarskas, known as the 'Father of Lithuanian Lasers,' not only made Nobel Prize-level discoveries in the field of light phenomena, but also significantly contributed to Lithuania being called the 'land of lasers' today. It is highly symbolic that the returns from the fund, accumulated by the professor's students, colleagues, family, and the fund's founders, will finally be used for the named Prof. A. P. Piskarskas scholarships, which will be awarded to laser science talents at Vilnius University's Faculty of Physics. I am confident that young people encouraged in the fields of natural and technological sciences will create greater added value for Lithuania and the world," said Prof. Dr. Aidas Matijošius, Dean of VU’s Faculty of Physics
The first named Prof. A. P. Piskarskas scholarships for talents in laser physics are scheduled to be awarded in December of this year.
Since 2016, the Žabolis family and their companies have donated more than 300,000 euros to the VU endowment fund, 100,000 euros to Prof. A. P. Piskarskas' subfund, and more than 125,000 euros towards targeted VU projects, Foundation management, and strengthening of its activities.
On 10 October, the Senate of Vilnius University (VU) conferred the title of Honorary Doctor of Science on three distinguished scholars at a solemn meeting of the Senate held at the Church of St. Johns. Hans Kjeldsen, Professor of Aarhus University (Denmark) awarded Honorary Doctorate for his outstanding work in the field of the asteroseismic studies of stellar structure and in recognition of his close scientific bonds with Vilnius University.
Since 1999, he has been working closely with researchers at the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy (ITPA), Faculty of Physics. Together they organised and lectured at the Summer Schools organised by the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory, and carried out asteroseismological research. The joint scientific work with Prof. H. Kjeldsen and members of his research group continues to this day.
Professor Kjeldsen's research focuses on asteroseismic stellar studies. He was the first person in the world to discover solar-like oscillations in another star, and it is now widely used in stellar structure studies and age determination. “This method of studying stars has been implemented on NASA's Kepler space mission. For his outstanding scientific leadership and exemplary creativity and dedication to Kepler's orbital operations and science, the Professor was awarded the NASA Group Achievement Award. Kjeldsen also serves on the research teams of many other space missions (CoROT, NASA TESS, Delphini-1, STEP and ESA PLATO) and has published over 280 scientific papers“ – said Professor Aidas Matijošius, Dean of the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University.
During the ceremony Professor Kjeldsen mentioned that cooperation with Vilnius University is not only continuing, but also getting stronger. He mentioned how much he appreciates the open attitude of his colleagues in Lithuania, joint efforts, and expressed his satisfaction with the results achieved together. “All of us working in asteroseismology – including the Vilnius group – have a bright future ahead", he said.
“We are very happy that our colleague and friend Prof. Hans Kjeldsen is inaugurated as an Honorary Doctor of our Vilnius University. Everyone who has worked with or learned from him during the 25 years of cooperation knows Hans as an exceptional expert in many scientific fields and a very friendly person. With his support, Lithuanian astronomers entered the forefront of stellar asteroseismic research and exoplanet research. In the future, we plan to jointly achieve even more significant scientific results for Lithuania, Denmark, and the world.” – ITPA Professor Gražina Tautvaišienė spoke warmly of her long-standing colleague.
Professor Daniel Petit (France) and Professor Anna Pikulska-Radomska (Poland) were also inaugurated as honorary doctors of Vilnius University at the ceremony.
On Tuesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics to Professor John Hopfield from Princeton University (USA) and Professor Geoffrey Hinton from the University of Toronto (Canada) for fundamental discoveries enabling machine learning tasks using artificial neural networks. According to Dr Stepas Toliautas, an associate professor at the Institute of Chemical Physics at Vilnius University (VU), the awarded scientists applied principles from the field of physics that popularised the use of artificial neural networks for analysing complex data (e.g., images); due to these discoveries, neural networks are now an essential part of artificial intelligence systems.
Vilnius University (VU) has received special recognition from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). On 2 September, by a unanimous decision of the LHCb Collaboration Board, VU became a new Institute of the prestigious LHCb experiment. This is a landmark achievement for the Lithuanian scientific community and an important step in enhancing the country’s engagement in international research projects.
Located in Geneva, CERN is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory. Here, scientists conduct experiments on the fundamental particles of the Universe and their interactions. One of CERN’s key projects is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which allows scientists to explore proton-proton collisions and discover new particles and phenomena.
This year, on the initiative of the Lithuanian Particle Physics Consortium, a new CERN LHCb experimental group – LHCb Vilnius – was established at the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology of Vilnius University. It is headed by Dr Mindaugas Šarpis, a long-time member of the LHCb.
After defending his thesis at the University of Bonn (Germany), Dr Šarpis returned to Lithuania at the beginning of 2024 to pursue research in his home country. During his visit to CERN in early September, the team leader presented VU’s current and prospective infrastructure to the LHCb Collaboration Board and returned to Lithuania with the Board’s positive decision to accept the Faculty of Physics of VU as an official institute for the LHCb experiment.
This acknowledgment will provide VU with a unique chance to engage directly in one of the world’s leading experiments in particle physics. Students and researchers at the University will have access to the data collected by the LHCb detector and will be able to have a hand in its development. This recognition will also provide VU researchers access to cutting-edge technology and foster international collaboration. In addition, students and researchers from the University will be able to participate in CERN’s internship programmes, high-level training, and conferences, providing them with opportunities to present their research and forge contacts through networking.
The cooperation with CERN not only strengthens VU’s international standing but also unlocks new opportunities for scientific advancement in Lithuania. Having become a member of the LHCb experiment, VU has engaged in world-class research, which will help elevate Lithuania’s profile on the global scientific stage.
Vilnius University is a member of the Lithuanian Particle Physics Consortium, which brings together the country’s particle physics researchers. The Consortium cooperates with CERN and other international organisations to expand the horizons of particle physics research in Lithuania.
Professor Gediminas Gaigalas, Vilnius University, Faculty of Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics (ITPA), a world-leading researcher in theoretical atomic physics, has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Technology and Social Sciences, Malmö University.
"The scientific collaboration between my research group and my colleagues at Malmö University is currently intensifying, the range of problems we are working on is expanding, and this award will undoubtedly boost it even further. Although the news of the honorary doctorate came as a surprise and unexpected, when I think about the research I have carried out and the research I plan to carry out, I take this award not only as a personal recognition, but also as an international recognition of the research work of my research group, the Faculty of Physics of the ITPA, and the research work of Vilnius University," said Prof. G. Gaigalas.
The Malmö University News describes the professor as having scientific seriousness and enthusiasm, which inspires PhD students and colleagues.
“What distinguishes Gediminas Gaigalas as a researcher is his deep knowledge of his field and how incredibly dedicated he is,” says Per Jönsson, professor of applied mathematics and associate professor of physics at Malmö University.
Gaigalas has been collaborating closely with several researchers in atomic astrophysics at the Faculty of Technology and Society for over 30 years. Together, they have developed computational programs for atoms and ions that are used by a large number of research groups in laser physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.
"Malmö University, which has decided to award me an honorary doctorate, is a young, dynamic and fast-growing Swedish university. I have a long history of collaboration with my colleagues from this university. My first visit to this university took place from 12-16 February 2007, as I was working in the Department of Nature, Environment and Society with my long-standing colleague Professor Per Jönsson, whom I met at the 12th EGAS conference in Toruń, Poland, in 1991, when we were both young researchers and interested in each other's research, which we presented at the conference. The second time we met was during Per Jönsson's PhD thesis defence at Lund University in Sweden in January 1995. Since then, I have visited Malmö University many times as part of the Erasmus exchange programme and various projects, and each time I have seen how the University is becoming a modern, dynamically changing, interdisciplinary university that promotes international scientific cooperation and the implementation of new projects and ideas," said Prof. G. Gaigalas about the close cooperation.
“Our research in atomic astrophysics is based on combining experimental and calculated data for atoms and ions to analyse spectra from stars and gain knowledge about how, for example, superheavy elements are created in collisions between neutron stars. Professor Gaigalas and his research group have established themselves as leading experts in this field and we look forward to far-reaching collaborations,” adds Jönsson.
Prof. G. Gaigalas moksline veikla TFAI užsiima nuo 1982 m. Pagrindinės jo tyrimų sritys – daugiaelektronė atomo teorija ir šiuolaikinis atomo teorijos uždavinių modeliavimas remiantis įprastu ir simboliniu programavimu. Profesorius yra gausiai apdovanotas tiek Lietuvoje, tiek pasaulio mastu, o 2018 m. gavo VU rektoriaus mokslo premiją. Šiuo metu vadovauja TFAI Atomų struktūros skaičiavimų grupei.
Prof. G. Gaigalas has been working as a researcher at ITPA since 1982. His main areas of research are Multi-electron atomic theory, Spectroscopy and Modelling of contemporary atomic theory problems based on usual and symbolic programming.. He has received numerous awards both in Lithuania and worldwide, and in 2018 he received the VU Rector's Science Award. He is currently the head of the ITPA Atomic Structure Computation Group.
This year, a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant was awarded to Prof. Mantas Šimėnas, a researcher from the Institute of Applied Electrodynamics and Telecommunications at the Faculty of Physics (FP) of Vilnius University (VU). His team will use the EUR 2.5 million Starting Grant, allocated for five years, to increase the sensitivity of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
According to Prof. Šimėnas, the aim of the winning project ‘Strongly Enhanced Sensitivity EPR through Bimodal Resonators and Quantum-Limited Amplifiers, Strong-ESPRESSO’ is to reduce the time required for EPR experiments by a factor of several thousand and to translate these improvements into the study of new systems: ‘EPR is a powerful tool used in a wide range of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, and many others. It provides important and unique information about the material under study; however, the relatively low sensitivity of this method limits its use. For some critical materials, EPR studies can take up to a week, and, if even longer experiments are needed, we consider the system to be practically unmeasurable with EPR.’
The sensitivity has already been increased, new target – 5,000 times
In 2022, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant was awarded to the VU researcher, allowing the research team to improve the sensitivity of the EPR by a factor of several hundred. According to Prof. Šimėnas, the project is a natural but non-trivial extension, which is expected to shorten the time of EPR experiments by up to five thousand times.
‘Imagine that you used to spend a week measuring a protein system. Now, it would take about two minutes. This saves a huge amount of precious resources that can be used for even more research,’ says the scientist.
He asserts that the ERC funding scheme is essential for its prestige and practical benefits: ‘This generous grant is one of the most favourable in Europe. It allows the researcher and their team to stop worrying about costs and concentrate on their research. Of course, there’s a long road beforehand in terms of developing the research concept, completing the application, and, ultimately, performing well in the competition. However, the institutional support at the University motivates me,’ the interlocutor says.
Improvement can contribute to a better understanding of degenerative diseases
‘EPR is a spectroscopic research tool that allows us to study the spins of unpaired electrons. In nature, most electrons are paired, but there are some materials where the electron has no pair, i.e. its spin is not compensated. These so-called paramagnetic systems can be detected with EPR, providing beneficial, often unique information about the material under investigation – from proteins and catalysts to solid-state systems for quantum technologies,’ clarifies Prof. Šimėnas.
The researcher goes on to explain that the advantage of EPR is its selectivity. Most other methods observe the collective response of all the atoms in the material, but EPR can only focus on the atom with the unpaired electron. This selectivity allows specific protein sites to be examined and thus determine the structure of the protein.
‘Alongside other studies, we will also look at proteins involved in forming various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Therefore, improvements in the sensitivity of EPR study methods will allow us to significantly extend these studies, including protein systems that EPR cannot currently study,’ explains Prof. Šimėnas.
The project will also study new types of catalysts and various spin platforms for future quantum technologies.
Quantum and other complex technologies
‘In this project, we intend to borrow and adapt tools from the field of quantum technologies. One of them is a quantum-limited microwave amplifier with the minimum possible noise, as quantum mechanical processes limit the noise of such amplifiers. In general, EPR studies are hampered by thermal noise, which significantly increases the duration of experiments. We want to use these sophisticated amplifiers to improve EPR’s sensitivity drastically,’ says Prof. Šimėnas.
In this project, the researcher discusses his plan to use other sophisticated tools, such as a bimodal microwave resonator.
‘In EPR studies, we want to concentrate the microwaves where the sample is located – the microwave resonator does that. Conventional EPR resonators have a single mode – they resonate at a single frequency. Bimodal resonators have two modes: they may have the same frequency, but their fields are perpendicular in space, i.e. the two resonances do not interact. If we put a system of electron spins in such a resonator, it is through the spins that interaction is created between the two modes. In this way, we can use one mode to excite the spin system and the other to read the excitation of the spins, thereby isolating the detector from the loud thermal noise that comes with the excitation signal,’ Prof. Šimėnas says.
‘Among other innovations, we will use a millikelvin dilution refrigeration system to cool resonators and amplifiers. Millikelvin is close to the lowest possible temperature – almost absolute zero, at -273.15 °C. We will buy a special dilution fridge to reach these extreme temperatures. It will be the first in the region to open up a wide range of research and development opportunities for quantum technologies in Lithuania. It is great that our funding makes it possible to stop worrying about how and where to buy the sophisticated equipment needed for the research,’ says the VU researcher.
This year, Prof Patrick Pausch, a researcher from the Life Sciences Center (LSC) at VU, also received an ERC Starting Grant in Lithuania. The only other ERC Starting Grant to have previously been awarded to a researcher in Lithuania was to Dr Stephen Knox Jones from the LSC at VU. The 2024 ERC Starting Grant competition attracted 3,500 researchers from European Union Member States and the countries associated with Horizon Europe, 494 of whom were awarded funding. The grant won by Prof. Šimėnas is the first ERC grant awarded to VU FP. 
Vilnius University researchers and partners from the National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) are invited to apply for research projects in physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence and/or cyber security.
The seed funding programme aims to encourage the cooperation of researchers from both institutions and to create partnerships that will allow them to participate in future international project funding competitions.
Only joint applications from both institutions can participate in the call. The program will support up to three projects, each selected project of which will be funded at a maximum of 10,000 EUR for Vilnius University and $10,000 for NTUT.
Applications should be submitted no later than 31 October, 5 PM (local time) via email and .
The project selection procedure will start at the end of November 2024. The projects will start on 1 January 2025 and last 12 months.
More information can be found on the VU intranet.
