Nine Baltic women scientists distinguished with the Women in Science Fellowship 2025 award
27.11.2025
Today, November 27, the Women in Science Baltic Fellowship 2025 award ceremony will be held at the Latvian Academy of Sciences in Riga, Latvia. For the second year in a row, the National Academies of Sciences of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in cooperation with National Commissions for UNESCO, have announced a joint fellowship competition for women scientists – “Women in Science Baltic Fellowship”.
The aim of the fellowship is to support young women in the Baltic region in their pursuit of a career in the field of scientific research with respect of the global UNESCO Call to Action “Closing the Gender Gap in Science”.
In Estonia and Lithuania two fellowships were granted to Doctors of Sciences and two to Doctoral Candidates in the fields of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary Science, as well as two fellowships to Doctors of Sciences in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities.
In Latvia two fellowships were granted in the field of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences to a Doctor of Sciences and to a Doctoral Candidate, and one fellowship to a Doctor of Sciences in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Each fellowship holder receives a grant worth of 7 000 EUR, funded by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and Latvian Ministry of Education and Science.
The joint award ceremony, held at the Latvian Academy of Sciences on the 27th of November on Riga, is live-broadcast on the following YouTube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/lzalatvia and https://www.youtube.com/unescovideo
About the laureates
ESTONIA
Dr. Renu Geetha Bai (Estonian University of Life Sciences) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in Natural Sciences including Environmental Sciences for her study in development of Algal Nano Shield – a nanoencapsulated astaxanthin-fucoidan formulation to enforce the positive characteristics and reduce the limitations of both elements. In the future the created formulation could be added to skin care products to prevent photodamage and limit skin cancer risk.
Katriin Reedo (Tallinn University of Technology) won the fellowship in the category of Doctoral Candidate in Engineering and Technology for her study that is expected to significantly advance the understanding and development of pyrite-based solar cells – an emerging and potentially the most cost-effective photovoltaic technology available today. The findings will have strong implications for improving access to sustainable energy, potentially reducing the cost of solar technologies, and in cooperation with European Space Agency introducing a new class of photovoltaic materials for space applications.
Dr. Kerttu Rozenvalde (University of Tartu) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in Humanities and the Arts for the study on using English as a language of instruction at the University of Tartu – looking into how students navigate English at the university, how they perceive their linguistic competences concerning (implicit) language requirements, and how these experiences reflect hidden language policies in the Estonian higher education context.
LATVIA
Dr. Monta Brīvība (Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in Medical and Health Sciences. Her research is primarily focused on genomics and precision medicine, especially the study of the Latvian population genome and the integration of genomic data in healthcare. She is actively involved in the development of the Latvian genome reference and the European 1+ Million Genomes initiative, which forms the basis for more accurate interpretation of genomic data in both research and clinical practice. In her research she is motivated by the belief that integrating genomic data into healthcare can significantly improve diagnostics and treatment outcomes, from type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol to complex diseases such as cancer.
Elīna Pavlovska (University of Latvia) won the fellowship in the category of Doctoral Candidates in Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology. During her doctoral studies, she created a model that describes the behavior of electrons in collider-type devices, as well as developed methods that reveal the unique “fingerprints” of electrons, which are characteristic only for specific phases of matter. This allows, for example, to identify the formation of collective states in single-electron systems by studying correlations between electron scattering outcomes in nanocollider detectors. The results of this study were published in the prestigious academic journal Nature on June 25, 2025.
Dr. Jana Kukaine (Rīga Stradiņš University) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in Humanities and Social Sciences. Jana Kukaine is a leading researcher of feminist theory and feminist art in Latvia, a pioneer and developer of this thought for more than a decade. Her most significant achievements include scientific articles, chapters in books published by Routledge and Bloomsbury Academic, as well as two monographs in Latvian. Currently she is implementing a postdoctoral project on plant agency in Latvian contemporary art. Jana Kukaine’s research interests synthesize insights from feminist and environmental humanities, seeking theoretical tools that allow highlighting the specificity of art in the Baltic region.
LITHUANIA
Dr.Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė (Vilnius University Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in the field of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology. She is interested in advancing quantum technologies by investigating how vortex-shaped light interacts with atomic particles. Her ongoing study first examines how such light evolves in atomic media, enabling finer control over its properties. It then explores the use of ultra-cold atomic systems, or optical lattices, to generate spin-squeezed quantum states, which allow for more accurate measurements than conventional methods. By optimizing atomic arrangements, the efficiency of producing these states improves, marking a significant step toward next-generation quantum sensors and clocks.
Greta Striganavičiūtė (Institute of Forestry at Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry) won the fellowship in the category of Doctoral Candidates in Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. She explores how trees respond to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), harmful environmental pollutants that accumulate in forest ecosystems. By combining tree genetic diversity with PAH-degrading and growth-promoting microbes, she assesses physiological responses under pollutant stress. Some tree families exhibit enhanced antioxidant defenses and improved growth when inoculated with particular microbes. The findings underscore the need for strategic tree–microbe pairings to advance biotechnological approaches for restoring PAH-contaminated forests in the Baltic region.
Dr. Rūta Ubarevičienė (Institute of Sociology at Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences) won the fellowship in the category of Doctor of Sciences in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities. She is engaged in multiple interconnected research initiatives focussed on the interplay between migration and segregation processes—issues of growing importance both in Lithuania and globally. She aims to bridge scholarly insight with public discourse and policy development. She plans, first, to expand her team by mentoring PhD candidates and collaborating with early-career scholars, second, to maximize the scientific potential of Lithuania’s underutilized data infrastructure, and third, to establish an international network of segregation researchers through the creation of the e-platform SegregationLab.com.