Dr. Akvilė Viršilė

ORCiD iD: 0000-0001-5981-7494
Tel.  +370 656 64 818
E-mail: akvile.virsile@lammc.lt 
Kauno St. 30, Babtai, LT-54333 Kaunas dist., Lithuania

Education

2006–2010 PhD studies, Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture (since 2010 Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry) and Aleksandras Stulginskis University (since 2019 VMU Agriculture Academy).

2005 Master degree in Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

2003 Bachelor degree in Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

Academic degree 

2012 Doctor of Agricultural Sciences (Agronomy 01 A), dissertation “Photophysiological effects on metabolite dynamics in green vegetables and sprouts”

Research fields:

• Plant physiology, phytochemistry, and metabolism

• Plant photobiology and lighting technologies

• Controlled environment agriculture

Position

Since 2016 Chief Researcher, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.

Memberships and affiliations with professional organisations

• Lithuanian Society of Plant Physiologists
• International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)

Involvement in programmes and projects

• 2024–2028 NordForsk project “Green nitrogen transition: the potential of legumes in control environment agriculture” (GreeNTrans), primary implementer.
• 2022–2025 Research Council of Lithuania Researcher Groups project “Biodiversification of plant species and explication of corresponding precision agriculture technologies within nutrition-based approach” (DiverCEA), primary implementer.
• 2021–2024 Research Council of Lithuania Researcher Groups project “Environmental and genotype impacts on plant exosome characteristics and potential applications for cosmetics and pharmacy” (EXOPLANT), principal investigator.
• 2021–2023 m. Research Council of Lithuania programme High level R&D project (SMART) “Management of target metabolites of industrial hemp for the development of COVID-19 symptom relief products” (TerpenCoTech), primary implementer.
• 2020–2023 Research Council of Lithuania programme High level R&D (SMART) project “Biological plant protection strategies: boosting sustainability-orientated competitiveness in controlled environment horticulture” (BIOCLED), primary implementer.
• 2017–2022 Research Council of Lithuania programme High level R&D project “UV-A lighting strategies for controlled environment horticulture: upgrade to sustainable, high-value production” (SMART-UVA). principal investigator.
• 2017–2020 Research Council of Lithuania Researcher Groups project “Dynamic light spectrum and intensity modeling and photoresponse in different vegetable morphogenesis stages” (MODELIGHT), primary implementer.
• 2016–2017 Horizon 2020 programme SME Instrument “Market opportunity validation and business plan development for horticulture research LED solution” (HORTILED), participant.
• 2015–2018 Research Council of Lithuania Researcher Groups project “Control of Nitrate reduction in green vegetables: Metabolic effects of light and other environmental factors” (NIMETA), principal investigator.
• 2012–2014 Research Council of Lithuania National Research Programme “Healthy and Safe Food” project “The management of microgreens nutritional quality in light culture system” (MICROGREENS), primary implementer.
• 2012–2013 Research Council of Lithuania project “Photophysiological effects for the control of plant secondary metabolism” (METABOLED), principal investigator.
• 2007–2009 Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation High-technology programme project “Solid-state lighting technology for phytotrons and greenhouses” (PHYTOLED), participant.
• 2005–2006 Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation High-technology programme project “Solid-state lighting technology for manipulation of plant physiological processes” (HORTILED), participant.
• 2006–2024 Outsourcing for economic entities: various applied research and experimental development projects.

Supervision and co-supervision of PhD projects

• 2025–2029 PhD student Ieva Karpavičienė, PhD project “Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles: the influence of genotype and cultivation environment on their phytochemical diversity”, scientific supervisor.
• 2024–2028 PhD student Nasim Safari PhD project “Controlled environment agriculture for high value medicinal plants and herbs”, scientific supervisor.
• 2019–2023 PhD student Gediminas Kudirka, PhD project “The efficiency of plant mineral nutrition and determinant factors in hydroponic systems”, scientific supervisor.
• 2013–2017 PhD student Viktorija Vaštakaitė, PhD project “The photophysiological aspects for the management of metabolites and mineral elements in Brassicaceae microgreens”, scientific supervisor.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS (click the link here)