When Chemistry and Physics Go Hand in Hand: “EcoBalt 2025” Conference Took Place in Vilnius

From 8 to 10 October, the international scientific conference “EcoBalt 2025” was held in Vilnius, organized by the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) together with the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center and the Vilnius University Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences.

Around 130 participants attended the event. Although the conference primarily focuses on scientific developments in the Baltic region, it also attracted young and experienced researchers from 17 countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the United States, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Spain, Greece, Moldova, Slovakia, Ghana, India, and Kazakhstan.

On the first day, two scientific workshops took place: “Microplastics Analysis: Techniques and Insights” and “Detecting Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater: Challenges and Innovations.” Throughout the conference, both oral and poster presentations were delivered. The best posters were awarded as follows:

1st place: Agnė Vailionytė, FTMC Department of Nanoengineering — “Aged LDPE Micro(Nano)Plastics Trigger Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells.”

(Professor habil. Dr. Aivaras Kareiva, Chair of the Scientific Committee of “EcoBalt 2025”, Agnė Vailionytė, winner of the 1st place in the poster presentation category, and Dr. Monika Kirsnytė-Šniokė, member of the “EcoBalt 2025” Organizing Committee. Photo: Judita Vadeikė / FTMC)

2nd place: Ilona Juvonen, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Estonia — “Biocompatibility Testing of Metal–Phenolic Networks for Environmental Applications.”

(Professor habil. Dr. Aivaras Kareiva, Chair of the Scientific Committee of “EcoBalt 2025”, Ilona Juvonen, winner of the 2nd place in the poster presentation category, and Dr. Monika Kirsnytė-Šniokė, member of the “EcoBalt 2025” Organizing Committee. Photo: Judita Vadeikė / FTMC)

3rd place: Huma Amber, FTMC Department of Catalysis — “Sustainable Hydrogen Generation: High-Performance Nickel–Cobalt Alloy Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Overall Water Splitting.”

(Professor habil. Dr. Aivaras Kareiva, Chair of the Scientific Committee of “EcoBalt 2025”, Huma Amber, winner of the 3rd place in the poster presentation category, and Dr. Monika Kirsnytė-Šniokė, member of the “EcoBalt 2025” Organizing Committee. Photo: Judita Vadeikė / FTMC)

Congratulations to the winners — and our thanks to all participants for contributing to a truly inspiring scientific event!

“The conference was really great and engaging. The speakers represented a variety of fields — physics, environmental physics, chemistry, and beyond. Many presentations focused on ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental research.

In my opinion, we invited excellent keynote speakers who captured everyone’s attention. Attendance was also very good,” says Dr Arūnas Stirkė, Chair of the “EcoBalt 2025” Organizing Committee and researcher at the FTMC Department of Functional Materials and Electronics.

According to the researcher, these three days in Vilnius broadened the scope of a conference that has been held alternately in the Baltic countries for the 24th time.

“Until now, “EcoBalt” was mostly regarded as an event for chemists. This year, however, there was no clear divide between physics and chemistry, as we often see at other conferences. It was a beautiful synthesis of the two sciences.

I am particularly pleased with the contributions from physicists at the FTMC Environmental Research and Nuclear Research Departments, whose work integrated very naturally into the conference topics. For me, that was one of the most rewarding moments,” says Dr Stirkė.

Read more about the conference presentations in the News section of the FTMC website.

Photo gallery:

Info: FTMC