Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet Cyclacene (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cyclic conjugated systems composed of benzene rings have attracted the interest of many chemists because of their novel structures and application value in nanotechnology, electronics, and host-guest chemistry. What attracted chemists is that they are the smallest repeating units of different types of carbon nanotubes. Their properties are of particular interest and they raise hope in the field of controllable growth of carbon nanotubes with uniform chirality. Carbon nanobelts and rings are notable not only for their structural similarity to carbon nanotubes but also for their significant value in supramolecular chemistry, molecular machines, and the fundamental understanding of π-conjugation. Chemists have extensively studied the host-guest interactions between various carbon nanobelts/rings and different curved π-systems. In addition, carbon nanobelts/rings have been investigated for their potential applications in organic semiconductors, optoelectronic devices. organic batteries, polarized luminescence, and guest recognition. However, due to the difficulties in the synthesis of carbon nanobelts/rings, their exploration in the field of functional materials for electronics, photonics, and photovoltaics so far remained limited. In this proposal, I suggest a new method for the synthesis of [9]CPP and [20]cyclacene using a templating approach for the synthesis of shape-persistent macrocycles molecules with large strain energy. The template molecule can organize the reactants and provide effective guidance to promote the formation of a specific product. Meanwhile, the substituted [20]cyclacene could also be synthesized by simply changing the reactants, thus expanding its application in the field of supramolecular chemistry and functional materials.

Mots clés : template synthesis carbon nanobelts rings host guest interactions

Participants :
- Université de Wurtzbourg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217965.12 €
Projet ConNuc (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The three-dimensional organization of chromosomal DNA is essential for critical genomic functions, including chromosome segregation, gene expression, and DNA damage repair. Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes, such as cohesin, the Smc5/6 complex, and condensin, are integral to preserving chromosomal architecture and supporting these vital processes. Condensin folds DNA into mitotic chromosomes through DNA loop extrusion, a process critical for proper chromosome segregation. Recent single-molecule studies using naked DNA as template have shed light on how condensin drives DNA loop extrusion through multiple dynamic DNA-protein contacts. However, in cells, DNA is organized into nucleosomes that further compact into chromatin fibers, stabilized by linker histone H1, which restricts DNA accessibility to most DNA-binding proteins. How condensin gets access to DNA and extrudes DNA wrapped into nucleosome arrays remains unclear. Understanding how condensin operates on chromatin fibers is essential, as dysregulation of condensin activity in humans is linked to neurological disorders, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. This research aims to explore whether and how condensin extrudes nucleosome arrays by implementing a novel single-molecule chromatin loop extrusion assay. This project aims to (1) examine whether in-vitro-reconstituted densely packed nucleosome arrays affect condensin-mediated DNA loop extrusion; (2) study the impact of internucleosomal linker DNA length on this process; (3) assess the influence of nucleosome compaction by linker histone H1 on condensin-mediated loop extrusion; (4) investigate the enhancement of condensin-mediated DNA loop extrusion by chromatin remodellers. Insights gained from these studies have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of how the condensin complex interacts with chromatin fibers and extrudes these fibers into loops within the cellular environment.

Mots clés : genome organization, condensin, single molecule dna loop extrusion, nncleosome arrays, linker histone h1

Participants :
- Université de Wurtzbourg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217965.12 €
Projet BITES (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Advancements in technologies for progressing decarbonization through clean energy production have recently captured global attention. Capturing thermal energy from the environment and converting it into electricity will support a low carbon dioxide economy. To ensure the sustainable development of reliable and affordable energy across the world, new trends and advancements are necessary for clean energy production and storage systems. High energy consumption by buildings makes a large contribution to the worldwide energy crises. This proposed project mainly aims to make use of thermoelectric technology to reduce energy consumption in buildings by exploring various possibilities of thermoelectric device designs, modelling studies and hybrid PV-TE systems for development of smart building, and address concerns regarding current systems. The plan is to make use of thermoelectric technologies in the building structure for air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems and supports green and sustainable energy policies across the world. It is difficult to achieve all targets (such as excellent performance, good stability, environmental safety and economic feasibility) during the building-integrated thermoelectric study in a well-defined period. However, any fruitful outcome can be helpful to the living world and climate.

Mots clés : thermoelectrics, building structure, heating cooling and ventilation, solar thermoelectric technologies, module designs, modelling studies

Participants :
- Université de Navarre (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209914.56 €
Projet PLATEX (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

PLATEX studies how users are affected by increased standardization associated with tools and services offered by platforms, and whether AI offsets these effects through customization. PLATEX reveals a potential “illusion of choice” where optional tools shape competition on platforms and enable unequal treatment of users under the veil of self-selection. In the empirical context of the e-commerce industry, PLATEX examines how a tool offered by a leading European price comparison platform impacts users’ behavior and performance. In a second step, PLATEX integrates platform and AI research to examine the interplay of standardization and customization through AI. To this end, PLATEX conducts experiments on a newly created peer-to-peer chat platform and analyses the use of an AI tool based on natural language processing (NLP), using an innovative methodological approach that combines the benefits of lab and field experiments. PLATEX builds on a two-way transfer of knowledge between the researcher, whose research identity centers on ecosystems and platforms, and the host institution IESE Business School, where the supervisor of the project, Prof. Sampsa Samila, directs the AI and Future of Management Initiative. The training advances the researcher’s knowledge and network in the field of AI, adds to her methodological toolkit with experimental methods, and sets her on the path to a tenured professorship at a leading European business school. It also positions her for non-academic roles in the fields of data science, business development and technology regulation.

Mots clés : technology strategy, platforms, artificial intelligence, standardization, competition, business ecosystems, consumer protection, quantitative empirical and experimental methods

Participants :
- Université de Navarre (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet TCOU (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This project will study the improvement in effectiveness of the European Commission’s leniency program in cartel detection post the 2002 reform, which improved the program’s transparency and reduced its uncertainty. Specifically, I aim to quantify the increase in number of leniency applications attributed to the feature of automatic amnesty using a structural approach. In addition, I am interested in finding out how firms with different characteristics, such as sizes, industries, compositions of management and board, respond differently to the reduction in uncertainty. The main objectives of the project include deepening the understanding of firms’ behaviors under uncertainty, bringing forth methodological innovations, informing on policy making and raising awareness of the general public. To achieve these objectives, I will employ innovative approaches that are multidisciplinary and go beyond the state of the art, while paying special attention to the of gender. I will actively engage in supervision and training provided by my host institution, construct and refine the theoretical model and empirical strategy in a timely manner, disseminate the research idea and findings through a professional network that I will actively expand, and engage with a broader audience outside of academia, including policymakers, business leaders and the general public. In the process of achieving these objectives, I will acquire and improve skills in technical aspects of economics research, data management and research management. I will also expand my professional network, improve domain translational expertise, which will enhance my career prospects in academia, the private and public sectors.

Mots clés : empirical industrial organization, structural estimation, law and economics, antitrust, leniecy program

Participants :
- Université de Navarre (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet WhiskerSchema (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

When walking with a cane, a blind person can localize the objects they touch. Tool-based sensing requires the brain to combine sensory signals at the hand and proprioceptive information together with knowledge of the physical properties of the tool. To correctly interpret the signals sensed with a tool, the brain incorporates the tool in its internal representation of the body in space, known as the body schema. However, the neuronal basis for integrating somatosensory with the body schema information is largely unknown. I hypothesize that feedback projections from higher cortical areas involved in body schema shape cortical somatosensory processing to create a spatial representation of touch. I propose to tackle this question at the cellular and circuit levels by introducing the mouse as a model organism. Mice use their whiskers to effectively localize objects in space, yet the whiskers themselves lack mechanoreceptors. Here, I will record neuronal activity in the somatosensory cortex (S1) using two-photon imaging while presenting mice with objects at different locations in a two-dimensional horizontal plane. From my preliminary experiments, I found that individual layer 2/3 neurons in S1 have preferences for different spatial positions. Using optogenetics, I will test the impact of feedback projections from the body schema network on the spatial representation in S1. Finally, I will employ a “prosthetic whisker” designed in the host lab to vary the physical parameters of the mouse whisker. This experimental design will allow exploring the consequences of a mismatch between the body schema and the actual physical properties of the tool used in the cortical representation of space. Through the development of a prosthetic whisker, this proposal aims to leverage the mouse model to shed light on a major open question in cognitive neuroscience.


Participants :
- Université de Bordeaux (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195914.88 €
Projet EPHHG (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

High-order harmonic generation (HHG) is a highly nonlinear phenomenon arising from the propagation of a laser pulse throughout a medium. HHG is used to generate tabletop sources of attosecond light pulses, essential for probing ultrafast phenomena in matter at the natural scales of the electrons. The shape of the generated light pulses can be changed by changing the intensity or the frequency of the incident light. However, these parameters cannot be continuously changed in experiments, in contrast to the ellipticity which is moreover simple to adjust and acts as a control knob. While polarization of the incident light is very promising for controlling the shape of the generated attosecond light pulses, up to date, HHG is limited to a narrow range of ellipticities only. The project EPHHG aims to control continuously the shape of generated attosecond light pulses from incident elliptically polarized lights in the full range of laser ellipticities. I propose a theoretical and numerical investigation adapted for this purpose. It includes the development of both theoretical models and sophisticated numerical methods in order to simulate and understand the self-consistent light-matter interactions occurring during light propagation.

Mots clés : high order harmonic generation, light matter interactions, macroscopic laser propagation, recollisions, nonlinear dynamics, multiscale dynamics

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195914.88 €
Projet UNiCSAFe (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Nowadays, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production is insufficient to cover the growing needs of the aviation sector. The European Commission has set a target for fuels supplied to EU airports to contain 70% SAF by 2050, representing a quantity of 40 million tons of SAF. To address this challenge, UNiCSAFe aims at developing new efficient and sustainable catalysts for alkylbenzene synthesis (SAF precursor). Alkylbenzene are synthesized by oligomerization of ethylene followed by Friedel Crafts alkylation of aromatic compounds (both precursors can be produced from biosources or CO2). All effective processes described in the literature are based on homogeneous catalysts (with a large excess of AlCl3) which prevents the easy separation of catalyst from the desired SAF precursor. To circumvent this, the Surface Organometallic Chemistry (SOMC), combining the advantages of both heterogeneous and molecular chemistry (well-defined catalysts that can be easily recycled), is a powerful approach that will allow the synthesis of new supported nickel catalysts for the tandem ethylene oligomerization/Friedel-Crafts alkylation. The rational development of such catalysts will be tackled by combining experimental and theoretical means. Beyond synthetic work and catalyst evaluation, the project targets a better understanding of the reaction mechanism, allowing fine-tuning of the second generation of catalysts (more efficient, selective and sustainable) for SAF precursor synthesis. In conclusion, UNiCSAFe represents a first step toward the development of a technology for SAF production, which is a gateway to increase the share of renewable energies in aviation industries. The UNiCSAFe project merges advanced organometallic chemistry, including SOMC, catalysis and both experimental and theoretical mechanistic investigation. Thus, it provides an excellent platform to develop and bolster my scientific- and soft-skills, and strengthen my profile to pursue my own independent career.

Mots clés : surface organometallic chemistry, catalyst development, nickel catalysis, mechanistic studies, dft calculation

Participants :
- Université de Lille (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet SPINNERET (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This project addresses non-equilibrium effects and equilibration in relativistic plasmas focusing on spin physics. I will use techniques from quantum-relativistic statistical mechanics, quantum field theory, and many-body theory to answer some of the most pressing questions concerning spin polarization in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The QGP is created in laboratories such as the “Large Hadron Collider” and the “Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider” by smashing heavy ions at relativistic speed. It is a state of matter well described by relativistic hydrodynamics where quarks and gluons are no longer confined inside nuclei, and it is the hottest and least viscous fluid in nature. Due to the initial orbital angular momentum, non-central collisions create a rotating QGP, which is the most vortical fluid ever observed. Vorticity couples to the spin of particles, aligning it with the total angular momentum and producing a spin polarization that is measured experimentally. This effect connects the macroscopic motion of the plasma to a microscopic and entirely quantum property such as spin. Recently, another source of polarization has been found in the “thermal shear flow”, which is only present in out-of-equilibrium fluids. Indeed, only the thermal vorticity can be present in equilibrium, and the thermal shear is zero.  Studying spin in out-of-equilibrium systems requires tackling some important theoretical questions. The coupling of spin to shear is surprising compared to its coupling to vorticity: how does it happen? The results of any spin calculation depend on the phenomenological definition of a spin density of the fluid: can such a density be fixed microscopically? Finally, any out-of-equilibrium state should relax to equilibrium: how does the relaxation to a vortical equilibrium state happen for a relativistic plasma? These questions will be addressed in my project, SPINNERET.

Mots clés : spin polarization in heavy ion collisions, quark gluon plasma, relativistic statistical mechanics, eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, relativistic hydrodynamics

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet LocalChemAI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Despite its remarkable accuracy, Machine Learning (ML) in chemistry faces significant challenges in transferability and interpretability, which limits its effectiveness in broader chemical contexts beyond the training data. I aim to overcome these limitations by leveraging Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT) for a physically rigorous atoms-in-molecules (AIM) fragmentation. This approach allows for the unbiased decomposition of molecular properties into local (atomic and interatomic) contributions. By integrating this precise partitioning with cutting-edge ML techniques, I seek to develop AI systems that not only predict molecular properties with high accuracy but also provide insights into underlying physical principles, resulting in more interpretable and generalizable predictions. The anticipated advancements are expected to benefit fields such as drug design, materials science, and the creation of transferable ML Force Fields (FFs) capable of accurately predicting the behavior of large and complex chemical systems. The project is structured around 4 main work packages (WPs), along with one devoted for data management, career development and dissemination. WP1 will focus on assembling a comprehensive and unbiased database of QCT-AIM properties within the CHONSFCl chemical space, serving as the foundation for model development. WP2 will employ advanced data analysis and pattern recognition techniques to explore relationships between local and global chemical properties, aiding in the refinement of predictive algorithms. WP3 will involve constructing and training predictive algorithms based on local QCT contributions, ensuring their physical accuracy and capability to extrapolate to new chemical contexts. Finally, WP4 will evaluate the applicability of these predictive tools by reconstructing molecular energy landscapes and exploring the inverse design of novel molecules, emphasizing the identification and creation of molecular scaffolds with tailored properties.

Mots clés : quantum chemical topology, machine learning based force fields, explainable artificial intelligence, drug design

Participants :
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200400.0 €
- Université de Toronto (Canada) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MYS-SPEAKED (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This project will contribute to an emerging research field dealing with mysticism in contemporary literature, and represents the first attempt to study contemporary “mystical literature” from both an interdisciplinary and comparative standpoint. The framework addresses the connections between “mystical emotions” and language, pushing the boundaries between literary analysis, the philosophy of emotions, and the philosophy of language. Unlike many contemporary studies in Literature and Religion—that mix or interchange concepts such as “mysticism”, “sacred”, “epiphany”, etc.—this project advocates for an accurate definition of “mysticism”, from both a historical and a philosophical perspective. The overall objective of this project is to map and examine the phenomenon of “mystical experience” through a multilingual and contemporary literary corpus that transcends the limitations, related to the timespan and the religious context, of even the most important academic research in this field. The key outcome of this theoretical and literary inquiry will consist of a classification of “mystical emotions” in contemporary literature in different languages (English, French, and Italian), including a description of the main features and attributes of mystical emotions and experiences. The research outputs will be crucial additions to the current state-of-the-art, and will represent an essential contribution to enhance interreligious dialogue as well as map spiritual imaginaries in contemporary European culture.

Mots clés : literature and religion, contemporary mysticism, mystical literature, literature and emotion, western esotericism

Participants :
- Université Ca' Foscari de Venise (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
- Université d'Ottawa (Canada) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €