Twelve Horizon Europe Postdoctoral Fellowships to be Implemented at VU

The results of the 2024 call for proposals for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships under the EU's Framework Programme Horizon Europe were especially favourable to Vilnius University (VU), with funding allocated to 12 out of 19 proposals submitted. Ten more proposals that received high evaluations from international experts have been added to the two postdoctoral fellowship projects selected to be funded during the main EC competition, namely the Dr Lukas Waltenberger (Faculty of Medicine, MF) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship and Dr Owen Gohori (Kaunas Faculty, KnF) ERA Fellowships projects. The funding of the projects was made possible by the new mechanism for reallocating EU funds, which allows some of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds to be channelled to Horizon Europe.

At the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology of the Faculty of Physics (FF), Dr Mindaugas Šarpis, supervised by Dr Ramūnas Aleksiejūnas, researches the means of identification of short-lived exotic hadrons (rare subatomic particles of a non-standard quark composition). These rare subatomic particles form in high-energy processes, and their discovery depends on how accurately particle trajectories are analysed. Improving methods help differentiate the signal from background noise and provide new data on the principles of the material’s structure.

Dr Orlagh Woods is a research fellow at the Institute of English, Romance and Classical Studies of the Faculty of Philology (FlF). Her research focuses on the way literary narrative creates images of reproductive health and somatic experience. The project aims to explore how literary texts reflect societal changes and how individual experiences become politically and culturally charged. The fellowship is supervised by Prof. Eglė Kačkutė-Hagan.

Dr Silvia Peterssen Fernández, research fellow at the FlF Institute of Foreign Languages, researches the construction of the topic of abortion in European media. Supervised by Dr Liudmila Arcimavičienė, the research fellow examines both linguistic solutions and communication strategies that shape public opinion and may influence the direction of political decisions. The analysis aims to demonstrate how the same topic may be framed differently depending on the national context.

At the Institute of Biotechnology of the Life Sciences Center (GMC), Dr Jaroslaw Chilimoniuk will enhance understanding of the formation of amyloid protein structures. Cryogenic electron microscopy and machine learning methods will aid in a more accurate determination of the types of aggregation emerging in the course of neurodegenerative diseases and how to detect them in early stages. The fellowship is supervised by Dr Vytautas Smirnovas.

Supervised by Dr Inga Griškova-Bulanova at the GMC Institute of Biosciences, research fellow Dr Justina Šidlauskaitė will examine the way controlled breathing techniques affect brain activity of people experiencing burnout. The project encompasses both an analysis of neurophysiological processes and an assessment of changes in mental state, leading to an understanding of how such interventions can be applied in practice.

The postdoctoral fellowship project of Dr Angela Chinhengo to be implemented at the FF Laser Research Center (supervised by Dr Mantas Grigalavičius) aims to investigate whether radiofrequency fields can strengthen the effect of alpha particle therapy and reduce its side effects. Dr Grigalavičius will also supervise the research of Dr Amit Shakya aimed at developing a novel photonic crystal fibre sensor. In the future, such ultra-sensitive optical technology may serve as an important tool in early cancer diagnosis.

Research in economics and social development is also diverse, with as many as three projects implemented at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (EVAF). Dr Sisay Demissew Beyene’s research will focus on the effects of international trade on sustainable development indicators in Sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis encompasses economic, social, and environmental aspects of the region, which is often overlooked in international research. This will be the second ERA Fellowship project to be implemented by Dr Beyene at EVAF. Currently, the research fellow is implementing the project Investigating Energy-Environment-Economic Growth Linkage for Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa (EEGLS) (fellowship supervisor – Dr Algirdas Bartkus), the objective of which is to examine the links between energy, environment, and economic growth, as well as the impact of their interaction on sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Muhammad Adeel Munir, supervised by Dr Viktorija Cohen, will research the resilience of agri-food supply chains to crisis in search of data-driven ways for them to function more efficiently when facing wars or pandemics. Meanwhile, Dr Robert Rybski, specialising in sustainable finance, will research whether green and sustainability-linked bonds can become a new means to engage society in climate change decision-making (fellowship supervisor – Dr Tomoyuki Hashimoto). The project links analysis in economics, law, and politics, opening new fields for research opportunities in this area.

The  mechanism for reallocating ERDF funds opens up the opportunity to implement international-level research to a significantly larger number of researchers and fortifies the University’s position in the European Higher Education Area. Researchers from various regions – European, African, and Asian countries – will take up postdoctoral fellowships at VU. In turn, such diversity contributes to the continually increasing internationality of the research environment at the University, bringing together different experiences, points of view, and methods.

Currently, VU is awaiting the results of the 2025 call for proposals for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships, where a record number of 37 proposals was submitted. The next call for proposals is planned to be announced by the EC in April 2026. Researchers who submit their proposals will also be eligible for funding with ERDF funds reallocated to Horizon Europe.

The list of all projects being funded:

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships

Innovative Methods for Understanding Blunt Force Trauma Patterns to Assess Conflicts in Past Times (IMPACT), No. 101200197, research fellow – Dr Lukas Waltenberger, fellowship supervisor – Prof. Rimantas Jankauskas (MF)

Retail Sovereign Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked Bonds as Public Finance Tools Implementing Environmental Constitutionalism (ReGreenConstitution), No. 101212025, research fellow – Dr Robert Rybski, fellowship supervisor – Dr Tomoyuki Hashimoto (EVAF)

Development of a Novel Multi-Helical Dual-Faced Photonic Crystal Fiber (MHD-PCF) Sensor for Early-Stage Cancer Detection via Surface Plasmon Resonance and Reflectance Spectroscopy (MHD PCF SPR Sensor), No. 101211155, research fellow – Dr Amit Shakya, fellowship supervisor – Dr Mantas Grigalavičius (FF)

ERA Fellowships

Tourism Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Community Tourism Development (TSE_SCTD), No. 101244223, research fellow – Dr Owen Gohori, fellowship supervisor – Prof. Virginija Jurėnienė (Kaunas Faculty)

Pentaquark Hunt by Applying Neutral Track Over-Constraint Method (PHANTOM), No. 101244743, research fellow – Dr Mindaugas Šarpis, fellowship supervisor – Prof. Ramūnas Aleksiejūnas (Faculty of Physics)

The Effect of Alpha Emitters and Radiofrequency Fields on Cancer Cells in Culture (TEARF), No. 101244622, research fellow – Angela Chinhengo, fellowship supervisor – Dr Mantas Grigalavičius (Faculty of Physics)

Repro-Fiction: Synthesising Literature and Reproductive Healthcare (REPROFIC), No. 101244691, research fellow – Dr Orlagh Woods, fellowship supervisor – Prof. Eglė Kačkutė-Hagan (Faculty of Philology)

Abortion in European Mainstream News Media: A Feminist Critical Socio-Cognitive Discourse Study (DARE), No. 101244447, research fellow – Dr Silvia Peterssen Fernández, fellowship supervisor – Dr Liudmila Arcimavičienė (Faculty of Philology)

Cracking the Code of Amyloid Polymorphism:Integrating CryoEM and Machine Learning to Unravel Impact of Small Aggregation Modulators on Amyloid Fibril Polymorphism (AMI-CryoML), No. 101244706, research fellow – Dr Jaroslaw Chilimoniuk, fellowship supervisor – Dr Vytautas Smirnovas (Life Sciences Center)

Neuromodulatory Effects of Controlled Breathing (CB) Interventions on Executive Functions (EF) and Mental Well-Being in Burnout Disorder (NEURO-BURN), No. 101244756, research fellow – Justina Šidlauskaitė, fellowship supervisor – Prof. Inga Griškova-Bulanova (Life Sciences Center)

Resilient Agri-Food Supply Chains: A Data-Driven Approach (Supply Chain), No. 101244608, research fellow – Muhammad Adeel Munir, fellowship supervisor – Dr Viktorija Cohen (Faculty of Economics)

International Trade and Sustainable Development Pillars in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Comprehensive Approach (ITSDPs), No. 101244517, research fellow – Dr Sisay Demissew Beyene (Faculty of Economics)