Five candidates have been confirmed for the Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) rector elections: Prof. Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė – Professor at the VMU Dept. of Lithuanian Studies, Doctor of Philology, Head of the Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism Research Centre, and Institutional Coordinator of the Transform4Europe Alliance; Prof. Dr. Julija Kiršienė – Professor at the VMU Dept. of Private Law, Doctor of Law, and Vice-Rector for Research at VMU; Prof. Dr. Ričardas Krikštolaitis – Head of the VMU Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics, Professor, Doctor of Mathematics, and Senior Researcher at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences; Prof. Dr. Tomas Krilavičius – Dean of the VMU Faculty of Informatics, Doctor of Informatics, Professor at the Dept. of Applied Informatics, and Chairman of the Research Council at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences; Prof. Dr. Audrius Sigitas Maruška – Professor at the VMU Dept. of Biology, Senior Researcher, Doctor of Physical Sciences, and Scientist at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences.
On Wednesday 19 March, at 2:00 p.m., an open Senate meeting will take place in the VMU Grand Hall, where candidates will present themselves and participate in debates. The university community and the public are invited to submit questions to the candidates by filling out an online form. The meeting will be streamed live online.
The election for the rector will take place on Thursday 27 March during a dedicated VMU Council meeting.
More About the Candidates
Prof. Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė is a Professor at the VMU Dept. of Lithuanian Studies, Doctor of Philology, Head of the Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism Research Centre, and Institutional Coordinator of the Transform4Europe Alliance. She has been working at the university since 1993. She has worked as the Head of the Dept. of Regional Studies, Vice-Dean and Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy, and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. She has been a member of the VMU Senate since 2010, serving as Chair of the Research Committee (2010–2015) and Vice-Rector for International Relations (2015–2020). The professor is an active participant in research and education projects and a member of various organizations. She is the former Vice-President of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies. Her research priorities include psycholinguistics, applied linguistics, multilingualism, pragmatics, and conversation analysis. She has lectured at universities in Europe, the U.S., and China and has published monographs and research papers in national and international journals.
Prof. Dr. Julija Kiršienė is a Professor at the VMU Dept. of Private Law, Doctor of Law, and Vice-Rector for Research at VMU (since 2015). She has been a faculty member since 2008, previously serving as Vice-Dean for Research and Dean of the Faculty of Law. She has taught at Mykolas Romeris University and was a member of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) Management Board as well as the Judicial Mediation Commission at the National Courts Administration of Lithuania. She is an expert at the Research Council of Lithuania, ECTIL, SECOLA and other institutions, as well as a member of the Committee of Joint Doctoral Study Programme of Law. Her research interests include contract law, tort law, legal ethics, and financial asset ownership. She has participated in international and national research projects, has been teaching civil law and legal ethics and has participated in Fulbright and other traineeship programmes. She is an editorial board member of international scientific journals, co-author of textbooks and author of scientific publications.
Prof. Dr. Ričardas Krikštolaitis is the Head of the VMU Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics (since 2012), Professor, Doctor of Mathematics, and Senior Researcher at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences. He has been at the university since 1997, previously serving as Director of the Student Affairs Office and senior researcher at the Energy Security Research Centre. He was Chair of the VMU Senate Research Committee (2015–2020) and the Senate Chairman (2020–2025). The professor is a member of the Council of the VMU Faculty of Informatics and the Lithuanian Mathematical Society. He has participated in international research projects (HORIZON2020, IAEA, FP7, COST). He teaches econometrics, mathematical analysis, statistical analysis, and data analysis methods. His research interests include data analytics, artificial intelligence, energy security, and risk assessment. The professor is also Chief Scientist at the Centre for Applied Research and Development (CARD) and former Senior Researcher at the Lithuanian Energy Institute.
Prof. Dr. Tomas Krilavičius is the Dean of the VMU Faculty of Informatics, Doctor of Informatics, Professor at the Dept. of Applied Informatics, and Chair of the Research Council at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences. He has been with the university since 2008, previously heading the Dept. of Applied Informatics. He is also the President of the INFOBALT association and a member of the Artificial Intelligence Association of Lithuania. He has work experience in business (UAB Equinox Europe, UAB Elsis, UAB ElitNet), has founded several startups (UAB TokenMill, MB Virtualitor, MB Imint) and served on the board of UAB Kevin. He has worked at the Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology and collaborates with various companies, universities, and institutes. His research interests include artificial intelligence, language technologies, and scientific infrastructure. The professor is actively collaborating with various Lithuanian and foreign companies, participates in the activities of NATO Science and Technology Organization, and represents Lithuania in NATO STO’s Information Systems Technology (IST) Panel.
Prof. Dr. Audrius Sigitas Maruška is a Professor at the VMU Dept. of Biology, Chief Researcher, Doctor of Physical Sciences, and Scientist at the Research Institute of Natural and Technological Sciences. He is a certified engineer-technologist, a full member (academician) of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and a former president of the Nordic Society for Separation Science (NoSSS). He has been working at the university since 1999 and previously served as the head of the Dept. of Chemistry (now Biochemistry) at the VMU Faculty of Natural Sciences. He has conducted research visits and internships at scientific institutions in Germany, Sweden, Italy, and France and has delivered more than 17 invited presentations at international conferences across Europe. At VMU, he teaches Chemical Research Methodology, Chromatographic Analysis, and other subjects. He has established and upgraded eleven educational and research laboratories at VMU, and in 2012, he founded and led the VDU Open Access Center for Instrumental Analysis. Research interests include the extraction and analysis of biologically active plant compounds, the bioremediation of hazardous waste, and the development and application of microanalysis methods. The professor has prepared seven patents and authored more than 200 publications.
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The detailed programs and CVs of the rector candidates are available here.
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