FTMC Physicists Andrea Zelioli and Kernius Vilkevičius Become Laureates of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Young Scientists Competition

Young FTMC physicists have received new recognition – their work secured 2nd and 3rd place in the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LAS) competition.

The award ceremony for the best selected research papers from the 14th Young Scientists’ Conference “Interdisciplinary Research in Physical and Technological Sciences” took place at the LAS. During the event, named scholarships were presented to authors of the best presentations in the fields of quantum technologies, defence and space, high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and information technologies.

The second-place scholarship (€1,500) was awarded to Dr Andrea Zelioli, a researcher at the FTMC Department of Optoelectronics, for his work “GaAsBi Quantum Structures for Next-Generation Near-Infrared Laser Technologies.”

The improvements contributed to by the physicist enable the development of more efficient, stable, and easier-to-manufacture lasers – leading to safer and more reliable medical diagnostics, faster internet, and other communication solutions.

Third-place scholarships (€1,000 each) were awarded to three young scientists. Among them was Kernius Vilkevičius, a PhD student at the FTMC Department of Laser Technologies, for his work “Efektyvus lazerinis aukso dangų apdirbimas kuriant multifunkcines plazmonines gardeles” (Efficient Laser Processing of Gold Coatings for the Fabrication of Multifunctional Plasmonic Gratings)”.

Using ultrashort laser pulses, the researcher modifies gold surfaces at an extremely small –nanometre – scale. This enables the creation of unique gold structures capable of controlling light and being applied in sensors and other important technologies.

The first key stage of the competition organised by the LAS Young Academy and its partners began in April, when the 10 best presentations were selected from all submissions for the second stage. In mid-May, the participants presented their research results to representatives of business companies at the Visoriai Information Technology Park (VITP).

The final event was organised by the LAS Young Academy together with members of the LAS divisions of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, and Engineering Sciences. The named scholarships were established by the IT company group “Novian” and VITP.

Information by LAS and FTMC