On 16 July Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) professor Virginijus Šikšnys received a Doctor of Science accolade of the University of Bristol (JK).
The degree ceremony took place in the Wills Memorial Building. Professor Šikšnys says that it's a great honor to be awarded a Doctor of Science by the University of Bristol. "I think this award shows not only the recognition of our country's science achievements, but also proves that their are well-known worldwide. I am very delighted that Lithuania is getting its visibility in JK as a country of science and high technologies. I hope to contribute to expand the relations and common projects between both universities", professor Šikšnys claims.
Collaboration between Vilnius University and the University of Bristol continues through Wellcome Trust and European Commission projects. Three young VU LSC researchers PhD Giedrius Sasnauskas, PhD Mindaugas Zaremba and PhD Tomas Šinkūnas have done their internships in professor's Stephen Halford laboratory.
Professor Šikšnys has made a major and sustained contribution to the understanding of the structure and function of restriction enzymes. His pioneering studies of the CRISPR-Cas systems and Cas9 protein paved the way for the development of novel tools for genome editing applications. Professor Šikšnys is also a member of Lithuania Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Warren Alpert Prize, the Novozymes Prize and the Kavli Prize.
The University of Bristol is among top ten universities in JK.