The Academician Vytautas Gudelis Commemorative Medal is not only an honour but also recognition for outstanding contributions to science and culture.

 

We are proud that Nature Research Centre’s scientists are among the award winners:

Dr. habil. Valentinas Baltrūnas in the field of quaternary geology

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Julius Taminskas in the field of physical geography

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kęstutis Jokšas in the field of marine and coastal research

 

Congratulations to the winners!

Your work continues the research of Acad. V. Gudelis and creates a solid foundation for the future of natural sciences in Lithuania.

We wish you even more discoveries, brave ideas, and inspiration at every step!

Prof. Dr. Sigitas Podėnas, Director of State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, participated in the 2nd Directors’ Summit of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF).

This Summit continued the dialogue initiated at CETAF56 in Madrid on the increasingly dynamic role of natural history institutions. At a time when biodiversity and climate research face increasing challenges, CETAF58 focused on the importance and impact of the CETAF community and exploration of new forms of partnership and ways to respond to the needs of society.

The Summit discussed how institutions can take the lead in important areas such as the Nature Restoration Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, where biodiversity expertise is essential.

The insights shared during the event contributed to the development of new perspectives and solutions – from cooperation with the private sector and involvement of financial institutions to the strategies for protecting collections and preserving knowledge in conditions of social and political instability. All of this once again highlighted the role of our institutions as bridges between science, society, and governance.

Our Doctoral Candidates: Pioneers in Research.

This year, Saulius Rumbutis, specializing in Ecology and Environmental sciences under the supervision of dr. Rimgaudas Treinys, was recognized for exceptional academic achievements.

Their success illustrates how perseverance, intellectual curiosity, and a deep commitment to scientific inquiry led to excellence.

On 6 November 2025, Dr Darja Dankina, a paleontologist at NRC Laboratory of Bedrock Geology, participated in the BBC The History Hour podcast dedicated to the world of dinosaurs!

The conversation explored how these amazing creatures lived, evolved, and why they still capture our imagination after millions of years.

The episode is available here:
https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct71wp

We are delighted to invite you to the conference Advancing Knowledge Through Postdoctoral Research: From Molecules to Ecosystems, taking place at the State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre.

This inspiring event will showcase the diversity, creativity, and impact of postdoctoral research across disciplines. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from special guests who will share best practices for a successful postdoctoral fellowship and discuss ways to enhance research careers.

Join us to connect, exchange ideas, and celebrate scientific excellence!

Date: 26^th of November at 10:00 AM
Venue: State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, Vilnius, Conference Hall 101.

Programme of this event

 

See you soon,
The Organizing Committee

(dr. Jurga Jankauskienė, dr. Kristina Valavičiūtė-Pocienė, dr. Žana Skuratovič, Simona Četvergaitė-Marcinkevičienė, Pranciškus Maigys, Evelina Maziliauskaitė, Naglis Gudiškis)

On November 3-7 this year, Chief Researcher at the GTC Quaternary Research Laboratory Prof. Dr. Albertas Bitinas, visited the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Wrocław in Poland. During the visit he gave two open lectures to the university’s scientific staff and students, as well as to members of the Polish Geological Society and the Polish Geomorphological Association who joined remotely:

• The Last Glacial in the Eastern Baltic region: towards a new paradigm
• Geological development of the Southeastern Baltic Sea in the postglacial period

He also participated in discussions and consultations on research conducted by scientific staff and bachelor’s and master’s students at the Institute of Geological Sciences, participated in a field expedition to the Nemodlin Plateau, where a massif of continental dunes formed at the end of the Last Glacial and the beginning of the Holocene was studied, and sediment samples were taken for various geological studies. During the visit, prospects for further cooperation were discussed, including joint scientific publications and applications for joint research projects.

The annual conference of The Micropaleontological Society of (ISM) took place in Pisa on 5 –7 November 2025.
We are delighted that Dr Darja Dankina, NRC paleontologist, participated in this prestigious event! She opened the conference with a presentation on new discoveries in the Silurian fish collection from the GTC collections and together with scientists from the University of Turin delivered a poster on the preliminary results of research into coccoliths from Sicily.
In addition, on Darja’s initiative, TMS renewed the microinvertebrates research group, an area that she heads and that is her main scientific focus  → https://www.tmsoc.org/groups/microvertebrate/.
Darja won a LINO grant from the Research Council of Lithuania, which enabled her to present her research at the international conference in Italy.
We are proud of her achievements and contribution to the advancement of micropaleontology!

More information about the event is available at → https://tms25pisa.dst.unipi.it/

On 30 October 2025, the defence of doctoral dissertation by doctoral student Božena Ignotienė took place in the Conference Hall of Nature Research Centre. She successfully defended dissertation “The effect of probiotics on the growth, antioxidant activity, and productivity of root crops and berry plants” (field of science – ecology and environmental studies – N 012).

Congratulations on this significant achievement and best wishes in future scientific endeavours!

Carolina Anjos, a Brazilian PhD student from the University of São Paulo (USP), recently completed a three-month training program focused on microscopical analysis of avian haemosporidian parasites at the P. B. Šivickis Laboratory of Parasitology, State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre. Her visit was part of a training initiative funded by Brazilian research agencies to enhance her skills in an important yet often neglected field: the morphological taxonomy of parasites. Expertise in this area has been declining in recent years, as many researchers now focus primarily on molecular approaches and move away from classical parasitology methods. The P. B. Šivickis Laboratory of Parasitology is recognized internationally as a leading center for this traditional and highly valuable approach. Through this training, we aim to expand the number of researchers qualified to study avian haemosporidian parasites in different regions of the world, including biodiversity hotspots such as tropical countries, such as Brazil. Carolina will now be able to apply what she learned in her PhD research and share her newly acquired knowledge with colleagues in her home laboratory. During her visit, we also strengthened our long-standing collaboration, which has been ongoing for several years. Joint scientific publications and new research projects are already being planned for the coming years.