Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet SUMAC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Anthropogenic emissions of the toxic heavy metal mercury (Hg) threaten human health and ecosystems. The elemental form of emitted gaseous mercury, Hg(0), can be transported globally in the atmosphere due to its long lifetime of 4–6 months, but upon oxidation it forms soluble divalent mercury, Hg(II), which is rained out within days. However, there are many uncertainties associated with atmospheric Hg chemistry, leading to uncertain predictions of its fate and ecosystem impacts. Additionally, it is unknown how Hg cycling has been affected by recent, global change-induced trends in atmospheric oxidants (e.g., ozone and halogens). To address these knowledge gaps, the interdisciplinary SUMAC project will train the experienced researcher (ER) to integrate the latest knowledge from laboratory kinetics, computational and isotope chemistry, and field measurements into a global atmospheric Hg model, GEOS-Chem. By applying statistical methods from the field of global sensitivity analysis, the ER will identify the key chemical reaction rates that contribute the most to the uncertainty in the atmospheric Hg lifetime. Using Bayesian inference methods, the ER will develop constraints from field measurements for these reaction rates, establishing a new chemical mechanism for atmospheric Hg models. With the refined Hg chemical mechanism, the ER will conduct historical and future simulations to evaluate temporal trends in the Hg chemical lifetime and resultant impacts on Hg dispersion and deposition. By being the first study to quantify the influence of atmospheric chemistry on observed Hg trends, SUMAC will support the effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty aimed at reducing Hg emissions. Aside from the breakthrough research outcomes, SUMAC will strengthen the capacity of Hg modelling within Europe through the ER’s training activities, knowledge transfer to host institutions, open-access model development, and outreach.

Mots clés : mercury, modelling, chemistry transport model, halogens, ozone, global sensitivity analysis, bayesian inference, climate, minamata convention

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet UNDERPIN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Aggregation of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) is a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative pathologies such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The mechanism leading to RBP aggregation relies on the ability of these proteins to transition into membrane-less compartments such as the stress granules (SG) whose formation is normally regulated in physiological conditions. Yet, as RBPs are intrinsically prone to coalesce in large assemblies, their accumulation, when unregulated, can lead to cell toxicity. While the effects of amino acid mutations on RBP aggregation have been extensively investigated, a large amount of evidence indicates that nucleotide variants in untranslated regions (UTRs) can strongly impact RBP expression by altering the interactions with specific regulatory proteins. UTRs provide a platform where multiple RBPs bind to orchestrate post-transcriptional regulation. I envision that UTRs, by directing contacting specific protein networks are crucial in aggregate formation and that alteration of their interactomes—due to disease-linked mutations—could impact the propensity to form SG and other assemblies. The main objective of UNDERPIN is to reveal interactions in regulatory regions of RBPs and to understand their effects on phase separation in physiology and pathology. Firstly, I plan to investigate the effects of disease-linked mutations on UTRs of RNAs encoding RBPs by large-scale predictions of UTR-RBP interactors. Secondly, interactions between RBP and selected UTRs, with and without disease-linked mutations, will be revealed in human cells by RNA-protein interaction detection experimental method RaPID. Finally, the biological implications of UTR-mediated recruitment of RBPs will be deciphered providing molecular details on how UTRs and RBPs promote the formation of aggregates. Successful completion of this project will not only lead to new insights into RBP biology, but will also pave the way to understand early events of neurodegeneration.

Mots clés : rna binding proteins untranslated regions post transcriptional regulation stress granules liquid liquid phase separation neurodegeneration

Participants :
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet SYNCON (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Verbal conversations are a hallmark of human social interaction and are supported by various socio-cognitive processes promoting specific conversation patterns. For instance, more engaging conversations are marked by how often and quickly participants switch turns speaking (turn-taking). Similarly, an engaging conversation is also marked by the interlocutors converging towards a common phonetic space (phonetic convergence). One of the neural mechanisms supporting these conversation patterns is proposed to be interpersonal neural synchrony (INS), the coupling of brain oscillations between two interlocutors. However, only a few studies truly tested the role of INS during free-flowing conversations. These studies have some limitations as they were either conducted in a non-ecologically valid context or the evidence was purely correlational. In addition, important inter-dyadic differences were neglected. The present project – SYNCON – aims to overcome these limitations by combining EEG hyperscanning with multi-person brain stimulation (tACS) and personalized neuroscience. I will first measure the correlation between INS and mutually engaged conversations marked by enhanced turn-taking and phonetic convergence. The measurement will yield a dyad-specific INS profile, considering properties such as frequency, phase, and topography. Utilizing a longitudinal design, these profiles will allow me – in a second experiment – to exogenously induce INS between interlocutors and, in turn, promote mutually engaged conversations (i.e., increased turn-taking and phonetic convergence). Understanding the causal role of INS in conversations will have groundbreaking applications for facilitating interpersonal communication across therapeutical and educational contexts. Accordingly, this project will address critical gaps in our understanding of the neural underpinnings of human communication and its potential use in applied contexts.

Mots clés : interpersonal neural synchrony, conversation, turn taking, phonetic convergence, hyperscanning, multi person brain stimulation, personalized neuroscience

Participants :
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet TOGETHER (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Green hydrogen is feedstock, fuel, energy carrier, and storage at the same time, and one of the important cornerstones to decarbonize industrial and economic sectors on the European continent. The proposed action ‘Towards Green Hydrogen by Layered Metal Halide Perovskite Heterostructures - TOGETHER’ will deliver a highly tunable material platform by integrating lateral heterostructures in two-dimensional layered metal halide perovskites (2DLP) to overcome the high exciton binding energy and ultimately enable long-distance charge separation for photocatalytic generation of green hydrogen. The structures developed in TOGETHER will provide a spatially confined directional flow of electrons to the edge of the semiconducting layer in 2DLPs, where they can be extracted by protons to form hydrogen. The unique flexibility of the materials platform architecture will result in a large degree of freedom to tune each step in the photocatalytic cycle to increase the solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency. The formation of lateral heterostructures in 2DLPs will be achieved through tailored consecutive ion exchange, which is a powerful tool to manipulate the composition while maintaining the crystal structure, size, and shape of the parent object. TOGETHER is a highly interdisciplinary effort that builds on cutting-edge research in material science with chemistry, physics, and engineering.

Mots clés : perovskites

Participants :
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet REFRAME (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The new policies issued by the European Commission support the concept of bioeconomy and circular economy to develop a new value chain in the market across the implementation of innovative technologies for the production of bio-based compounds from (bio)waste and wastewater. In this scenario, REFRAME project aims to upgrade wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) into Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF) in which wastewater and sewage sludge are used as raw materials for the production of different bio-based compounds. A bio-based compound is defined as a product that is derived from materials of biological origin. The main objective of REFRAME is to develop a new hybrid biological system assisted by an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) based control for the combined production and purification processes of targeted bio-based volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). REFRAME will be the platform for chemicals, precursors for bioplastics, and feed ingredients ready for the market. A WWTP becomes a WRRF that attempts to produce valuable and marketable bio-based products, such as cellulose by utilizing the organic matter from the wastewater as raw material. The recovery of cellulosic primary sludge (CPS) could be biologically converted to other bio-based compounds, such as VFAs and PHAs. The project will advance the state of the art of the field by the investigation of a new type of bioprocess and bacterial metabolisms to fill the current lack of the long-term stability, quality, and purity of isolated bio-based compounds (VFAs and PHAs) produced from CPS as raw materials.  The applicant has a proven record of biological processes control, a fundamental skill required for REFRAME. He will thrive in the environment of the University of Verona, department of biotechnology. This project will enrich and broaden the applicant's expertise in this field and fortify his international research career.

Mots clés : biorefinery, cellulosic primary sludge, volatile fatty acids, polyhydroxyalkanoates, bioproducts, animal feed, oxidation reduction potential

Participants :
- Université de Vérone (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215937.6 €
- Nordvästra Skånes Vatten och Avlopp (Sweden) (Suède) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet TeCh-Coast (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

TeCh-Coast aims to understand how past populations have used tools and what technological choices they have made to deal with the coastal environment. On the southern Norway seashore, the Late Mesolithic (6300-4500 cal BC) sites constitute a unique knowledge repository of coastal hunter-gatherer populations, in which stone-knapped tools are the most frequent artifacts. However, very little is known about the use of these to exploit coastal resources. How and for what were these tools used? How does their use reflect socially transmitted technological knowledge to exploit coastal resources? Through an innovative and interdisciplinary techno-functional approach, TeCh-Coast aims to bring new functional data on the use of lithic tools to further understand the technological choices of coastal populations. Analyses of the plastic deformations on the surface of the tools due to their use (i.e. use-wears) will be performed on three preselected lithic assemblages. In addition, an experimental analytical program will be set to identify quantifiable wear attributes in lithic tools resulting from the exploitation of marine animal resources by means of confocal scanning microscopy. Finally, by combining observations with a dynamic technological approach and landscape archaeology, the project will aim to identify the technological choices of the coastal groups. More widely, the present project will provide a broader perspective on the Atlantic European seashore, allowing cross-regional comparisons with other coastal groups. The TeCh-Coast project results will have an important impact on the research of the coastal Stone Age hunter-gatherer populations, as well as bring new methodological perspectives to use-wear studies. The results will be disseminated by open-access publications and outreach activities. Through a prehistoric perspective, the project aims to engage in the social debate about the role of technology in the exploitation of environmental resources in the present.

Mots clés : coastal hunter gatherers late mesolithic technological choices lithic knapped tools use wear studies functional analyses confocal microscopy

Participants :
- Université d'Oslo (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 210911.04 €
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet OPTSENTUC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Improving the efficiency of solar cells can have far reaching impacts globally. The proposal ‘OPTSENTUC’, is devised to improve the quantum yield of solid-state triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion(sTTAUC) by optimizing the sensitization process. sTTAUC can be exploited to extend the absorption spectral range of any solar cell and hence can significantly improve single p-n junction solar cell power conversion efficiency beyond the fundamental Shockley- Queisser limit. The first part will focus on understanding the major loss mechanism in sTTAUC- the back transfer of upconverted excitation energy via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) - and will try to address it by quantitatively optimizing sensitizer parameters. Based on this study a sensitizer concentration threshold with respect to Förster distance will be established and an annihilator-sensitizer pair with least FRET loss will be identified. The threshold intensity for TTAUC is usually orders of magnitude higher than the solar flux and decreasing sensitizer concentration to reduce FRET will further increase this threshold. The second part of the proposal will address this challenge by coupling the sensitizer absorption with a cavity mode so that the ability of the upconversion system to absorb light will be enhanced. A simultaneous coupling of another mode of the cavity will make sure the outcoupling efficiency is not compromised due to cavity introduction. Thus, enhancing the scope of sTTAUC in real world applications.

Mots clés : triplet triplet annihilation upconversion, forster resonance energy transfer, weak light matter coupling

Participants :
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet CoffeeRings (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

After spilling coffee, a tell-tale circular stain is left by the drying droplet. This universal phenomenon, known as the “coffee ring effect”, is observed independent of the dispersed material. However, for many technological processes (e.g., coating and ink-jet printing) a uniform particle deposition is required and the coffee ring effect is a major drawback. In preliminary work, I found that the coffee ring effect can be avoided by coating the dispersed particles with surface-active polymers, which leads to a homogeneous particle film independent of the dispersed material type, shape and liquid. The aim of the project "CoffeeRings" is to provide a fundamental understanding on how the physio-chemical properties of the polymer coating affect the interactions of the particles and the drying behavior of the respective particle dispersion. I will receive hands-on training on optical tweezers by the hosting group to fundamentally determine and systematically quantify the changes induced by the polymer coating throughout all stages of the drying process with single-particle resolution. In WP1, I will synthesize a series of model particles with a defined polymer coating and adjust polymer type, grafting density and chain length. In WP2, I will use optical tweezers to measure their interaction potential in bulk liquid, their adsorption rate to liquid interfaces, and their interaction potential when confined at liquid interfaces, which will mimic the involved interactions within drying dispersion droplets. In WP3, I will investigate the drying behavior of the particle dispersions and combine the macroscopic drying manifestations with the microscopic interactions determined in WP2. The successful realization of this project will improve the compositions of particle–polymer–solvent mixtures to obtain reliable, homogeneous deposits, which will stimulate technological advances coating and ink-jet printing processes.

Mots clés : coffee ring effect

Participants :
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €
Projet RUNEKITSCH (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This research project will examine a history of views of pre-Christian Scandinavia that begins in the High Middle Ages and continues in the present day, focusing on a persistent association between runic inscription, eddic poetry, and magic. Rather than continuities or survivals of pre-Christian practices into the Christian period, this research will reveal them as fundamentally High to Late Medieval practices (such as magical runic inscriptions using eddic meters, and eddic poetry referring to runes and magic) showing a form of alienated attraction toward the pagan past. The survival of this attitude will be traced through the Early Modern period, in which learned writers not only take these Medieval Christian textual objects at face value, but also reproduce their stance of alienated attraction, continuing to view the pre-Christian past as a source of esoteric knowledge. Finally, we see this view continually reproduced through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries even as modern philology continues to develop. In this period, we also see both “serious” scholarship on this subject and para-academic occultist interest in it become increasingly entangled with the politics of the far right. Ultimately this research will reveal the continuing stance of alienated attraction as a form of runic “kitsch.” The project will be carried out in four phases to cover the necessary methodological concerns and sources from three periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Modern). The results will be disseminated as a monograph manuscript, as well as in media articles and through papers given at international conferences.


Participants :
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet SWIM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The SWIM project will tackle a critical challenge for the emerging field of Ising Machines (IMs): the development of miniaturized, low-power, and low-cost IMs with high computational power, commercial feasibility, and speed beyond classical Von-Neuman and CMOS-based solutions. SWIM will achieve this through exploiting exceptionally slow propagating spinwaves and using off-the-shelf power-efficient microwave electronic components and circuits in an entirely novel architecture of YIG-film-based Ising Machines (IM) with potential performance many orders of magnitude beyond the state-of-the-art. The project's objectives are to explore the possibilities of using spinwaves and microwave signals to construct multiphysical time-multiplexed IMs and study and determine the spinwave phenomena and electronic design techniques needed to improve targeted parameters: power consumption, Ising spin capacity, physical size, and speed performance. The objectives will be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach involving classical and modern methods. Theoretical magnetostatic description of propagating spinwaves, micromagnetic simulation methods, and electronic circuit design theory will be used for the SWIM design. Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy and microwave measurement techniques will be used for the analysis of the results and further improvement.

Mots clés : ising machines, spinwaves, magnonics, computing, combinatorial optimization problems, oscillators

Participants :
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €