Junior researcher and doctoral student Greta Striganavičiūtė from the Laboratory of Forest Plant Biotechnology of the Institute of Forestry has won a prestigious fellowship for female scientists pursuing a scientific career. The competition was organised by the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian Academies of Sciences, together with UNESCO National Commissions, in response to UNESCO’s global call to reduce the gender gap in science.
Greta is studying how birch and black alder seedlings from different genetic lines respond to harmful pollutants – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which accumulate in forest ecosystems. The researcher combined the genetic diversity of trees with PAH-degrading and growth-promoting microorganisms and assessed their physiological response to pollutant stress.
The results of the study emphasise that the combination of strategic trees and microorganisms is of great importance in optimising phytoremediation and advanced biotechnological methods for restoring PAH-contaminated forests in the Baltic region.
Congratulations to Greta and wish her essential and significant discoveries in her scientific journey.
