News

A young researchers' team from Vilnius University (VU), led by Dr. Denis Sokol and PhD student Jonas Žurauskas from the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences (FCHG), has won the Research Council of Lithuania funding project titled “My First Research Team.” The team has been awarded 350,000 euros for three years of research aimed at developing an innovative method for destroying microplastics using light and sound. It is an idea developed by young scientists in the university's laboratory that could become an answer to one of today's most pressing global problems.

Vilnius University (VU) Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences third-year Climatology and Hydrology student Gustė Gečaitė presented the results of her research on marine heatwaves in Baltic Sea lagoons at the 2026 student summer research internship conference “Summer of Science with RCL”, organised by the Research Council of Lithuania. Her presentation was recived a diploma for the best and most impactful presentation.

On August 26, the Research Council of Lithuania (RCL) held the closing conference of its student summer research internship program, "Summer of Science with RCL." We are delighted to announce that VU FCHG students received awards at this conference.

Vilnius University Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences student Augustas Reikertas, studying Cartography and GIS, has been named one of this year’s winners of the Esri Young Scholars Award. This summer, he represented Vilnius University at the global Esri User Conference in San Diego, USA, where he presented his project “Cemeteries as Urban Green Spaces.”

We are delighted to announce that the first organic chemistry seminar-meeting of the upcoming 2026 academic year will take place this September, aiming to bring the field’s community together! The exact date of the first meeting will be announced soon.

In July, Pranciškus Brazdžiūnas, a PhD student at the VU FCHG Institute of Geosciences, took part in the ICAR2026 (International Conference on Aeolian Research) held in Swakopmund, Namibia. This conference, organized every three years in a different part of the world, is hosted by the International Society for Aeolian Research (ISAR) together with the University of Oxford. It brings together scientists studying wind-blown sand, related processes, and landform development.

How did the Baltic Sea coast respond to the most powerful storms of the 20th century, and what can the traces they left behind reveal about future threats? Scientists from the United States , together with Donatas Pupienis, a professor at Vilnius University's Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, are seeking answers to these questions. In mid-July this year, they carried out detailed geophysical, geological, and morphometric surveys along the stretch of Baltic coast between Šventoji and the Latvian settlement of Nida to determine whether traces of 20th-century hurricane-force storms remain in the coastal sediments. The research team included Philip Reeder a professor at Duquesne University , Harry Jol, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire , geospatial technology coordinator Martin Goettl, students Brock Johnson, Gracie Sime, Megan Doles, Grace Schmidt, and Gavin Comiskey,  and professor D. Pupienis.

Funding from the Vilnius University (VU) Science Promotion Fund has been awarded to three research projects being carried out by researchers at the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences (FCHG). Each project has been allocated 18,000 euros.

^{Dr Maab Abdulsamad Ahmed Elsheikh. Photo by Ugnius Bagdonavičius.}

Implants and bone substitutes without the risk of infection – this is the goal pursued by Dr. Maab Abdulsamad Ahmed Elsheikh, a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences (FCHG) of Vilnius University (VU). The researcher is developing biomaterials that combine calcium hydroxyapatite – a natural mineral that makes up the majority of bones and tooth enamel – with naturally occurring antibacterial compounds: propolis, clove oil, bee pollen and eugenol. The two-year postdoctoral fellowship at VU FCHG has opened the way for research that could become the foundation for future bone and dental implants.

From Botswana to the laboratories of Vilnius University, Leungo Kushatha Mbaiwa’s academic journey has spanned across continents. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering in China, she brought her passion for chemistry to Lithuania, where she recently defended her master’s thesis. In this interview, Leungo shares her experiences adapting to a new culture, navigating the challenges of biosensor research, and the impact of finding a supportive community far from home.