Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet COCONUT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The goal of this Fellowship is to derive quantitative estimates on the computational complexity of spectral problems in quantum mechanics. The theoretical framework for this task is provided by the so-called Solvability Complexity Index, which roughly speaking, is the number of successive limits needed to solve the computational problem. I will approach this task by combining techniques from numerical analysis with modern methods from spectral approximation theory. The project is divided into three concise work projects: WP1: NONRELATIVISTIC QUANTUM SYSTEMS. In this project, the spectral problem for Schrödinger operators with various types of potentials is studied. New sharp estimates on the computational complexity are derived. This will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the nonrelativistic theory. WP2: RESONANCES. In this second project, complexity issues are considered for the computation of scattering resonances in quantum mechanics. I will introduce new mathematical tools, which have not been used in complexity theory before to construct algorithms which compute the set of resonances of Schrödinger operators in one limit. WP3: EXTENSION TO RELATIVISTIC THEORY. The purpose of the final project is to extend the above results to the relativistic setting, in which the Schrödinger operator is replaced by a Dirac operator. This task is far from trivial, as methods from the Schrödinger case are generally not useful for Dirac operators. I also have robust career development and public outreach agendas, to complement the scientific aspects of this proposal. Combined, all these elements will establish me as a prominent research leader upon my return to Germany, with extensive links throughout Europe and the US.

Mots clés : spectral theory, approximation, computational complexity, quantum mechanics, schr dinger operator, dirac operator, resonances

Participants :
- Cardiff University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet DEMED (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The goal of this Marie Curie Individual fellowship proposal is to establish directed evolution of redox enzymes by means of electrochemical microarrays (DEMED) to enable the direct screening of the enzyme properties desired for their application in electrochemical devices. An O2 reducing metalloenzyme for implementation in biocathodes of H2/O2 enzymatic fuel cells will serve as model system to demonstrate that directed evolution of such redox enzymes screened by electrochemical droplet microarray is advantageous to specifically improve biofuel cell performances. The selected metalloenzyme is rubredoxin: oxygen oxidoreductase (ROO), which has never been applied to H2/O2 enzymatic fuel cells so far. First, ROO gene will be cloned and its random mutagenesis library will be synthesized. Second, the electrochemical droplet microarray will be adapted to enable the screening of the desired properties of the metalloenzyme. Third, electrochemical directed evolution of ROO will be carried out. Finally, the interface of ROO and electrode based on redox active polymers will be co-evolved with ROO to achieve high electron transfer rates to the enzyme and thus enable the fabrication of a high performance biocathode. It is expected that this project will have a groundbreaking on directed evolution of metalloenzymes for their practical implementation in electrochemical devices.

Mots clés : directed evolution of enzymes, biofuel cells, oxygen reduction enzyme, electrochemical microarray

Participants :
- Technical University of Munich (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 162806.4 €
- Ruhr University Bochum (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ML-MULTIMEM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The goal of this project is to build a systematic modelling framework for advanced polymer materials, that are widely employed in numerous membrane separation applications, especially as gas separation media for carbon capture. Polymers are very challenging to simulate, due to the wide range of timescales that are present in these systems and require elaborate system-specific multiscale strategies. A hierarchical simulation strategy will be developed, encompassing atomistic, mesoscopic and continuum scales, integrating machine learning techniques. The artificial intelligence aided multi-scale approach proposed constitutes a generalized methodology for the efficient computational study of polymers. The synergy of unsupervised machine learning (ML) clustering techniques and neural networks (NN), will enable the extraction of accurate coarse-grained (CG) representations and force fields of the polymer systems, bringing this complex problem within computational reach. Optimized ML models will be integrated into Molecular Dynamics and innovative Monte Carlo simulations at the CG level, with the latter enabling the equilibration up to high molecular weight of polymers of complex chemical constitution, and the prediction of their micro- and macroscopic behaviour. Molecular simulation results will be integrated into macroscopic equation-of-state-based models, resulting in a bottom-up determination of the relevant process parameters for membrane separations (permeability and selectivity) in a wide range of conditions, for pure gases and gas mixtures. Systematic hierarchical modelling provides unique property prediction means, simultaneously shedding light on the mechanisms that are responsible for the materials end-use performance. This is a stepping stone towards the rational design of advanced processes from the molecular level all the way up to industrial applications, which in the present case involve novel separation technologies with great environmental impact.

Mots clés : molecular simulation, machine learning, polymers, multiscale modeling, equations of state, gas separation, membranes, permeability, computational materials science, carbon capture, molecular mechanism

Participants :
- National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos" (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 153085.44 €
Projet GeHa (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The goal of this project is to investigate long-distance anticipatory effects from word-medial geminates across three unrelated languages – Italian, Tashlhiyt Berber and Japanese. In particular, it examines whether defining- and enhancing- features associated with geminates are already anticipated on the non-adjacent word-initial consonant (e.g., whether in the Italian [palla] “ball” the properties of the word-medial [ll] geminate are already foreshadowed on the word-initial [p]). In relation to the geminate-singleton distinction, Italian, Tashlhiyt Berber and Japanese present similarities (e.g. duration of the word-medial geminate consonant as primary correlate) and differences that are relevant for testing the following issues a) the type of length-related vs. strength-related properties that are spread from the word-medial geminate to the word-initial consonant; b) the domain of the harmonic process, and more precisely, the role played by the intervening vowel (e.g. the [a] in [palla]). In addition to the language factor, long-distance anticipatory effects induced by geminates will be tested against segmental factors (i.e. type of word-medial geminate consonant), prosodic factors (i.e. focus) and performance-related factors (i.e. speech rate). Two acoustic and articulatory experiments (measurements of tongue-to-palate contact and intraoral pressure) will be designed to address these issues. The main contribution of this project lies in determining the articulatory and acoustic bases of harmony as induced by gemination (‘gemination harmony’) within a cross-linguistic perspective. As such, it may provide important insights into the interplay between phonetics and phonology and have crucial implications for the understanding of long-distance effects in speech production.

Mots clés : geminate, phonetics, phonology, long distance effects, articulatory study, cross linguistic, italian, japanese, tashlhiyt berber

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet PreciseEMRIs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The gravitational-wave sky has been opened by the first measurement of a gravitational-wave inspiral in 2015 by LIGO. Now, the European detector Virgo has joined the network, and more terrestrial detectors are underway. Furthermore, the European space agency has approved the space-based Laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) as one of its three highest-priority missions for the 2030s. The scientific capabilities of LISA provide European science with a chance to be at the absolute cutting edge of gravitational-wave astronomy. The sensitivity of LISA will be in the in the millihertz gravitational-wave band. One of the most prominent and interesting sources seen in this band are the so-called extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs), where a light, stellar-mass compact object spirals into a super-massive black hole. However, at the moment the precise predictions for the evolution of EMRIs are not ready, and this, if not rectified, would imply lower yields of valuable science to be obtained from the LISA mission. The subject of this proposal is to contribute to the development of these precise predictions, and to prepare for the discovery of new fundamental science with LISA and other gravitational-wave detectors. Even though the launch of LISA is more than 10 years in the future, the mathematical and technical challenge of providing the precise predictions is extremely non-trivial, and intense work must thus be initiated now. This research project will not only contribute a significant part of the work needed, but it will also allow the applicant to acquire the necessary skill and network to become one of the leading figures in the field of gravitational-wave theory.

Mots clés : black hole physics, methods  analytical, methods  numerical, multimessenger astronomy

Participants :
- National University of Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184590.72 €
Projet IRONCOMM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The greatest impact of climate change will be exerted on ocean biomes. In order to mitigate for its effects it is paramount to understand the dynamics of phytoplankton communities within, which are responsible for marine carbon fixation (50% of the of the primary production on Earth). Our current understanding of phytoplankton dynamics is limited – particularly when linking a molecular level understanding of metabolic processes with ecology. In the proposed work I will investigate the hypothesis that diatoms, which are ubiquitous phytoplankton species across all marine habitats interact with bacteria to acquire bioavailable iron from siderophores produced by the latter. My investigations will address this aim across all scales of biological organization. I will capitalize on preliminary investigations at the host laboratory that have begun to unravel the molecular pathways associated in siderophore acquisition in diatom species. My work will be novel in terms of characterizing the molecular mechanism by which siderophores are transported into and distributed to where required within diatom cells. Further, I will explore the hypothesis that siderophore acquisition is a result of mutualism between bacteria and diatoms. The results will bear important eco-evolutionary consequences to our understanding of microbial communities. Finally, on a global scale, I will quantify the relevance of my findings by mining of metatranscriptomic data collected in global transects of the ocean (specifically during the Tara Oceans expedition). Through this fellowship I will develop a range of new technical skills including novel molecular techniques and bioinformatics, as well as transferable competencies (e.g. using French at work). The fellowship will provide me with an opportunity to return to Europe (from the USA), expanding my academic network of collaborators and putting me in a prime position for applying for faculty positions as a next step in my academic career.

Mots clés : microbial ecology and evolution, environmental and marine biology, siderophores, iron, ocean acidificaiton, marine diatoms, microbial communities

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet HYGAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The growing crisis of serious environmental degradation necessitates the demand for alternative fuels. Hydrogen-enhanced natural gas is playing an increasingly important role to decarbonize the gas going into people’s homes and for power generation. However, there are substantial knowledge gap concerning the turbulent combustion and explosion characteristics of hydrogen-enhanced natural gas, which makes great challenge in associated combustion systems and safety issues. Such knowledge gaps hinder the progress of wide deployment of Hydrogen-enhanced natural gas to achieve the ambitious target for decarbonization. The proposed research aims to bridge these knowledge gaps by gaining insight about the turbulent combustion characteristics of hydrogen-enhanced natural gas through numerical studies aided by existing experimental data. The Fellow will develop a robust modelling approach for the combustion of such blended fuel with reduced chemical reaction mechanism to facilitate effective coupling with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The reduced mechanism will be designed to firstly reproduce the fundamental combustion characteristics concerning ignition and laminar flame speed for validation before being implemented in open source CFD code OpenFOAM. The following specific research objectives are set towards achieving this goal: ⁃ Improve detailed kinetic mechanism HP-Mech for hydrogen-enriched natural gas and validate the mechanism with available laminar flame speed, ignition delay time, and species profile, etc. in the literature; ⁃ Develop reduced kinetic mechanism using the PFA method and perform validations through comparison with the predictions of the detailed mechanism; ⁃ Conduct CFD simulations using the newly developed reduced mechanism for small scale scenarios where test data are available for validation; ⁃ Extend CFD simulations to medium and large-scale scenarios for validation as well as applications.

Mots clés : decarbonization, hydrogen enriched natural gas, detailed and reduced kinetic mechanisms, computational fluid dynamics, fundamental combustion characteristics and dynamics of turbulent combustion

Participants :
- University of Surrey (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 113978.62 €
- University of Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 110955.14 €
Projet REWA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The growing demand for resource commodities, coupled with the climate crisis, have increased pressures on ecosystems and individuals who are already at the margins of society. Conflicts over natural resources and the environment are considered among the greatest challenges of the 21st-century. While the link between resource scarcity or wealth and armed violence is increasingly discussed by political scientists, there is still little understanding of how international law operates in this venue of global governance, where power imbalances shape relations among different actors (transnational corporations, governments, international institutions, and peoples). By conducting two case-studies, which focus on the problem of ‘conflict resources’ and the security impacts of climate change, this project will illuminate international law’s role in framing these types of conflicts and finding ways to tackle them, and the place of different actors within legal discourses. It will demonstrate how distributive concerns may be sidelined and inequalities perpetuated through legal/institutional arrangements. This project will open intellectual spaces to rethink common ‘solutions’ to the international legal order’s most pressing concerns: the ecological crisis, rising civil wars, and their interaction. It will initiate a more inclusive and much-needed debate about alternative understandings of international peace and security, which reflect the lived-experiences of peoples in the Global South. Through the integration of other disciplines into the study and critique of international law, this project presents the opportunity to open a new field of knowledge, which will spark the interest of different constituencies (e.g. legal, political, IR scholars), and aligns with the interdisciplinary character of research at the HO.

Mots clés : international law, international peace and security, peacebuilding, climate change, laws of war

Participants :
- University of Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet Reprogram (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The growing world population, combined with over-exploited fisheries, indicates that by the year 2030 aquaculture should provide 70% of the fish protein required for human consumption. The potential of early life programming of fish health, by diet-induced changes, could be an important step towards better health management in aquaculture and to promote the need for intensification. The aim of Reprogram is to epigenetically program fish health during the critical early life window to maintain broad immune competence. Evidence suggests that the effect of certain nutrients on the intestinal microbiota can induce epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells with long-term positive effects on health. Early epigenetic nutritional programming by butyrate, will be evaluated in first-feeding stages of Nile tilapia, exploring the potential of this dietary additive to enhance gut mucosal health in a fish species important to aquaculture. The project will integrate research methodology relevant to several disciplines including fish immunology, nutrition and microbiology and employ advanced biological approaches such as a germ-free system, to assess dietary effects on the gut microbiome. Reprogram will familiarise the candidate with state-of-the-art genomic approaches, for transcriptome and epigenome by next-generation sequencing nanopore and chromatin immunoprecipitation technology, and with effects on the fish immune system. Hosting, by both a world-class university and at one of the world’s first certified sequencing providers of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (secondment), will increase the potential of the researcher to reach professional maturity during the fellowship. Dissemination of the project results to a wide audience, including a non-profit organisation relevant to worldwide aquaculture, will complement the already excellent career path of the candidate and facilitate her acquisition of a stable research position in Europe.

Mots clés : fish nutrition, immunoprophylactics, innate immune response, gut microbiome, gut health, early life stages, disease resistance, epigenetic programming

Participants :
- Wageningen University & Research (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet GaMePLAY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The gut microbiota is characterized by a variety of microorganisms that live in symbiosis with our body and that play a key role in host immune system development and metabolism. Studies in adult germ-free mice suggested the influence of gut commensals on emotional behaviors and stress responses. However, the exact mechanism through which these bacteria affect brain function is largely undiscovered and, their impact on brain development is still a relatively unexplored territory. In my project I propose to investigate how the gut microbiota modulates brain development and plasticity using the established model of mouse developing visual cortex. To find if development and environmental stimuli affect intestinal bacteria, the gut microbiome of mice reared in standard condition (ST) or in an enriched environment (EE) that is known to modulate visual development, will be analyzed at different ages: before weaning (P15), after weaning (P28) and in adulthood (P60) providing for the first time a developmental timeline of the gut microbiota in mice. Then, I will perturb the microbiota composition through antibiotic treatment (ABX) or fecal transplantation (FT) in ST and EE mice, and assess visual cortical function maturation and ocular dominance plasticity. Dendritic spine dynamics analyzed by in vivo two-photon imaging and formation of inhibitory and excitatory neurons will be assessed in the primary visual cortex (V1) as morphological biomarkers of visual cortical development. Finally, in order to find the molecular mechanisms and mediators of gut commensals effect on neuronal circuits, I will perform a transcriptome analysis in V1 of ST and EE mice treated with ABX, or subjected to FT. My research will bring a substantial advancement in the field, revealing how the early interaction between microbiome and host can shape cortical functions, hopefully enabling the discovery of biomarkers for facing neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diseases.

Mots clés : postnatal neurodevelopment, visual cortex, critical period, ocular dominance, plasticity, gut microbiota, environmental enrichment

Participants :
- Scuola Normale Superiore (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 168277.2 €