A resolution of the General Meeting of the members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences of 24 September 2018 laid the foundation for the establishment of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences: its regulations were approved and the election of its members was scheduled. Members of the Young Academy are scientists who have achieved significant research results and are active in the professional field, who were conferred the doctoral degree not earlier than ten years ago, and who are 40 years of age or below on the day of the election. The election is competition-based, and each year ten members are elected for a four-year term, thus bringing the total number of the members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences to 40.

 

From 10 October to 10 November 2018, the candidates to the Young Academy were to present their papers and 53 applications were submitted. Boards formed by the scientific divisions of the Academy carried out an administrative revision and a list of 53 eligible candidates was approved by a resolution of the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences of 13 November 2018. We are pleased to note that the young researchers who applied for the competition to the Young Academy are active in their respective professional fields, have published up to 52 papers in international publications with a high impact factor, have reached personal h-index of up to 26, and produced weighty research monographs. They supervise doctoral students, have taken part in long-term study visit programmes, are engaged in important international research projects or head them, have been granted international patents, and have been working on the development of new species of plants.

 

The week of 5 to 11 December was a busy time for the organisers of the Young Academy: self-presentations of the candidates at the scientific divisions of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, discussions, and, eventually, the election. For the boards, selecting two best representatives in each division was a challenging task. The results of the election were approved and the names of the successful members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences were announced at the Presidium meeting of 18 December 2018.

 

On December 18, 2018 the results of election provided by the commissions were approved in the Presidium meeting and the first members of the Young Academy of LAS were elected, on December 20, in the general assembly of the members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, they were given the certificates of membership.

On January 10, 2019 the first meeting of the Young Academy of LAS took place, where the chairperson and secretary of LSA Young Academy were elected. Dr. Donatas Murauskas was appointed chairperson, dr. Olga Mastianica-Stankevič was appointed secretary.

 

Election of new members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences was announced in October 2020. On 1 December, the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences adopted a resolution  approving the new members of the Young Academy for a term of four years.