Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet Theorist (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Precision instruments with high performances are highly demanded by both fundamental science and wide applications at different scales. Micro-vibration isolation technology is widely required in order to avoid potential damage of functions. The current vibration control technology mainly includes passive and active control. However, it remains limits in control accuracy and bulk size, which requires to explore new physical mechanisms. Recently, non-Hermitian system and spatiotemporal modulation show great potential in wave control for anomalous properties and provide a promising avenue to address the micro-vibration isolation challenges. Non- Hermitian parameters and time-varying modulation can play additional degrees of freedom to enrich elastic wave-structure interactions. This project focuses on elastic wave propagation in non-Hermitian elastic beams/plates with time-varying modulation for micro-vibration isolation. The project will first conduct an in-depth study on the modeling of time-varying non-Hermitian unit and explore the mechanism of wave isolation with single unit; then study the wave isolation mechanisms from exceptional point with double units and broaden the wave isolation band with multiple units; finally, on-demand inverse design will be developed and experimental validation will be implemented. The proposed time-varying non-Hermitian elastic systems will guide a new direction for the next generation micro-vibration isolation technology.


Participants :
- Université Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz de Hanovre (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
Projet MemoWb (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

MemoWb will address how current uses and different levels of community engagement with industrial heritage contributes to build practices of memory making that in turn impact on communities’ well-being in contexts of deindustrialisation. Through Community-Based Action Research (CBAR), qualitative analysis, and comparison of case studies in Portugal, Spain, and the UK, MemoWb will bring post-industrial communities’ perspectives to the centre of international debates about well-being, heritage and conservation that have taken place on academic and public policy levels. MemoWb will be conducted at the Institute for Social Movements (ISB) of Ruhr University Bochum (RUB, Germany) under the supervision of Professor Stefan Berger, a well-known specialist on the comparative history of deindustrialisation, industrial heritage, and memory. MemoWb will provide me research-based education on CBAR to address underdeveloped themes in industrial heritage studies, such as well-being, and will make post-industrial communities more visible and active in processes of heritage making. Moreover, it will contribute to the international project Deindustrialisation and the Politics of Our Time (DéPOT) to examine communities’ connections with industrial heritage and memory as experiences of deindustrialisation as well as responses to it.

Mots clés : industrial heritage memory connections between heritage and wellbeing post industrial communities collaborative learning from communities

Participants :
- Université de la Ruhr à Bochum (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
Projet METALLICUS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Molecules with bonds between elements that should not normally share an electron pair provide important new knowledge of electronic structure. Studies of the various orbital overlaps between two d-block metals have made fundamental contributions to our understanding of bonding. Bonds involving an f-block metal ion, with even more orbitals, offer even greater potential contributions to new knowledge. Molecular complexes with d-4f metal bonds are extremely rare and those with 4f-4f metal bonding even more so. Rational design and precise synthesis of compounds exhibiting technologically desirable properties (i.e. magnetic, optical or catalytic properties) is challenging because we still lack the deep understanding of the structure-property relation and thus the synthetic capability to prepare them. The objective of METALLICUS is to open new vistas in our understanding of lanthanide-metal bonds using improved synthetic control and rational design of compounds containing 4f metal-metal bonds with outstanding magnetic properties. The project will bring together an international team of scientists to 1) design and synthesise new compounds containing d-4f and 4f-4f metal-metal bonds with a well-defined molecular architecture, and 2) investigate their unique chemical and physical nature using a multi-technique approach involving magnetism, spectroscopy and electrochemistry with the support of computational methods. METALLICUS is an ambitious research project that represents a concrete opportunity to advance knowledge of lanthanide bonding and develop new compounds with unprecedented magnetic properties. Chemistry and physics will collaborate to exceed the current limits of single molecule magnets (SMMs) and spintronic materials. The knowledge generated by METALLICUS will open new horizons in classical and quantum information technology, with further impact in critical areas such as rare earth separations and recovery.

Mots clés : lanthanides, molecular magnetism, metal metal bonding

Participants :
- Université de Florence (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 420751.08 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet EXPL ANTIVIR ENDONUC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The human zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is capable of inhibiting several major human pathogens, including Influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2. ZAP specifically targets CpG dinucleotides in RNAs and might be one of the reasons why CpGs are strongly suppressed in the human genome. Successful viruses, such as HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, mimic human CpG suppression to partially evade the inhibitory effects of ZAP. However, especially under conditions of infection or inflammation when ZAP is expressed at high levels, it inhibits both CpG containing viral as well as cellular RNAs. Importantly, ZAP itself does not possess RNAse activity and is dependent on cofactors, such as KHNYN, to destroy viral RNAs. KHNYN is tightly regulated and inactivated by MALT-1, a cellular protease representing an important target in cancer immunotherapies. Although some progress has been made, the identity of ZAP cofactors as well as their mechanism(s) of action and therapeutic potential are poorly understood. This proposal aims to combine the expertise of the applicant (mechanistic studies of ZAP and RNA-targeting factors) and the host (respiratory viruses and antiviral drug development) to define how ZAP-dependent and independent antiviral endonucleases restrict major respiratory viral pathogens. In addition, it will be examined whether MALT-1 inhibitors that are currently in clinical trials against cancers allow to enhance and maintain the antiviral activity of ZAP and its cofactors thus offering prospects for the treatment of respiratory infections. Finally, potential side-effects on cellular RNAs and their impact on immune signalling, cell activation and infection outcome will be determined. The project will combine innovative CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, in vitro virus infection platforms, novel functional assays and state-of-the-art deep sequencing technologies to significantly advance the knowledge on antiviral RNAses and to clarify whether they can be strengthened for antiviral therapy.

Mots clés : intrinsic immunity antiviral restriction factors zap endonucleases respiratory viruses

Participants :
- Université d'Ulm (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet DYNOX (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The DYNOX project will elucidate the role of seasonal hypoxia as a driving mechanism for the exchange of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O) across the sediment-water-air interfaces in anthropogenically impacted coastal regions. To this end, the applicants propose to employ a comprehensive and innovative observational approach in Lake Grevelingen (Netherlands), which is a saline coastal reservoir that experiences seasonal hypoxia as a result of limited water exchange after two dams were built in the 60s-70s. The measurement strategy will consist of novel shipboard measurements, laboratory-based incubation experiments and analysis of archived samples. This comprehensive approach will allow an unprecedented analysis of the fluxes of N2O from a shallow coastal ecosystem, their natural variability in response to the onset of seasonal hypoxia as well as potential changes with further ocean warming and deoxygenation, and the underlying microbial responses. DYNOX will not only close gaps in data and fundamental understanding in the field of Earth and Environmental Sciences, but will also provide valuable data to the Essential Ocean Variables Framework of the Global Ocean Observing System, and serve as a scientific basis for issuing recommendations to local authorities on priority locations for cost-effective environmental monitoring. Hence, the project will contribute to the research and innovation framework programme “Horizon Europe”, within the mission area “Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters”, as well as to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by addressing SDG 13 “Climate Action” and SDG 14 “Life Below Water”. The project will be carried out during a fellowship at the Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University under the supervision of Professor Caroline Slomp, and is expected to promote substantial progress in the scientific career of Dr. Arévalo-Martínez, who aims to establish himself as an independent research group leader.

Mots clés : nitrous oxide, coastal hypoxia, ocean deoxygenation, greenhouse gases

Participants :
- Université Radboud de Nimègue (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203464.32 €
Projet BiTFormer (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Deep learning (DL) has recently achieved remarkable success due to the continuous growth in model sizes. However, this growth has led to increased energy consumption. Hardware implementation of digital DL can help reduce energy usage, but the Von Neumann architecture of current DL has hindered its practical realization. In contrast, the brain exhibits energy-efficient multiscale spatiotemporal processing. Biologically plausible (BiP) frameworks have emerged as alternatives to mainstream DL. These methods use bottom-up and top-down signals, incorporating feedforward and feedback mechanisms, and local objectives instead of global error. Recently, I demonstrated that a BiP opto-analog hardware can achieve competitive performance compared to digital DL for feedforward networks. However, transformers, the backbone of current DL, are challenging to implement due to the input-dependent quadratic complexity in the transformer's attention. This project leverages the multiscale dynamics in the primary vision system to explore BiP architectures for transformers.  The project is hosted at the University of Tübingen under Matthias Bethge and Thomas Euler, who have a long-standing effort in the system identification of mouse retina via DL. The project has three objectives. First, I will extract top-down information from neural recordings of ganglion cells in the mouse retina, focusing on unique spatiotemporal features that maximally activate specific cell types. Next, I will combine top-down signals with bottom-up models of the retina using recurrent architectures with linear complexity and compare their performance in classification tasks to a vision transformer for the retina. Lastly, I propose a BiP transformer with local weight updates. I will examine the robustness of models under data distribution shifts and noise injection. A positive outcome of the project will address energy and cost issues of AI and help me progress my academic career in this interdisciplinary field.

Mots clés : deep learning, neuroscience, biologically plausible learning, system identification, vision system, energy efficient

Participants :
- Université Eberhard Karl de Tübingen (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet VeVuSafety (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Traffic safety is the fundamental criterion for vehicular environments and many artificial intelligence-based systems like self-driving cars. There are places, e.g., intersections and shared spaces, in the urban environment with high risks where vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists directly interact with each other. By advancing starte-of-the-art artificial intelligence methodologies, this project VeVuSafety aims to build a privacy-aware deep learning framework to learn road users’ behaviour in various mixed traffic situations for the safety between vehicles and VRUs. VeVuSafety proposes a 3D environment model based on 3D point cloud for privacy protection — private information like license plates and face is anonymized. Then, within this environment model, an end-to-end deep learning framework using camera data will be built for multimodal trajectory prediction, anomaly detection, and potential risk classification based on deep generative models such as Variational Auto-Encoder. Additionally, an active privacy mechanism will also be adopted by application of the differential privacy mechanism to help the deep learning models prevent model-inversion attack. Moreover, the framework’s generalizability will be investigated by exploring the Normalizing Flows approach for domain adaption. The framework’s performance will be validated at different intersections and shared spaces using real-world traffic data. Besides road user safety and privacy, VeVuSafety can help traffic engineers and city planners to better estimate the design of traffic facilities in order to achieve a road-user-friendly urban traffic environment. Furthermore, the success of VeVuSafety will enhance the fellow’s scientific knowledge and project management skills to become an artificial intelligence expert for traffic safety and Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Mots clés : deep learning traffic safety vulnerable road users trajectory prediction deep generative models anomaly detection data protection

Participants :
- Université de Twente (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187624.32 €
Projet AF-LIBs (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Anode-free lithium batteries (AF-LIBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional lithium-metal batteries due to their potential for higher energy densities, improved safety, and simplified manufacturing processes. However, their rapid development is hindered by poor charge/discharge cycles. This is due to the side reactions of the conventional battery electrolytes to form dead/inactive lithium, thereby leading to dendritic Li plating. I propose to investigate the use of High Concentrated Electrolytes (HCEs) and Multi-salt Electrolytes (MSEs) as novel approaches to achieve a robust and efficient plating and stripping of Li in AF-LIBs. The high concentration and/or presence of additives in these proposed electrolytes can regulate the thermodynamics and kinetics of the Li deposition/striping process, thereby overcoming dendritic Li growth. To achieve this objective, I will prepare novel HCEs, and MSEs and use various in-situ and operando structural and spectroscopic techniques to gain insights into the effects of the electrolyte types (different types of anion and cation) and composition on the lithium deposition and formation of SEI in AF-LIBs. These fundamental insights will facilitate the development of AF-LIBs, which are among the next-generation advanced energy storage technologies that are pivotal to the realization of energy and environmental sustainability.

Mots clés : anode free batteries interphase engineering high concentrated electrolytes electrolyte additives artificial interphase engineering lithiophilic host

Participants :
- Université d'Utrecht (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187624.32 €
Projet ABCCycle (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Age control is central in the study of human evolution as most if not all major hypotheses in palaeoanthropology and archaeology critically depend on it. It is further generally assumed that adaptation to new environments was the catalyst to key biological and cultural innovations in our ancestral lineage. However, in most cases, a high-resolution temporal framework to test whether human evolution is driven by environmental and climate change is lacking. However, such a framework can be provided by astronomical dating or tuning. ABCCycle (Awash Baringo Correlation and Cyclostratigraphy) therefore aims to i) construct a high-resolution astronomically-tuned age model for two key paleontological and archaeological localities in East Africa, using a novel combination of relative paleo-intensity (RPI) and rockmagnetic cyclostratigraphy in order to ii) critically test if climate and environmental change controlled the distribution and evolution of hominins in the East African Rift Valley. This project builds upon the magnetostratigraphic expertise developed by Mark Jan Sier (MJS) during his PhD and postdoc as well as his privileged access to the drilled sediment cores of several localities from the East African Rift Valley, including Baringo/Tugen Hills Barsemoi and North Awash Region. MJS will provide entirely new approaches to the chronological and environmental control of this region by applying an integrated cyclostratigraphic approach for geological dating and correlation as has been developed at the department of Earth Sciences of Utrecht University.

Mots clés : rockmagnetic cyclostratigraphy, geochronology, human evolution, east africa, icdp

Participants :
- Université d'Utrecht (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203464.32 €
Projet PZschemeCO2Red (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

CO2 emission is a serious problem that threatens life on earth via global warming and climate change. Artificial photosynthesis is a green strategy to tackle water-energy-carbon challenges simultaneously. Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism is thought of as one of the promising approaches for photocatalyst design, to eventually commercialize CO2 reduction. However, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction using the current Z-scheme photocatalyst systems did not show the expected performance. The main objectives of this project are using advanced in situ/operando characterization to understand the science and identify the issues behind the low performance of current Z scheme photocatalysts and the development of innovative patterned thin film Z scheme photocatalysts that can address these issues. The synergy of Z scheme charge transfer and frustrated Lewis pair sites will be also investigated by constructing novel BiVO4/Cs2CuBr4 and WO3/Cs2CuBr4 heterostructures containing state-of-art photocatalyst material (lead-free halide perovskite).  The proposed research is an interdisciplinary proposal combining Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Science. It includes both training of the candidate and knowledge transfer to the host institution. The candidate’s experience in the field, the specialized supervisor, and the appropriate environment at UU along with the well-identified objectives and the achievable methodology ensure reaching the research and training objectives. Eventually, the project will strengthen the academic track record of the candidate and give him the opportunity to accomplish his main carrier goal and being a university professor and researcher of international repute in any of prestigious institutions across the globe to disseminate knowledge and to serve mankind by building future generations of researchers.

Mots clés : z scheme, photocatalysts, co2 reduction, in situ operando characterization, lead free halide perovskites

Participants :
- Université d'Utrecht (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203464.32 €
Projet CEREBRALfungi (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a species complex of entomopathogens known for their ability to manipulate the behavior of infected ants (zombie ants). While these behavioral effects are well described, the molecular basis for behavioral manipulation is still being explored. During my current postdoctoral fellowship with the National Science Foundation USA, I have identified a set of putative behavioral effectors and am currently utilizing the model organism yeast to express these biomolecules and test their behavioral effects in ants. This proposal will build on my previous work by utilizing another model organism, C. elegans, to analyze the transferability of these effectors to other animal models and to understand their effect on core neurological pathways. To accomplish this goal, I will collaborate with the Van den Heuvel lab at Utrecht University, a developmental biology team known for their excellence in the imaging of nematodes. Their access to a pre-established C. elegans Yeast-Two-Hybrid library and experience with the genetic modification of nematodes will be paramount in addressing three research objectives set for this project: identifying the biological targets of behavior-modifying effectors using Yeast-Two-Hybrid mating, analyzing the behavioral effects of these effectors via transgenic expression in C. elegans, and evaluating tissue-specific changes at the molecular level in C. elegans using mass spec. Such a project spans many biological subdisciplines, and thus, lends itself well to the international exchange of personnel, advanced training, and ideas, allowing me to make use of my experience with molecular cloning and acquire new skills handling and observing C. elegans. Furthermore, the study of Ophiocordyceps effectors present an innovative approach towards new drug discovery, particularly those with the potential to treat behavioral disorders as fungal secondary metabolites are often used for medications, impacting the public in a positive way.

Mots clés : behavior manipulation, fungi, effectors, microscopy, drug discovery, behavioral disorders

Participants :
- Université d'Utrecht (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203464.32 €