Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet EPISUS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Sustainability science is an innovative research field dealing with complex socio-ecological problems of our time, from climate change and rapid urbanization to pandemics and loss of biodiversity. A major goal for sustainability science is to support societal transformations towards sustainability by generating, testing, and integrating (1) system knowledge about sustainability problems, (2) target knowledge about desirable futures, and (3) transformational knowledge about effective interventions that can lead from the problems detected to the desirable futures. Thus far, epistemological work has focused primarily on the foundations of system and target knowledge and has neglected transformational knowledge. Therefore, a major task for an epistemology of sustainability science is now to understand how transformational knowledge is generated and tested. Because of the central role they play in transformational sustainability science, in EPISUS, I take transformational experiments as entrance point to develop an epistemology of transformational sustainability science. I ask: What kind of sustainability science do we need to generate and test transformational knowledge and what role can transformational experiments play in this science? In EPISUS, I address this question by focusing on: 1. the main characteristics of transformational experiments, 2. the criteria used to evaluate experimental results and 3. the kind of theories that support, or could support, the production of transformational knowledge. I use a research design that combines the investigation of concrete examples of transformational experiments and conceptual reflections using analytical tools from the philosophy of science. EPISUS will provide a new conceptualization of transformational experiments as well as categories for the further development of transformational approaches in sustainability science that are theoretically sound and evidence-based.

Mots clés : epistemology, sustainability science, sustainable development, transformational experiments, theories of change

Participants :
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 159460.8 €
Projet ElectroNick (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Sustainable routes towards the formation of key synthetic carbon–carbon bonds by cross-coupling remains a challenge in organic chemistry. Realization of this goal will enable the combination of simple building blocks to rapidly assimilate synthetic complexity with only a minimum level of stoichiometric waste. Electrochemistry provides a new platform to conduct reactions through in situ generation of reactive intermediates under mild conditions, with broad applications to industrial synthesis. Herein, we seek to combine the fields of electrochemistry and cross-coupling reactions, using an electric current to catalytically generate alkylzinc reagents and reactive alkyl radicals. These intermediates will then undergo coupling, facilitated by nickel catalysis, to generate key carbon–carbon bonds, including challenging C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds. Furthermore, the powerful combination of electrochemistry and nickel catalysis will enable the simplest feedstock chemicals – alkanes – to be utilized for the first time in cross-coupling through a nickel chain-walking process, providing facile access to fatty acids and alternative coupled products. These projects will enable the emergence of new reaction strategies for exploitation in a sustainable manner. Additionally, this ambitious and innovative proposal will succeed through considerable two-way transfer of knowledge between the participating organizations and the ER, developing the fellow into a leading international researcher.

Mots clés : transition metal catalysis, electrocatalysis, cross coupling reactions, nickel catalysis, new reaction methodology, sustainable synthesis

Participants :
- Institut Català d'Investigació Química (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 239191.2 €
- Utah System of Higher Education (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CoCaWS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Sustainable solution for global energy crisis is firmly associated with seeking energy sources other than fossil fuel. In this respect, the production of hydrogen through water splitting (WS) has been regarded as the greenest approach to power the globe. At present, the issue of realizing active and stable material capable of catalyzing WS in all pH ranges is unsolved. CoCaWS aims at exploring new efficient catalysts for overall WS to tackle the problem of global energy crisis through ecofriendly hydrogen production. I hereby propose to study a new class of efficient catalysts based on composite two dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials. I employ the concept of confined catalysis, catalytic activities taking place in a unique nanoscale environment partitioned from the surrounding bulk space, to ensure long term efficient production of H2 from water. The van der Waals (vdW) gaps between the layers will serve as a suitable platform to confine another active species. Through this approach, I aim at solving the most critical problems in the field such as catalytic functionality in neutral media for metals or alloys and poor basal plane activity in layered 2D materials. I will make use of the most conducive research environment in UNIVE to acquire new skill/knowledge and broaden my basic knowledge on advanced characterization techniques and data interpretations. The knowledge of physical chemistry, material science, condensed mater physics, and computational chemists will be involved to confront with the complexity of the task through smooth interaction with researchers in the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems of UNIVE. The project, up on completion, will provide a significant stepping-stone in the quest for responding the escalating demand of greenest energy source. I will make every possible effort to disseminate/communicate the outcomes of CoCaWS to broad audiences ranging from schoolchildren to researchers.

Mots clés : water splitting, layered materials, van der waals gap, confined catalysis

Participants :
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171473.28 €
Projet SynPCP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

SynPCP is a MSCA-IF-EF project in Neuroscience aimed at deciphering spatiotemporal mechanisms controlled by the planar cell polarity (PCP) protein Scribble (Scrib) in spine during specification and morpho-fonctional plasticity that depend on the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton and trans-synaptic adhesions. Growing evidences suggest that PCP signaling is fundamental for neuronal development mechanisms, including dendrite morphogenesis and synaptogenesis. PCP signaling defects have been linked to a number of human neuropathies such as autism. Because of its subcellular compartment localization and interaction with actin, we hypothesize that Scrib nanoscale organization within the spine could control cytoskeleton and/or adhesion dynamics. To address this, I plan to study the coupling or interplay between Scrib-dependent signaling and the assembly of actin cytoskeleton macromolecular complexes and its connection to cadherin-adhesion molecules using biochemistry, biophysics and 3D super-resolution optical microscopy techniques, in normal and pathological conditions. This project will provide novel conceptual insights into the nanoscale segregation of PCP proteins in spines and how individual PCP proteins control the actin cytoskeleton to build functional synapses. This project will offer a multilevel and interdisciplinary approach to understand the consequences of mutations of PCP signaling at the nanoscale, cellular and physiological levels, on the establishment, maturation and function of the basic functional unit of neuronal integration in the complex circuit of the hippocampus: the dendritic spine. SynPCP will be setup at the Bordeaux Neurocampus which is well known for its contribution to synapse development and brain function. This project offers a scientific and training program critical for my career but also for the general understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the normal and pathological brain.

Mots clés : planar cell polarity, actin dynamics, spine morphology, synaptogenesis

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet ComTransTrep (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Syphilis, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA) is considered a re-emerging disease with over 5.6 million cases worldwide. Despite causing severe life-threatening infections, very little is known about the basic biology and pathogenesis of TPA, largely as the result of the inability to routinely propagate it in vitro. The recently described in vitro culture model (containing rabbit epithelial cells) has opened new avenues for the study of the basic biology of this pathogen. The ultimate goal of my research proposal is to take advantage of the in vitro model and link its use to high throughput genomic approaches to provide unique insights into the gene expression profiles of this pathogen. This has been transformative for other bacteria, enhancing our knowledge of genetic regulation: essential genes vs differentially expressed genes and intra- and inter-strain differences in response to different growth conditions. This has not been possible until now for TPA. Here, I will perform dual RNA-seq of multiple strains grown in vitro under different conditions. This research proposal has three aims. First, to describe global gene expression patterns of phylogenetically selected TPA strains. Second, to describe genome-wide interaction-linked transcriptional alterations of the infected host cells. And lastly, to correlate the whole transcriptome data with genomic and allelic diversity we see in circulating clinical TPA populations. This project will generate novel fundamental data which can lead to identification of functional pathways and prediction of the function for hypothetical genes, give light to the patterns of selection we see in genomic data and a better understanding of the key growth dependencies that could inform future axenic cultivation of TPA and combined a better understanding of basic biology introduce a more mechanistic understanding to surveillance and genomic epidemiology.

Mots clés : pathogenic treponemes, in vitro cultivation, rna seq

Participants :
- Wellcome Trust (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet TET2rec (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

TET2 (Tet Methylcytosine Dioxygenase 2) is a DNA demethylase frequently mutated in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification with key roles in the specification of cellular identity, and, when deregulated, in cancer. DNA methylation is a reversible process and, only recently, it was discovered that TET (Ten-eleven Translocation) proteins mediate DNA demethylation. Mammals have three TET homologues (TET1-3). While TET1 and TET3 share an N-terminal DNA-binding domain (CXXC motif), TET2 has lost its CXXC motif during evolution. Therefore, it is not understood how TET2 binds DNA. Due to the lack of a known DNA-binding domain in TET2, I hypothesize that TET2 may require to interact with proteins to be recruited to DNA, which is essential for its function. Hence, the main goal of my proposal is to understand how TET2 binds to DNA and to identify interacting proteins that participate in this recruitment. I also aim to unveil whether cancer-associated mutations affect TET2 recruitment. To achieve these goals, I will perform a structural-functional analysis of TET2. First, I will perform Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by whole genome sequencing of wildtype and truncated TET2. Thus, I will identify the region(s) required for the binding of TET2 to DNA. Next, I will seek proteins that interact with TET2 through the previously identified region by Mass Spectrometry and I will test their involvement in TET2 recruitment to DNA. Furthermore, I will perform similar experiments to inspect the impact of TET2 missense mutations found in human cancer on TET2 recruitment to DNA. Altogether, this project will yield a better understanding of how TET2 is recruited to DNA. The results obtained will significantly impact the epigenetic field and allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which TET2 exerts its function in normal cells and how TET2 mutations contribute to cancer.

Mots clés : tet2, dna binding, dna methylation, chromatin immunoprecipitation  chip, mass spectrometry, es cells

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet THIODIV (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

THIODIV brings together the complementary expertise of Dr Nagnath More (NM, expertise in oxidative reactions and arylation processes) with Dr Paul Davies (Host, expertise in gold catalysis and sulfur-based reaction development). Gold catalysis attract significant international interest due to its ability to generate metal carbene character from alkynes delivering more sustainable synthesis. Current strategies to address the major challenge of site-selective carbene formation use terminal alkynes, or those with strongly electron-donating- or electron-withdrawing groups. Limitations derive from the gold carbenes environment and its impact on reactivity, or the incorporation of undesired directing groups. THIODIV will study the potential of sulfur-substitution to deliver complementary directing effects while introducing a desirable functional group into the resulting molecule. Preliminary studies show that sulfur can enable gold-catalysed reactivity, yet propose different directing-modes which lead to different regiocontrol. The overall aim of THIODIV is to examine the role of sulfur substitution on alkynes in gold catalysis and clarify its influence on reactivity, and hence allow wider application of sulfur-directing groups in gold catalysis and synthesis more widely. A diversity-generating dynamic reaction manifold will be used to elucidate key control parameters by studying two approaches, an oxidative rearrangement, and an arylative rearrangement. Alongside insight into reaction control and directing effects, THIODIV will provide new and efficient access to motifs that are featured in numerous bioactive compounds and are highly desirable in industry and academia as synthetic intermediates. While addressing fundamental questions of reactivity and control, THIODIV will also equip NM with the skills to incorporate hit- and lead-like properties into structure-reactivity studies to deliver new molecular entities that are applicable in pharmaceutical discovery.

Mots clés : gold catalysis, thioethers, alkynes, regioselectivity, arylations

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet TIMEUSE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

TIMEUSE aims to study the integration of immigrants for a wide range of EU and non-EU countries, by applying a new approach based on the time immigrants and natives allocate to daily activities. This objective will be achieved by: 1) investigating the differences between immigrants and natives in participation and in the time spent in integrating activities using parametric methods. In particular, the analysis will focus on differences between sub-groups of immigrants based on gender and other characteristics; 2) developing new metrics that analyse the relationships between integrating activities and how individuals distribute the time across activities. The analysis of the relationships between activities allows us to better understand deviations from desirable behaviour and inform policy actions aimed at removing constraints. The research will be based upon the use of highly detailed data on the time-use of a large sample of immigrants and natives residing in several EU countries, USA and Canada. In order to achieve this objective, I will be based at CESSMIR, an excellent centre in migration studies that is part of the Ghent University; an internationally renowned institution ranking among the 100 best universities in the world. Here, I will be trained in innovative and interdisciplinary methods applied to migration studies under the supervision of Prof. Glenn Rayp. Additional training on data management techniques will be provided by my secondment at CTUR, a world-leading centre that manages the data I will use in the analysis. The successful completion of training and research under TIMEUSE will greatly benefit my future career prospects in academia.

Mots clés : immigration, time use, integration of migrants, network analysis

Participants :
- Ghent University (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet Eco-Unions (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Tackling the global crisis of human-induced climate change is the most urgent and immense challenge of the twenty-first century. To help surmount this challenge, the European Union has subscribed to the Paris Agreement and the seventeen goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Transitioning to a low carbon economy requires a broad coalition of governments, supranational institutions, corporations, and civil society actors. Among these, trade unions have a crucial role to play because the most significant path to decarbonization will be through a transformation of industrial production, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of Europe’s total carbon emissions. While trade unions have a demonstrated capacity to help make industrial processes more sustainable, their action is limited by a constant “jobs versus environment” dilemma between protecting the environment and protecting jobs in polluting industries, which millions of their members depend on for their livelihood. ‘Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy: Trade Unions and the Jobs versus Environment Dilemma’ (EcoUnions) is a comparative, interdisciplinary and multi methods study that will: (a) examine and compare trade union approaches to the dilemma in Denmark and the United Kingdom; b) explore how organisational and institutional dynamics shape trade union action; and (c) determine what role trade unions play in public debate on the transition to a low carbon economy. Theoretically, the goal of Eco-Unions is to develop a multi-level analytical framework that can guide future empirical inquiry and allow for a holistic understanding of the three key interconnected arenas in which trade unions are navigating the “jobs versus environment” dilemma: internal union strategizing, climate policy-making and public debate. To achieve this, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, combining employment relations with environmental sociology and the new field of environmental labour studies.

Mots clés : trade unions, transition to a low carbon economy, jobs versus environment  dilemma, denmark, united kingdom, digital methods

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 219312.0 €
Projet SQZOMS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Technological advancements over the last quarter-century have led to moving-mirror interferometric experiments obtaining the most sensitive displacement measurements to date. In such experiments, even if classical noise has been reduced, two quantum-noise sources are still present: quantum shot noise (QSN) and quantum radiation pressure noise (QRPN). The combination of these quantum noise sources results in a limit of displacement sensitivity that one can achieve with a coherent laser beam: the standard quantum limit (SQL). Measuring and surpassing the SQL is of keen interest to the fields of optomechanics and interferometric gravitational-wave detection. Since the mid-1980s, the gravitational-wave detection community has been developing quantum squeezed states technologies in order to surpass the limits of quantum noise and the SQL. This technology development has seen excellent success in high profile scientific results. This project will result in the sensitivity enhancement of a quantum-noise-driven macroscopic optomechanical cavity using frequency-independent and frequency-dependent squeezed light from a newly built squeezed light source. Outcomes of the project include the observation of measurement back-action at the quantum level in both QRPN and QSN regimes, and the first frequency-dependent-squeezing enhancement measurement over a broad frequency band below the SQL. This project will bring together technology, techniques and expertise at the forefront of optomechanics and quantum squeezed light research fields, leading to synergistic advancement of both fields. It is expected to produce high impact scientific outcomes in a highly strategic field of expertise, raising the research profile of the fellow and of the host group, and will lead to the opening of scientific career pathways in physics and engineering for the fellow.

Mots clés : optomechanics, squeezed light

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €