First Lithuanian: Prof. Dr. Ieva Plikusienė Awarded the Prestigious European André Mischke YAE Prize for Science and Policy

Prof. Dr. Ieva Plikusienė, a researcher at the FTMC Department of Nanotechnology, has been awarded the André Mischke YAE Prize for Science and Policy, becoming the first Lithuanian to receive such international recognition.

This is a prestigious award given by the Young Academy of Europe (YAE), an organization that brings together the best young researchers in Europe. The prize has been awarded annually since 2017 to scientists who not only conduct high-level research but also actively contribute to strengthening the connection between science, policy, and society.

“I am grateful to the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences for nominating me for this award. At the same time, I am very pleased and even surprised to receive such recognition. I am glad that science conducted in the laboratory can also have an impact beyond it. This is yet another opportunity to promote Lithuania’s name and to show that science in our country is of the highest level and significant on a European scale,” says the laureate.

As noted on its website by the YAE, FTMC and Vilnius University scientist Prof. Plikusienė is an internationally recognised interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of life sciences, physics, and nanotechnology. Her work centres on the development of advanced biosensors – particularly immunosensors – and the characterisation of thin-film properties using highly sensitive optical and acoustic methods.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, her research on protein–antibody interactions using next-generation optical-acoustic sensors attracted international recognition and helped raise the profile of Lithuanian science on the global stage. This work was subsequently honoured by the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme, which in 2022 named her one of the fifteen most promising young scientists in the world – only the second Lithuanian scientist ever to receive this distinction.

According to the YAE, what distinguishes Prof. Plikusienė is not scientific excellence alone, but her sustained and consequential engagement with policy. In 2025 she became the first Lithuanian scientist ever appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the UNESCO International Basic Sciences Programme – a top-tier expert group that shapes global science policy grounded in fundamental research and contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

She has also served as an expert evaluator for Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder, FET Open, and DG CONNECT programmes. As Chair of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (2023–2025) and a Board Member of Invest Lithuania (2025–present), she has worked across institutional boundaries to connect frontier research with economic strategy and governance – contributing directly to Lithuania’s 2026–2030 investment strategy focused on productivity, expertise, and long-term competitiveness.

Prof. Plikusienė is a tireless communicator of science. Through public lectures, expert media appearances, and outreach initiatives, she builds bridges between the research community and the broader public.

In 2023, her work at the intersection of science, education, and European collaboration was recognised with the Lithuanian European of the Year Award, conferred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and the European Commission. The following year, the President of Lithuania awarded her the Medal of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas “for top-level international biotechnology research that significantly contributes to scientific progress across various fields and for promoting Lithuania’s name worldwide.”

Source: Young Academy of Europe / yacadeuro.com and FTMC