The biography of the young scientist is quite impressive - he has obtained his bachelor's and master's degree at Ural Federal University (UrFU, Russia, supervisor professor A. Sobolev), he received his doctorate in 2009 at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg (Germany, prof. T. Henning's scientific group). After that, Antons Vasjuņins continued working at this institute as post-doctoral but afterwards, as a post-doctoral has worked at the Ohio State University and the University of Virginia (USA, prof. E. Herbst's group), University of Leeds (the United Kingdom), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) Centre for Astrochemical Studies in Garching (Germany, director of the centre is Paola Caselli). All of his supervisors are the world's leading astrochemists. Concurrently, A. Vasjuņins continued his scientific work also in UrFu in Yekaterinburg. 

Antons Vasjuņins is a world-renowned scientist in the field of astrophysics. Currently (first half of 2018) he is the author and co-author of about 50 scientific works, 32 of which are publications in the leading scientific databases Scopus and Web of Science. His research topics include current topics such as the search for precursors of organic compounds and biological molecules and chemistry in space, the transformation of substances into interstellar dust, the development of software for astrochemical calculations. 

In the project ASTRA, A. Vasjuņins will be the leading executor of Action 1 "Modelling of the Chemical Processes of the Interstellar Environment", conducting research in astrochemistry - a field of astronomy which is closely related to radio astronomy. He has previously acted as a project consultant from the MPE Cooperation Institute.' At the end of his employment contract at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, A. Vasjuņins agreed to start working at VUAS ERI VIRAC and in the project ASTRA. A. Vasjuņin's career change is a great benefit for the ASTRA project implementation team. The topic of activities of the "Modelling of the Chemical Processes of the Interstellar Environment" largely coincides with A. Vasjuņin's specialty and scientific interests. His contribution will be significant both in the development of the astrochemistry programme and in its application in the study of chemical processes of the interstellar environment.         

Antons Vasjuņin's work at the VIRAC also marks a broader collaboration with UrFU in the field of astronomy.  At the same time, a promising master of astrochemistry, Valerija Sokolova, is also carrying out her research work at the VIRAC. Valerija has already created a scientific publication within the framework of her bachelor's thesis. At the beginning of 2018, the outstanding Russian astrophysicist, UrFU professor Andrei Sobolev, also visited Ventspils and gave lectures.