Three young Latvian scientists Dr. chem. Daniela Godiņa, Dr. phil. Anne Sauka and Mg. Līga Ignatāne are announced the winners of the “Women in Science Baltic Fellowship” contest launched this year by the Latvian Academy of Sciences and Latvian National Commission for UNESCO.
President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Ivars Kalviņš emphasizes: “The fellowship established by the Baltic Academies of Sciences and the UNESCO national commissions is a support for our country's most talented and highest performing young women scientists who have earned this honor in high competition with their colleagues. The fields of activity of the winners of the contest represent both humanities and social sciences, as well as research in biotechnology and nanotechnology. I can note with satisfaction the very high level of the submitted research projects and the significance of the expected results in the development of Latvian science. We can also be proud of the fact that Latvian women scientists, despite all the difficulties, have managed to become important players not only of the Latvian scientific community, but also have successfully integrated into the international research environment.”
“Let the Baltic fellowship for women scientists serve as the ground of new ideas and discoveries for the growth of society and help to continue the started path in research,” wishes Baiba Moļņika, Secretary-General of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO.
The “Women in Science Baltic Fellowship”, established by the National Academies of Sciences of the Baltic States, in cooperation with the UNESCO National Commissions, announced a joint contest for young women scientists in June 2024. Winners of the contest are granted nine fellowships of 7,000 euros each.
The goal of the joint fellowship is to support young women scientists so that they can build a career in the field of scientific research in the Baltic States, as well as popularize the achievements of young women scientists and encourage the most talented women students to choose the profession of a scientist.
The contest in Latvia was organized by the Latvian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO, and received the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science. In Latvia, 63 applications for the fellowship were received. 50 applications were received in the field of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, and 13 applications were received in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences.
About the laureates
Daniela GODIŅA
Dr. chem. Daniela Godiņa began her career at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), in the Biorefinery Laboratory, in 2014, while simultaneously studying in the Natural Sciences program at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Latvia. At the institute, she developed her bachelor's thesis titled “Studies on the Stability of the Main Components of Ethanol Extracts from Birch Bark” and master’s thesis titled “Determination of Levoglucosenone Obtained from Biomass and Its Degradation Products in Fast Pyrolysis Products Using UHPLC-UV-QDa System”. She completed doctoral studies at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Latvia, while working at LSIWC. The doctoral dissertation, titled “Characterization and Process Optimization of Valorization Products from Birch (Betula pendula) Biomass Grown in Latvia,” which was defended as a collection of nine SCOPUS-indexed publications, aimed to promote the full valorization of birch biomass – both wood and bark – into high-value-added products and to develop a set of analytical methods for quality control of these processed products.
Overall, Daniela has participated in and made significant contributions to the execution of 13 projects, mainly ERDF or ERANET projects. Alongside the work on scientific projects and the development of the doctoral dissertation, she established the LSIWC Student Council in January 2022, serving as its chairperson. In addition to the LSIWC Student Council, she is also a member of the Latvian Association of Young Scientists and the leader of Nucleate Latvia. She has participated in several events, such as Deep Tech Atelier and the Lampa Conversation Festival, in order to share her experience in science and science communication. Her papers are regularly published in high-impact scientific journals, she participates in international scientific conferences with oral and poster presentations, and has taken part in several exchange trips, gaining valuable additional knowledge and new contacts.
The Baltic Women in Science fellowship will be used for the development of the planned project “Bio-based polymer sorbent synthesis from extractives and suberin depolymerization products derived from birch bark,” which will provide valuable insights in environmental science and analytical chemistry, promoting collaboration and fostering sustainable development.
Anne SAUKA
Dr. phil. Anne Sauka is a senior research and associate professor in ethics at the Department of Philosophy and Ethics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia. Sauka's research interests are mainly within the fields of environmental philosophy and ethics, biophilosophy, phenomenology of the body and new materialism. In her project, Sauka accentuates the importance and contribution of human sciences for envisioning a more sustainable future, particularly in connection with the search for ethical solutions for improvement of human-nature relations. The researcher emphasizes thet the lived materiality – namely, the environment within and around us is also significantly impacted by human values, practices, and attitudes, and thus – by the dominating narratives or stories that we tell about the world. This guiding principle drives the resarcher's interest in seeking out new and existing but marginalized stories that reflect our experiences in relating to the world and allow describing and experiencing human-nature relationships in a non-hierarchical and symbiotic way.
In the framework of the Baltic Women in Science Fellowship, Anne Sauka will work on the project “Life, Environment and Situated Knowledge: Baltic Mythology as a Knowledge Source in Environmental Philosophy”. The project will explore community-based experiences and, in particular, folklore as situated knowledge in the context of environmental philosophy, as well as consider the complementarity of the fields of philosophy and folklore.
Līga IGNATĀNE
Līga Ignatāne is a researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) and a PhD candidate. The topic of the dissertation is aimed at nanostructure fabrication with a focused ion beam. The availability of the newest generation of double-beam microscopes in Latvia and the ever-closer collaboration with biologists allow the creation of new and more accurate solutions for the detection of various substances even at low concentration. During her master's degree studies, she managed to work as teacher of physics at the Valmiera State Gymnasium, and during her doctoral studies, she was a part-time coordinator of the Taiwan and the Baltic States Research Center in Physics. Since 2015, everyday life is going on in the ISSP UL laboratories, but folk dances have always been present. She ended her career as member of the dance ensemble “Daiļrade”, but since 2021 Līga has been leading the youth dance group “Sadancis”.
The Baltic Women in Science fellowship is a high assessment of the scientific work she has accomplished so far, Līga admits, as well as a significant financial support that will help her to devote more time to the dissertation topic.