VU Alumnus K. ČIulčinskas on Erasmus+ Internships: “I Contribute to Process Automation at CERN”

Lorenzo Viliani (INFN Firenze), Kristijonas Čiulčinskas, Bugra Bilin (F.R.S.-FNRS).

Kristijonas Čiulčinskas, an alumnus of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (MIF) of Vilnius University (VU), has been conducting a research project at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) for a few months now. In September, he plans to study for a Master’s degree at the Delft University of Technology (Technische Universiteit Delft) in the Netherlands. The VU alumnus shares insights into physics, mathematics and his career path.

International exchange opportunities have opened up new opportunities

K. Čiulčinskas shares that he has taken advantage of Erasmus+ opportunities three times.

“I remember it very well – after my first year, I spent the summer working in Warsaw as a Junior Software Engineer at “Huawei”, from early July to the end of September. I actually submitted my exchange application before even returning to Lithuania. At that time, I already missed home and was really looking forward to coming back, but after some thought, I decided not to hesitate,” he recalls his decision to spend the spring semester of his second year in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

During the spring semester of his third year, Kristijonas studied in Albstadt, Germany. Originally from Kaunas, he recalls: “The city is about the size of Alytus, fairly close to the Alps. Even though I realised that, at least for now, I definitely don’t want to live in such a small town, I have no regrets. I was already working for “Nasdaq” in Lithuania as a student worker, so I signed a contract to continue teleworking while I was there. I also got along well with other exchange students, and I travelled a lot – mountains, Germany’s biggest cities – and even managed to find time for skiing.”

Finally, a year later, as he jokingly puts it, having forgotten what Easter even was, he went to Geneva, Switzerland, to do an Erasmus+ traineeship at CERN.

The challenges and joys of Erasmus+ traineeships

K. Čiulčinskas shares that he completed the Erasmus+ traineeship paperwork in the very last week before the deadline. “I was on a trip, and every evening, after a full day of skiing, I’d spend an hour or two filling in the paperwork,” he recalls. At that time, an active lifestyle and a mix of academic experiences were part of his daily routine. He cracked other challenges like they were peanuts –effortlessly.

During his internship at CERN, he was preparing an application for a Master’s degree at Delft University of Technology – as he puts it, “two months of my evenings disappeared because of that.” At the same time, he was working on his bachelor’s thesis. “At first, it was comforting to know that I would have the month of May off, but I was offered to stay at CERN, so the workload became quite heavy. In addition, I went mountain climbing, cycling, and managed to make time for sport at least a few times a week.”
The computer scientist mentions that he is not the only one from Lithuania at CERN – Benas Budrys, a software engineering student from VU MIF, also did an internship there. “We travelled and spent our free time together,” says the VU alumnus.

Asked how he managed to reconcile everything, K. Čiulčinskas says it was actually quite simple – “nothing special, you come back in the evening, eat, and do other things.” He set himself a number of challenges. “I was interested in all the tasks – I didn’t do any of them just to tick a box. It also helped to have some variety – different internships, different topics for my bachelor’s thesis, and sports. Of course, there were some things I really didn’t want to do, like the reading and writing parts of the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) test. You know you have to push yourself hard to get the right score, which isn’t exactly fun, but in the end, the result makes you think it was worth it. Also, I always knew whom to call – whether my parents or friends – and who would be interested in what I had to share, no matter positive or negative,” the VU alumnus says. He is happy to have had the opportunity to present his work for CERN audiences:

“It’s quite nice when you’re no longer presenting for a grade, but for people who genuinely want to make use of your work – in a good way,” he says. K. Čiulčinskas mentions that the intrinsic motivation experienced during the internship encouraged him to be the best version of himself.

The role of informatics in the particle physics laboratory

K. Čiulčinskas has just graduated from VU with a degree in Computer Science. He was awarded a Cum Laude diploma. At CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, he contributes to process automation in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment of the Large Hadron Collider – the experiment that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson. The confirmation of the Higgs boson’s existence in 2012 – an elementary particle that helps other particles acquire mass – became a significant achievement in physics, supporting theoretical models.

“The CMS detector measures what particles are released during a collision. To verify that our current understanding of the prevailing laws of physics is correct, physicists run simulations to calculate what the CMS detector should detect under different experimental conditions. These simulations require initial files describing the experiment, which are then used to generate intermediate files, and finally, queries are submitted to the simulation system. Currently, after researchers create the initial files, they also have to manually generate the intermediate files, check them, and submit the queries to the system. My job is to automate this process so that once the initial files are uploaded, the intermediate files are generated automatically and the necessary queries are created,” explains the computer scientist, who develops architectural solutions for fellow physicists.

His internship in Geneva was extended due to the significance and potential of his work, which was recognised by the CMS. To ensure that K. Čiulčinskas can successfully complete the project he started, he received a follow-up funding from the Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics Center at the Faculty of Physics of VU.

“So far, the main focus has been on automating the creation of intermediate files, reducing errors, testing with new parameters, and using various CERN computing services to speed up processes. From July onwards, this work should be completed, and I will shift my attention to adapting the platform for a larger project – so that once the intermediate files are created, a document with all the necessary information is automatically generated for the designated people to review, leave comments, and approve the creation of simulation requests in the dedicated system,” he explains.

The VU alumnus recommends the experience at CERN to other students: “The way the organisation operates is fundamentally different from a traditional private company. When profitability is no longer a factor, the project itself becomes the main focus, not clients or revenue. There are also plenty of opportunities for professional networking. After all, an internship abroad, where you meet new people and cultures, is already a hugely valuable experience in itself,” he emphasises.

When asked about his future plans, he smiles and says that in the autumn he will begin a Master’s degree in Computer Science at TU Delft. He also plans to find a job during his studies: “If I manage to create something useful, I would plan to stay abroad after my Master’s degree, but I think I will eventually return to Lithuania.”