Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet InTer AquAS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The InTer AquAS project aims to investigate human-animal-environment relationships at the Roman-early medieval transition along the north-western Adriatic coast; by highlighting elements of continuity and discontinuity, the project aims to contribute precious knowledge to the archaeology and history of this transitional period. The project will analyse archaeozoological assemblages from three study-regions: the Venetian Lagoon, the Marano-Grado Lagoon, and the coast of Romagna; these regions are characterised by the presence of wetlands, with lagoons, rivers and canals influencing the nature of human settlement and activities. The archaeology of the Late Antiquity and Middle Ages in the north-western Adriatic represents a very active field of research; current archaeozoological analyses, however, are site-specific, while large-scale reviews touch these regions only lightly and marginally, without focussing on their peculiar environmental contexts. The chronological and spatial comparisons proposed by the InTer AquAS project, the combination of terrestrial and aquatic faunal studies, and the functional implementation of biometrical and stable isotope analyses, will provide a holistic approach taking into account the complex, changing relationships between humans, other animals, and the environment. My experience in archaeozoology, and in particular my familiarity with biometry and the Roman-early medieval transition in Europe, make me the ideal candidate to conduct a project such as InTer AquAS. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice is a leader in the study of the Late Antiquity and Middle Ages in Italy, and the project will ultimately fill the existing gap in large-scale and methodologically targeted faunal analyses. In addition to informing on key aspects of past economies and environments, this study will boost my knowledge on the archaeology and history of the periods considered, and substantially advance methodological skills required to optimise my career prospects.

Mots clés : zooarchaeology, northern adriatic, roman period, early middle ages, biometry, stable isotope analysis, wetlands, human animal environment relationships

Participants :
- Université Ca' Foscari de Venise (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet AgileSim (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Humans and animals navigate complex terrain seemingly effortless. This is in stark contrast with even the most performant robots, illustrating that walking over complex terrains is by no means trivial. Our neuromusculoskeletal system is equipped with mechanisms that allow us to recover from unexpected perturbations. Two key mechanisms are muscle intrinsic mechanics and sensory-driven feedback control. Immediate changes in muscle force upon a perturbation allow the body to respond fast to sudden perturbations through quick-acting muscle mechanical responses. Feedback responses, slower due to transmission delays, are also critical to stability as they are more flexible whereas muscle mechanical responses are determined by feedforward control and muscle properties. We do not yet know how these pathways interact to help us maintain agility and robustness, in the presence of external perturbations, or in the case of sensory loss. I aim to gain novel insights into how muscle mechanics and sensory feedback allow agile locomotion across conditions. I will unravel fundamental principles governing relative contributions of these mechanisms, using a blended experimental- and computational approach. I already collected a unique experimental dataset that I will combine with physics-based simulations. I will use novel approaches to predict locomotion patterns and feedforward and feedback control by optimizing performance criteria in presence of sensorimotor noise without relying on experimental data. Validation of simulation to experimental data allows us to evaluate which performance criteria and muscle properties drive observed interactions between muscle mechanics tuned by feedforward and feedback control. As many neurological disorders impair stable locomotion, fundamental insights obtained through my project have potential to inform treatments. Lastly, novel insights in locomotor neuromechanics inspires designs of legged robots and prosthetics to assist during locomotion.

Mots clés : neuromusculoskletal modeling, stochastic optimal control, muscle mechanics, sensory feedback, terrain navigation, neuromechanics

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191760.0 €
Projet MAFIS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Marine ecosystems provide key functions and services including biodiversity and food resources. Disturbances, such as climate change and overfishing, are seriously threatening the future provision of these services and leading to collapse of marine populations. To track and forecast marine ecosystem stability has emerged as a new paradigm to understand the capacity of an ecosystem to persist a qualitatively similar state in the face of disturbances. However, three challenges prevent the advances in this research field. Most established stability measures assume stable equilibrium and constant magnitude of disturbances, while marine ecosystems are influenced by multiple disturbances simultaneously, with the magnitude of disturbances changing with time. In addition, even though population stability varies with space, most of existing work examined marine ecosystem stability at the regional scale of fishing grounds due to limitations in data and methodology. Moreover, age group interactions fundamentally affect population dynamics yet have been overlooked when quantifying population stability. In line with those reflections, this proposed research intends to develop a novel research framework to track and forecast marine population stability encompassing temporal and spatial dimensions of three key fish species of the North Sea (WP1), and to identify drivers of population stability across space (WP2). Empirical dynamic modelling will be used to track and forecast the evolution of population stability over time and across space based on age group interactions of the population, producing yearly population stability maps from 1977 to 2022 and forecast maps from 2023 onward. These results will be transformed into web-based interactive map and manual (WP3) for fisheries managers and researchers to identify the most vulnerable locations in the fishing grounds and to decide fishing quota with the overall goal of preserving stability in marine ecosystems.

Mots clés : population stability, marine fish

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SURF-2DHYB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Single organic molecules can be joined together to form extended frameworks. Materials that use metal-ligand coordination or direct covalent bonding as the ‘glue’ between organic subunits, termed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), respectively, are being developed for a huge variety of applications. Hybrid materials, containing two, or in some cases more, distinct types of MOF and COF often have an observed enhancement in their properties compared with the constituent pristine MOF and COF materials. Thin films of MOFs and COFs have emerged as promising materials for incorporation into electronic devices, such as transistors and detectors. It could be envisaged that in a similar manner to the bulk materials, hybrid thin films containing multiple distinct types of MOF and COF could provide a route to improving the performance of already promising MOF and COF thin films.  Instead of layering the different materials on top of one another (z-direction), here it is proposed that mixing the materials in the plane of growth (x/y plane) would enable the increase in the number of constituent MOFs and/or COFs without increasing the film thickness. The proposed project aims to pioneer methodologies to prepare such hybrid ultrathin films. In the first instance, scanning probe nanolithography will underpin the approach. Regions with diameters of up to 100 nm will be etched into surface mounted MOF or COF ultrathin films, followed by the formation of distinct COF and/or MOF types within these confined spaces. When the hybrid films have been thoroughly characterized by scanning probe microscopy and the processes by which they assemble have been established, a more scalable synthetic strategy to fabricate the materials will be developed. An approach which employs covalent surface functionalisation as opposed to scanning probe nanolithography to direct the selective incorporation of the different constituent materials will be taken.

Mots clés : scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning probe nanolithography, metal organic framework, covalent organic framework

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet MEDSHORT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

In 2023, all European Commission countries reported medicine shortages, recognised globally as a systemic problem affecting patients, healthcare systems, markets, public health, and the environment. International bodies highlight insufficient research on the interdependent causes of these shortages. The MEDSHORT project addresses this gap by responding to EU and FDA calls to understand supply chain dynamics beyond national and product-specific approaches. MEDSHORT explores different layers of the problem through a multi-site, multi-level study using mixed methodologies. Based on comparative insights from California (United States) and Catalonia (Spain), MEDSHORT examines both contexts and their strategies for managing shortages. By analysing how drug agencies mobilise knowledge about medicines shortages and the experiences of various supply chain actors and experts in both countries, the project aims to identify vulnerabilities and everyday frictions within the pharmaceutical supply chain. The project investigates how political priorities shape responses to these challenges, focusing on anticipatory strategies. This research sheds light on underexplored areas in the anthropology of pharmaceuticals, science and technology studies, and the social study of logistics, including the role of pharmacies, manufacturers, distributors, and the broader social implications of supply chain configurations. Ultimately, MEDSHORT seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the social dimensions of drug shortages, inform EU policy on mitigating inequalities in medicine access, and contribute to building more robust and equitable pharmaceutical supply chains.

Mots clés : science and technology studies social anthropology medicines shortages ethnography supply chains pharmaceuticals anticipation spain us

Participants :
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 315440.64 €
- Généralité de Catalogne (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet KIWIQUALI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Most fruit crop irrigation scheduling is performed on empirical basis, with very little or no awareness of the consequences on yields and on water use efficiency. The main objective of this project is to obtain a model for the estimation of stomatal conductance through sap flux measurement in Actinidia, allowing assessment of plant’s water status and correct management of irrigation, while optimizing fruit quality. This goal will be reached through the following specific objectives: (i) to adjust models for estimation of leaf stomatal conductance of kiwifruit trees from measurements of sap flux density and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit; (ii) to understand which irrigation level optimizes fruit quality and productivity; (iii) to develop precision irrigation protocols based on stomatal conductance estimation. This project will lead to innovative results as it will (i) provide a model to estimate leaf stomatal conductance on an isohydric, drought sensible crop (kiwifruit) with high hydraulic conductance, allowing to understand the hydraulic limitations and physiological responses of one of the most water requiring crops; (ii) improve understanding on how a different plant water status and physiological performance at source level affects fruit yield and quality, and; (iii) provide a tool to optimize irrigation scheduling of Actinidia, based on estimated leaf stomatal conductance. While reaching these scientific objectives, Dr. Fernandes will acquire: (i) research skills by leading the project and being involved in the preparation of further proposal; (ii) teaching skills, by holding seminars and tutoring Master’s students; and (iii) networking skills, by participating at several meeting national and international working groups as well as through a strong interaction with stakeholders. The exploitation of results will be maximized by foreseen open access results and a wide range of dissemination and communication tools adapted to different target groups.


Participants :
- Jingold spa (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet t-OTEGs (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The rise of wearable electronics has driven the demand for innovative energy harvesting solutions that offer sustainable power without relying on bulky batteries. Organic thermoelectric generators (OTEGs), which convert temperature gradients (ΔT) from the body heat into electricity, are promising candidates due to their skin compatibility, flexibility, thinness, and biocompatibility. However, current OTEGs face challenges in being used as wearables because it is difficult to create a ΔT in response to body heat, which typically moves in a vertical direction. State-of-the art 3D OTEG designs addressing this issue often sacrifice the thinness, flexibility and durability—key strengths of traditional OTEGs for wearable applications. To overcome these challenges, we propose transverse OTEGs (t-OTEGs) that generate electricity perpendicular to the heat flow, retaining the inherent advantages of 2D thin-film OTEGs. The key of the t-OTEGs is an engineered dual-κ substrate, composed of materials with different thermal conductivities (κ), which creates a lateral ΔT from orthogonal heat flows, enabling efficient energy conversion in a 2D thin-film platform. The primary goal of this project is to develop wearable t-OTEG technologies that utilize a versatile 2D thin-film platform to harvest the heat emitted by human skin, making them practical for real-world wearable applications and effectively replacing already proposed wearable OTEGs. To achieve this, the research will focus on the development and optimization of the dual-κ substrate, the scalable design of t-OTEGs through advanced printing techniques, and their integration into wearable applications. Successfully completing this project will revolutionize OTEG technology, providing a scalable, sustainable, and flexible power solution for wearable electronics, setting new benchmarks in thermoelectric energy harvesting, and contributing to global sustainability efforts by reducing reliance on disposable batteries.

Mots clés : thermoelectrics, wearables, organic electronics, functional composites, energy harvesting, heat flow

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200400.0 €
Projet CALM-GBM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable brain tumor, with current treatments primarily focused on surgical removal. Although the tumor core is often successfully excised, invasive GBM cells that extend beyond the surgical margins persist, leading to recurrence. To improve patient outcomes, it is crucial to advance research that targets these invasive cells and elucidates the mechanisms enabling their survival within healthy brain tissue.  Recent studies have revealed that the invasive cells of GBM, which contribute to the tumor’s resilience against treatment, can establish synaptic connections with nearby healthy neurons. These connections, termed neuroglioma synapses (NGS), facilitate an electrical coupling that activates GBM cells and supports their survival. In the healthy brain, 90% of synaptic connections are encapsulated by astrocytes, forming what is known as a tripartite synapse. However, it remains unclear whether NGS between GBM cells and neurons are similarly ensheathed by astrocytes.  The astrocytes surrounding the tumor, known as Tumor-Associated Astrocytes (TAAs), enter a reactive state in the presence of GBM, where they are implicated in promoting tumor growth. Emerging evidence suggests that TAAs are functionally connected to GBM cells through gap junctions, enabling the transfer of calcium signals. Despite this, the role of TAAs in facilitating GBM progression via a functional calcium network remains poorly understood.  The objectives of this proposal are:  1. Quantify by super resolution microscopy the glial coverage of NGS in human GBM samples and in mouse model 2. Measure the calcium dynamics between the GBM and TAAs to understand better the functional network that makes TAAs promote tumor growth.  This research will pioneer new directions in cancer neuroscience by identifying the role of astroglial cells in GBM progression and potentially guiding the development of targeted therapeutic strategies aimed at disrupting these supportive networks. t

Mots clés : glioblastoma astrocyte microenvironment

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 216240.0 €
Projet SCOPE-BERRY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Botrytis cinerea, a necrotrophic fungus that causes grey mold, poses a significant pre- and post-harvest threat to 1.2 million tonnes of strawberry produced annually in the EU. This pathogen can establish quiescent, asymptomatic infections in strawberry flowers and unripe fruit, which progress to symptomatic infections as the fruit ripens. Despite its importance, the biological and environmental factors that regulate the onset and termination of B. cinerea quiescence remain poorly understood. In this study, I propose an interdisciplinary approach combining microscopy, molecular biology, and transcriptomics to unravel mechanisms driving quiescent infections and host susceptibility in the B. cinerea-strawberry pathosystem. First, I will use confocal fluorescence microscopy to track B. cinerea infection in strawberry flowers and fruit, visualizing the pathogen’s entry and transition from quiescence to necrotrophic disease. Building on these observations, I will apply single-nucleus and spatial RNA sequencing to profile the transcriptomes of both the pathogen and host at cellular resolution during key phases of infection. The resulting data will be integrated and analyzed using cutting-edge bioinformatic tools to explore cellular diversity in both organisms and identify the host's transcriptional responses during infection, providing new insights into the molecular pathways governing the complex B. cinerea-strawberry interaction. This research pioneers the use of single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics to study host-pathogen interactions, overcoming challenges in detecting and profiling invading pathogens at the single-cell level, and application to non-model plant species. It leverages my expertise in plant genetics, the host lab’s specialty in molecular interactions, and collaborators’ proficiency in single-cell technology and microscopy, creating a powerful professional network that will drive the success of the project and support my career growth.


Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 216240.0 €