Topic: research

The DNA of two randomly selected people is approximately 99.9% identical. However, differences in the remaining 0.1% of the genome influence many individual traits, including appearance, disease risk, and the body's response to medications. A study by researchers at the University of Tartu found that this small amount of genetic variation may also be linked to several personality traits.

On 31 August, Prime Minister Kristen Michal convened a government advisory board of digital safety experts, including five researchers from the University of Tartu, who advocate evidence-based solutions.

Nominations for the Estonian Science Communication Awards can be submitted to the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) until 15 September. The competition aims to recognise outstanding and active science communicators as well as innovative initiatives that promote science to wider audiences.

The Estonian Research Council (ETAG) invites students to participate in the 2026 National Contest for University Students. The last day for submissions is 15 September. This year, the total prize fund exceeds €200,000.

Registration is now open for the University of Tartu’s three-minute thesis competition for doctoral researchers, which will take place on 21 October at the University of Tartu Library. The deadline for registration is 12 October.

Submissions are invited for a special issue of the Estonian Journal of Education (Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri), Vol. 15, No. 2, which is scheduled to be published in November 2027.

Twelve interdisciplinary doctoral positions will be created at the University of Tartu to explore potential applications of artificial intelligence, including, for example, addressing mental health issues, reducing food waste, assessing the overall impact of spatial planning, and facilitating sign language interpreting.

This autumn, doctoral researchers of the University of Tartu will again have the opportunity to participate in the three-minute thesis competition. The competition will be held on 21 October in the conference hall of the University of Tartu Library.

Researchers from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Tartu are participating in the Baltic-German collaborative project “Feelings in the Eyes: Toward Standardized Pupillometric Analysis in Emotion Regulation Research”, together with researchers from Vilnius University and Ruhr University Bochum. The project aims to advance methodological standards in pupillometry research.