VU Doctoral Student Honoured with the Prestigious for Women in Science Award
On 8 June, seven prominent Baltic scientists were announced as the regional winners of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science awards. This year, the title of the winner in Lithuania and a €6,000 prize went to a junior scientist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and a doctoral student in Biophysics at Vilnius University (VU), Greta Jarockytė.
The winners of this year’s competition included two Lithuanian scientists – Dr Gintarė Kručaitė and the VU doctoral student G. Jarocyktė – as well as Ilze Ļihačova, Anda Barkāne and Laura Vitola from Latvia, and Ester Oras and Karolina Kudelina from Estonia. The panel stated that the women honoured with the For Women in Science award are making an important contribution to scientific progress in various fields, ranging from nanomedical research on the diagnosis and therapy of oncological diseases, to increasing the efficiency of OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) and prototyping the most efficient devices. In addition, three award-winning scientists, one from each of the Baltic States, will be nominated for the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Rising Talent Award.
G. Jarockytė said that this is an important form of recognition not only for herself: “This is also important recognition of the long-standing work of my colleagues at the Biomedical Physics Laboratory in the field of nanomedicine. This award has inspired me to continue researching and sharing my knowledge with the community. I hope that by sharing my experience, I will encourage other women to choose a career as a scientist. It is a great honour for me to receive the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award in Lithuania.”
The research of the doctoral student G. Jarockytė is focused on the application of theranostic nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases. Nanotechnology is one of the most promising areas of modern science for the development of new personalised diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Much effort has been put into recent research on the materials that could be used to diagnose and treat cancer. These theranostic platforms offer a variety of benefits, including more accurate diagnoses, specific methods of drug delivery to tumours, and fewer adverse effects on healthy tissues. The main goal of this study is to develop a new generation multi-functional nanomaterial and prove its suitability for the in vitro diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
“Although women’s research has a significant impact on the development of science, women make up only 33% of the scientific community. The main goal of this programme is to increase the recognition of female scientists and their research, and to encourage as many girls and women as possible to pursue a career as a scientist. It is very important and gratifying that female Lithuanian scientists are actively participating in this programme, while presenting impressive and significant research that addresses today’s most pressing problems,” noted Miglė Mašanauskienė, Secretary-General ad interim of the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO.
The winner of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme was awarded for her research into new organic electroactive materials for energy-saving OLED technologies. Despite recent advances, OLED devices are not efficient enough because the injection and transfer of carriers in the devices are hampered by the different heights of the barriers and the low mobility of the carriers. To improve the efficiency of these devices, the main task of the scientists is the synthesis, purification and investigation of the properties of new electroactive materials. To discover the most efficient materials and create the most efficient device prototypes, scientists research the materials and design, characterise and optimise the OLED devices.
Ten Lithuanian researchers have already been awarded for their contribution to science during the six years that the programme has been underway in Lithuania. Last year’s Lithuanian winners were the VU doctoral student Joana Smirnovienė and Dr Ieva Plikusienė.
The For Women in Science programme encourages talented female scientists to continue their research and honours their contribution to the progress of society. The L’Oréal Baltic programme is implemented in cooperation with the Baltic science academies and national UNESCO commissions.
In Latvia, the programme was set up by Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of the Republic of Latvia (1999-2007), who is a patron of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Society. Today, L’Oréal Baltic implements the For Women in Science programme in cooperation with the Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian science academies and national UNESCO commissions.
This is the only support programme for female scientists in the Baltic States. It promotes their professional development, by helping them achieve new goals and work for the benefit of both science and the society.
The international programme For Women in Science was launched in 1998. Since then, the L’Oréal Enterprise Foundation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have made a commitment to increasing the number of women in science. For twenty-four years, the L’Oréal-UNESCO programme For Women in Science has been working to honour and support female scientists at key moments in their lives, making a significant contribution to the development of science and to gender equality in this field.