The conference will welcome more than 350 participants from various countries worldwide. Young researchers will present their conducted studies in their selected field from the nine proposed areas of natural sciences and technology.

 

Conference participants and audience members will also have the opportunity to listen to seven invited speakers - world-renowned scientists. Invited speakers such as Prof. Dr. Jens Biegert from the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Spain and Prof. Dr. Ursula Keller from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, will share their expertise in the field of laser physics, while Prof. Dr. Chris Parkes, professor at the University of Manchester in the UK, will introduce the field of particle physics to the participants of the conference.

 

Invited speakers from the United States, such as Dr. Makeda Tekle-Smith, Junior Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University, and Dr. Andrew Pun, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, will share their knowledge in the field of chemistry, as well as Dr. Charles Elachi, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology, who will share his insights in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.

 

Dr. Viktorija Glembockytė, from the Ludwig and Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, will share her expertise in genetics.

 

 

 

This year, for the first time in the history of the Open Readings conference, a workshop-based event will take place. The topic of the workshop is 'Bridging Science and Business in Lithuania: Founder Perspectives on Company creation'. This workshop is aimed at young researchers who want to implement their personal scientific business ideas but are hesitant to take their first steps. Dr. Simonas Kičas, one of the founders of Optoman, and Dr. Linas Jonušauskas, one of the founders of Vital 3D Technologies, will share their knowledge, insights and experience in setting up a company.

 

The Open Readings 2024 conference will feature an additional exceptional event - a panel discussion initiated by one of the keynote speakers, prof. Ursula Keller. The topic of the discussion is 'Career Crossroads: Academia or Industry'. The participants are representatives of both the industrial research and the academic research world: prof. Ursula Keller from ETH Zurich, Dr. Simona Liukaitytė-Suszczynska from Light Conversion, Dr. Lina Grinevičiūtė from the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, and Eulalia Puig Vilardell, a representative of the international Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Europhotonics programme at the Aix Marseille University and the Laser Research Center at Vilnius University.

 

The panel discussion will explore the advantages and disadvantages of the spheres of academic and industrial research, the challenges that lead young researchers to transfer to the field of industry, as well as why scientific work is a truly rewarding professional experience.

 

 

 

The special event of the Open Readings 2024 conference is 'Green Chemistry - Towards a Sustainable Future'. Chemistry and other related fields are usually perceived as intimidating and hazardous subjects by the general public. The scientific community strives to change this negative connotation and raise awareness about the ongoing research efforts to change the perilous methods and techniques applied in this field. Chemistry is a rapidly transforming field of research that seeks for novel and green ways of synthesis by eliminating environmentally hazardous side-products. The special event will focus on the development of sustainable research in chemistry and the benefits it brings to the common society.

 

The Open Readings 2024 conference will take place between the 23rd and 26th of April at the National Center for Physical Sciences and Technology. 

 

Open Readings 2024 is organised by the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University, the National Centre for Physical Sciences and Technology, SPIE Student Chapter of Vilnius University, Optica Student Chapter of Vilnius University and the European Physical Society Young Minds Section of Vilnius. 

 

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