Admission

The main admissions for PhD studies will start in Spring 2026. Please follow information. Application procedure.

Meanwhile, Doctoral Network MenoBrain 15 Open PhD Positions!

Application deadline for DC10 is 15 December 2025, for DC11 the application is closed!

MenoBrain (Brain Health in Menopausal Women), a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (DN), is currently recruiting 15 PhDs candidates. The fellowships are funded as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme.

The MenoBrain consortium consists of 11 beneficiaries and 7 partner organisations involving hospitals, universities, research institutes and companies from 10 European Countries. The consortium, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Christian Gaser of the Jena University Hospital, will conduct cutting-edge research and training in the highly topical and emerging field of gender-specific healthcare with focus on healthy aging in woman.
All PhD positions are listed via EURAXESS: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/379260

Vilnius University Life Sciences Center is hiring two PhD candidates supervided by prof. Ramunė Grikšienė (see DC Project 10) and prof. Aurelijus Burokas (see DC Project 11).

Application deadline for DC10 is 15 December 2025, for DC11 the application is closed!

MSCA eligibility (must-have): At the time of recruitment, candidates must be in the first four years of their research career, must not hold a doctoral degree, and must not have resided in Lithuania or carried out their main activity (work or study) there for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately prior to the recruitment date.

What we offer: We offer a fully funded MSCA fellowship with network-wide training weeks, summer schools, international conference participation, and interdisciplinary training through secondments. Gross salary (in the employment contract) – 4110 EUR, Netto salary (after taxes) – 2486 EUR.

Selection process: Interested candidates please send a motivation letter, a CV including publications (if available), copies of university degrees and courses (including obtained grades), and the names and e-mail addresses of two scientists who can provide references (all summarized in one pdf) to . Please indicate the DC position you applying for (DC10 or DC11). Applications that do not meet the profile and/or the above criteria cannot be considered. For more information concerning the research project (DC10) please contact Prof. Dr. Ramune Griksiene via email: and the research project (DC11) please contact Prof. Dr. Aurelijus Burokas via email: .

MenoBrain DC project 10

The Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Lithuania offers a PhD position for a doctoral candidate/MSCA fellow for the project: “A longitudinal evaluation of the impact of peri- and postmenopausal MHT on female brain function, cognition and gut microbiota.” The position is part of the EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network MenoBrain “Brain Health in Menopausal Women” with full-time employment for a duration of 3 years, starting in February 2026.

Objective of the project: (Peri)menopause involves hormonal fluctuations that trigger physical and psychological symptoms. Menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT) is the primary treatment for (peri)menopausal symptoms; however, understanding MHT's benefits and risks, particularly its effects on psychological well-being, brain health, and cognition, remains limited. The DC10 project aims to investigate the effects of MHT on brain function, cognition, and gut microbiota in (peri)menopausal women through a longitudinal study. This study combines electroencephalography (EEG), psychometric, and psychological assessments to analyze resting-state brain activity, cognitive outcomes, emotion regulation, psychological profiles, and microbiota variations.

The successful candidate will join a Hormones and Brain Function Research Group studying the relationships between sex/gender, hormones, cognitive function, emotional behavior, and brain activity using psychophysiological methods.

Requirements for the applicant: Candidates should be motivated and have good time management skills, able to work independently, while also being interested in collaborative work within and beyond the group. Applicants are expected to hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Psychology, Neuroscience, Biology, or a related field, with a strong background in statistics. Experience with human EEG and gut microbiota, as well as programming skills (Python, Matlab), are advantageous. Very good English language skills are required. The ability to speak Lithuanian is desirable to enable direct communications with participants.

For more information concerning the research project please contact Prof. Dr. Ramune Griksiene via email: .

MenoBrain DC project 11

The Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Lithuania offers a PhD position for a doctoral candidate/MSCA fellow for the project: “Menopausal hormonal treatment (MHT), cognition, and microRNA - microbiome dynamics in ageing mouse model.” The position is part of the EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network MenoBrain “Brain Health in Menopausal Women” with full-time employment for a duration of 3 years, starting in February 2026.

Objective of the project: Effects of menopausal hormonal treatment (MHT) on brain function, cognition, the gut microbiota, and molecular biomarkers in a menopause mouse model. It focuses on understanding the role of the HT in neurobiological processes related to cognitive decline, emphasizing microRNA and gene expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, as well as the gut microbiota, to uncover mechanisms and biomarkers for menopause-related cognitive changes.

The candidate will join a multidisciplinary research team (Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Research) focusing on the microbiota-gut-brain ageing and the early stages of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Requirements for the applicant: We expect a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Neuroscience, Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or a related field. Candidates with a background in Psychology may also be considered if they have strong experience in experimental research. Strong skills in molecular biology techniques and statistical analysis are required. Experience with experimental animal handling is desirable, and familiarity with bioinformatics or sequencing data analysis will be considered an advantage. Furthermore, the applicant should be able to work both independently and in a team. Very good language skills in English are required.

For more information concerning the research project, please contact Dr. Aurelijus Burokas (email: ; phone: +370 52234382).

Interview time and Criteria for selection
Research Topics and Supervisors (will be updated in 2026)

Interview time and Criteria for selection

Biochemistry

The motivational interview (no additional admissions).

Selection criteria:

The interview will be held on the topic chosen for dissertation. The interview will be evaluated (up to 10 points) on the basis of the applicant's research competence, motivation in choosing the dissertation topic, theoretical preparation and initial methodological skills.

Applicants' research experience will be assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation in international conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.5 points for participation at international research conferences with an oral or poster presentation (regardless of the number of conferences);
1 points for publishing research articles in peer-reviewed journals (regardless of the number of articles) with no citation index (IF).

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		16

Biophysics

The motivational interview will take place (date will be announced).

Selection criteria

The interview will be held on the topic chosen for dissertation. The interview will be evaluated on the basis of the applicant's research competence, motivation in choosing the dissertation topic, theoretical background and initial methodological skills.

Applicants' research experience is assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation at international research conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.25 points for each published research article in a Lithuanian journal;
1 point for each research article published in a peer-reviewed WoS journal;
0.1 point for a paper at a Lithuanian conference;
0.2 point for a paper at an international conference.

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		16

Biology

The motivational interview (no additional admissions).

Selection criteria:

A research project is on the chosen dissertation topic and it must include:

a description of the research problem to be addressed, a discussion of the state of research on the topic in Lithuania and worldwide;
the relevance, novelty and promise of the chosen topic; and how the data obtained could complement the research already carried out;
the aim and main objectives of the work formulated;
the possible research methods and process discussed;
the length of the project must be up to 10,000 characters; it must comply with the general requirements for research papers;
The research project must be submitted to the PhD Committee in electronic form till 15^th of September (email: ).

The interview will take place on the topic chosen for the dissertation. In the case of a research project, a presentation of 7–10 minutes. The interview will be evaluated on the basis of the applicant's research competence, motivation for choosing the dissertation topic, theoretical preparation and initial methodological skills.

Applicants' research experience is assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation at international research conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.25 points for participation at international research conferences with oral or poster presentations (regardless of the number of conferences);
0.5 points for publishing research articles in peer-reviewed journals (regardless of the number of articles) with no citation index (IF);
1 point for each research article published in a peer-reviewed journal with an IF.

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		16

Chemical Engineering

The motivational interview will take place 2025 on 22 of September at 11:00 am at Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Saulėtekio al. 7, Vilnius, C537 room.

Selection criteria

The interview will be held on the topic chosen for the dissertation. The interview will be evaluated on the basis of the applicant's research competence, motivation in choosing the dissertation topic, theoretical background and initial methodological skills.

Applicants' research experience is assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation at international research conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.25 points for participation at international research conferences with an oral or poster presentation (regardless of the number of conferences);
0.5 points for publishing research articles in peer-reviewed journals (regardless of the number of articles) without a citation index (IF);
1 point for each research article published in a peer-reviewed journal with an IF.

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		16

Ecology and Environmental sciences

The motivational interview (no additional admissions).

Selection criteria

Applicants' research experience is assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation at international research conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.25 points for participation at international research conferences with an oral or poster presentation (regardless of the number of conferences);
0.5 points for publishing research articles in peer-reviewed journals (regardless of the number of articles) without a citation index (IF);
1 point for each research article published in a peer-reviewed journal with an IF.

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		18

Zoology

The motivational interview (no additional admissions)

Selection criteria

Applicants' research experience is assessed on the basis of their published research work and participation at international research conferences. Points are awarded for:

0.25 points for participation at international research conferences with an oral or poster presentation (regardless of the number of conferences);
0.5 points for publishing research articles in peer-reviewed journals (regardless of the number of articles) without a citation index (IF);
1 point for each research article published in a peer-reviewed journal with an IF.

Composition of the competition points

Structure of the competition points and their coefficients
Weighted average of the marks in the Diploma Supplement (WA), up to 10 points	Interview Assessment (IA)), up to 10 points		Experience and Research Work Assessment (ERW)
1 x (WA)	1 x (IA)		1 x (ERW)
Minimum score		18