Memory Diplomas and Awards for Significant Research Achievements Awarded in the Celebration of the End of the Academic Year at VU

Vilnius University (VU) has solemnly concluded another academic year. During the traditional ‘Finis anni academici’ ceremony at the VU’s St. John’s Church, awards were presented for significant research achievements, patron titles were granted, and symbolic memory diplomas were awarded to members of the VU community who suffered under totalitarian regimes and had been expelled from the University.

Memory diplomas awarded

At the St. John’s Church, 46 VU community members of Lithuanian, Jewish, and Polish origin who suffered under totalitarian regimes and had been expelled from the University have been solemnly honoured with symbolic memory diplomas.

Elena Šuliauskaitė, Sister Gerarda, one of the secret publishers of ‘Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronikos’ (‘Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania’), participant in unarmed resistance to the Soviet occupation regime, and laureate of the Lithuanian Freedom Prize, was among the award recipients.

The famous partisan Stasys (Stanislovas) Lukša (Juodvarnis (Raven)), the brother of a famous freedom fighter, Juozas Lukša, was also among this year’s award recipients. During his studies in March 1947, he was expelled from the Faculty of Chemistry for missing lectures and seminars, and in the same year, he was killed in combat in the forests of Kazlų Rūda when the Soviet army attacked a military non-commissioned officers’ school in the Tauras district.

VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas awarded several symbolic diplomas to the relatives of VU students and staff members who suffered injustice during the occupation. The remaining diplomas, once the names of the award recipients were read aloud, were transferred to the VU Museum, as neither the award recipients nor their relatives could be found.

Patron titles granted

The patron titles of Vilnius University were awarded for understanding and support of VU’s mission and for substantial financial support to Almae Matri.

‘Swedbank’ AB was granted the patron title for its unprecedented philanthropic donation of EUR 10 million to the Vilnius University Foundation. 

The ‘Swedbank’ sub-fund established within the VU Endowment Fund will support initiatives that create a sustainable and lasting impact on Lithuania’s social, economic, and cultural development. A wide range of activities and initiatives will be supported and funded by the investment returns of the Endowment Fund. The largest share of the donation, EUR 9 million, was directed to the endowment of the sub-fund. Up to EUR 1 million will be available for earlier use in the sub-fund’s activities.

Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas was granted the patron title posthumously for a significant financial donation of over half a million euros by the Piskarskas family, as well as for the mentoring and leadership in establishing the VU Foundation.

In 2023, the ‘Light Conversion’ company, manufacturing lasers and their systems together with the family of academic Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas, established the endowment sub-fund of Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas worth EUR 200,000. Currently, the amount held in it is EUR 800,000. 

To pay tribute to one of the most famous researchers in Lithuania, the so-called father of Lithuanian lasers, Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas, scholarships from the sub-fund's investment returns and targeted support are annually awarded to talented students in laser science at the VU Faculty of Physics.

Commemorative awards for significant research achievements

To motivate researchers to pursue the highest-level achievements, the VU Rector has presented commemorative awards for significant research achievements to authors and groups of authors of the best research of 2025.

Awards for the best publications in the fields of natural sciences, technological sciences, medicine and health sciences, and agricultural sciences were presented to: 

researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Life Sciences Center: Research Assistant Denis Baronas, Research Assistant Simonas Norvaišis, Research Assistant Justina Žvirblytė, Researcher Greta Leonavičienė, Research Assistant Vincenta Mikulėnaitė, Biologist Researcher Karolis Goda, Karolis Šablauskas, Professor at the Clinic of Haematology and Oncology of the Faculty of Medicine Laimonas Griškevičius, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology Simonas Juzėnas, and Research Professor Linas Mažutis, for his publication ‘High-Throughput Single Cell Omics Using Semipermeable Capsules’;

researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Life Sciences Center: Research Assistant Džiugas Sabonis, Senior Researcher Arūnas Šilanskas, Research Assistant Deividas Vilutis, Chemist Senior Researcher Audronė Rukšėnaitė, Research Professor Mindaugas Zaremba, and Research Professor Giedrė Tamulaitienė, for her publication ‘TIR Domains Produce Histidine-ADPR as an Immune Signal in Bacteria’.

Researchers at the Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics were also awarded: Researcher Linas Stripinis and Professor Remigijus Paulavičius, for their publication ‘Benchmarking Derivative-Free Global Optimization Algorithms under Limited Dimensions and Large Evaluation Budgets’.

Awards in the category of the best publication in the fields of social sciences and humanities were presented to:

Professor at the Institute for Literary, Cultural and Translation Studies of the Faculty of Philology Dainora Pociūtė-Abukevičienė, for her monograph ‘Reformation in Lithuania: Origins and Developments up to 1570’, researchers at the Institute of Sociology and Social Work of the Faculty of Philosophy: Professor Aleksandras Dobryninas, Associate Professor Simonas Nikartas, Associate Professor Jolanta Aleknevičienė, Professor Arūnas Poviliūnas, Associate Professor Kristina Vanagaitė, Assistant Professor Violeta Cimalanskaitė-Kazlauskienė, Associate Professor Aušra Pocienė, Associate Professor Algimantas Čepas, Associate Professor Mindaugas Lankauskas, Associate Professor Maryja Šupa, Teaching Assistant Vytautas Kaktinas, Eglė Stankevičiūtė, Research Assistant Loreta Matačiūtė, Assistant Professor Rimantė Gaičevskytė-Savickė, Jovita Žėkaitė-Maconko, Associate Professor Laimutė Žilinskienė and Goda Damaševičiūtė, for the publication ‘Understanding Crime Control and Punishment in Lithuania. A Punitive Society?’;

Associate Professor Nerija Putinaitė at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, for her monograph ‘Mirties politika sovietinėje Lietuvoje. Prasmės, ritualai, simboliai, jausmai’ (‘Politics of Death in Soviet Lithuania: Meaning, Rituals, Symbols, Emotions’).

For the best applied work, researchers at the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology of the Faculty of Physics were awarded: Professor Eugenijus Gaubas, Professor Tomas Čeponis, Researcher Laimonas Deveikis, Researcher Jevgenij Pavlov, and Senior Researcher Vytautas Rumbauskas, for the patent ‘Oriented Triplex Sensor and Method of Identification of the Radiation Source Location and its Dosimetry’.

Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philology Vilma Zubaitienė received the commemorative award for the dictionary ‘Pilypo Ruigio Littauisch–Deutsches und Deutsch–Littauisches Lexicon – pirmasis Prūsijos Lietuvoje išleistas lietuvių–vokiečių ir vokiečių–lietuvių kalbų žodynas’ (‘Pilypo Ruigio Littauisch–Deutsches und Deutsch–Littauisches Lexicon – the first Lithuanian-German and German-Lithuanian Dictionary Published in Lithuania Minor’).

In the category of the best research project, Associate Professor at the Laser Research Center of the Faculty of Physics received the award for the research project ‘Towards Very High Average Power and High Repetition Rate Tunable Femtosecond Laser Systems’. 

In the category of the best interdisciplinary activity, the commemorative award was presented to Professor at the Business School Saulė Mačiukaitė-Žvinienė, Research Assistant Robertas Skliaustas, Research Assistant Jurgita Petrauskienė, and Senior Researcher Mobashar Mubarik, for the research project ‘Intelektuali automatizacija kaip struktūruojantis veiksnys giliosiose inovacijose: institucinės trajektorijos, perdavimo logikos, veikėjų koordinavimas’ (MODUS) (‘Intelligent Automation as a Structuring Force in Deeptech Innovation: Institutional Pathways, Transfer Logics, and Actor Coordination’ (MODUS)).

During the event, the outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Haroldas Šinkūnas and the outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences Prof. Aivaras Kareiva, were also honoured.

Letters of appreciation to the meritorious graduates

Letters of appreciation from the VU Rector were presented to graduates whose studies and research activity were recognised with Magna cum laude diplomas. Letters of appreciation were presented to 55 graduates in the first cycle study programmes and 83 graduates in the second cycle study programmes.

First study cycle graduates of the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences whose studies and research activity were recognised with Magna cum laude diplomas were: Austėja Šernaitė, Ugnius Popovas, Dinas Tverijonas, Lukrecija Petrikaitė, Aistis Jomantas, Naglis Mykolas Pakštys, Patricija Daugėlaitė, Amina Elkady, Augustė Ūsaitė; of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration – Karina Muliuolytė; of the Faculty of Philology – Pijus Makselis, Andrius Kupčinskis, Fausta Bauer, Sofiia Kalenska, Aistė Markevičiūtė, Gabija Krompcholcaitė, Kornelija Mikalauskaitė, Augustina Andriuškevičiūtė, Adrija Redeckaitė, Justyna Tankeliun, Anastasija Stankevičienė; of the Faculty of Philosophy – Justinas Zokas, Gabija Rutkūnaitė, Anastasia Korsakaitė; of the Faculty of Physics – Aistė Peštenytė, Dzmitry Viarbitski, Gabrielius Rimkus, Gustė Jovaišaitė, Kasparas Stanaitis, Patricija Ivanauskaitė; of the Life Sciences Center – Sam Saddler, Laura Marija Račytė, Vincentas Raudys, Liutauras Usonis, Dominykas Grigorjevas, Urtė Busilaitė, Rūta Bugytė, Jolita Cibulskaitė; of the Faculty of History – Julius Markevičius, Bernotas-Karazija Kristupas Linas, Faustas Vaičiulis; of Kaunas Faculty – Margarita Jacinavičiūtė, Saulėja Visockytė; of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics – Arina Peržu, Ignas Černiauskas, Emilija Bareikaitė, Ratmir Semionov, Gabrielė Skirmantaitė, Simonas Šimėnas, Tautvydas Naudžiūnas; of the Faculty of Medicine – Roberta Česokaitė; of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science – Gabija Januškaitė, Rokas Valentinavičius, Aurimas Petkus, Rūta Marija Remeikaitė.

Second study cycle and integrated studies graduates whose studies and research activity were recognised with Magna cum laude diplomas were: of the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences – Simona Bendžiūtė, Jonas Stadulis, Martyna Paulauskaitė, Gabija Griškonytė, Viktorija Juščenko, Aistė Krikštaponytė, Assemzhan Kunsakova, Vilius Talkevičius, Lina Semokaitė; of the Faculty of Philology – Mykolas Degutis, Aušrinė Tverskytė, Ovidijus Videika, Daria Tsudikova, Rokas Linkevičius; of the Faculty of Philosophy – Mykolas Lekevičius, Lukas Butkevičius, Ieva Antanavičiūtė, Karolina Visockytė, Vakarė Punelytė, Goda Marija Steponavičiūtė, Akvilė Tamulytė, Marija Bočiarovaitė, Marija Biteniekytė, Bernardas Liukaitis, Ieva Šaltenytė-Janušė, Žydrūnė Ilgarūbytė; of the Faculty of Physics – Aistė Štaupienė, Aivaras Špokas, Augustė Grigaravičienė, Dharma Prasetya Permana, Ieva Baltrukonytė, Ingrida Pliaterytė, Justas Lekavičius, Milda Valytė, Paulius Rindzevičius, Rokas Lemežis, Tadas Latvys, Tomas Latvys, Vladas Šatas; of the Life Sciences Center – Aistė Kundrotaitė, Danas Ivanauskas, Marija Duchovskytė, Justė Adomaitytė, Aistė Židonytė, Gabija Klimavičiūtė, Ieva Kerševičiūtė, Rima Miknaitė, Skaistė Talanovaitė, Greta Tamoliūnaitė, Yana Karnitskaya; of the Faculty of History – Agnė Kereišiūtė, Ignas Ulišauskas, Matas Kairiūkštis; of the Kaunas Faculty – Salvija Dubosaitė; of the Faculty of Medicine – Povilas Jurgutavičius, Rokas Jagminas, Raminta Liškauskaitė, Benas Matuzevičius, Austėja Šimkutė, Jekaterina Strelčenko, Justas Dijokas, Vytautas Radavičius, Emilija Šeštokaitė, Gabrielė Jonauskaitė, Alicija Šavareikaitė, Juras Jocys, Agnė Vasiulytė, Gertrūda Kaubrytė, Elada Indrišiūnaitė, Uršula Eva Žibort, Rokas Žekonis, Greta Volosevičiūtė, Neringa Meilutė, Odeta Lešinskaitė, Robertas Basijokas, Kamile Ingelevič, Paulina Kazlauskaitė, Enrika Mikelevičė; of the Šiauliai Academy – Martynas Jokubaitis; of the Faculty of Law – Domantas Mažrimas, Liudas Tauperis, Gabija Beglecovaitė, and Ditė Elzbergaitė.