Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet NLO-CO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The purpose of this cosmology project is to study the content and evolution of our Universe using the distribution of matter on large scales. A key goal of forthcoming galaxy surveys is probing fundamental physics, such as the mass of neutrinos and the nature of dark energy, the component sourcing cosmic acceleration. The analysis and interpretation of their data crucially relies on the development of perturbation theory methods and other theoretical tools to describe and predict the evolution of large scale structures in the universe, particularly in the non-linear regime. This project aims to establish the optimal approach to compute the growth of structures and to extract information about dark energy and neutrino masses from the data. This action will address important questions in non-linear structure formation. More specifically, I will 1) devise efficient techniques to obtain information on non-linear clustering from data and apply it to bispectrum estimators and BAO reconstruction; 2) obtain the predictions for general massive neutrinos and dark energy models, beyond the power spectrum; and 3) improve the precision of semi-analytical methods to compute non-linear perturbations on small scales; A very concrete goal of the project is to produce a numerical code and make it public. This code will find direct application in the forecast and analysis of the data from the Euclid mission and other galaxy surveys, to probe the properties of neutrinos and the nature of gravity. In the outgoing phase I will work at University of California, Berkeley (US) to benefit from its great involvement in galaxy surveys and expertise in studies of large scale structure in connection to observations. In the return phase I will work in the Institut de Physique Théorique Saclay (France) where many theoretical developments in perturbation theory and extensions to non-standard models have been developed.

Mots clés : cosmology, dark energy, modified gravity, perturbation theory, non linear effects, large scale structure of the universe, galaxy surveys, bispectrum, gravitation

Participants :
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 264668.4 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet OrthoChirp (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a novel and universal method to mechano-spectroscopically investigate transient evolution of a complex-fluid's microstructure when subjected to a non-linear deformation or flow. Dr Victor Boudara will pursue this goal at the Department of Chemical Engineering of KU Leuven, under the supervision of Prof Christian Clasen. The goals of the project will be achieved by combining an optimized excitation signal structure (as recently introduced with the novel "Optimally Windowed Chirp" technique) with the concept of orthogonal superposition rheometry. The possibility to superpose such a rapid mechano-spectroscopy onto deforming system would allow, for the first time, to characterise the material property evolution of rapidly mutating materials over a wide range of frequencies under nonlinear shear flow. Such materials include gelling polymers, proteins, colloidal gels or jamming glasses, which are not only of fundamental but also of industrial and biomedical interest.

Mots clés : rheometry, rheology, soft matter, complex fluids

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet Body2Mind (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The quality and quantity of consumed nutrients, including proteins, has a significant impact on health and lifespan across phyla. Essential amino acids (eAAs) are an extreme case, as many animals, including humans and Drosophila, cannot efficiently synthesize them, and thus relay solely on protein intake to obtain them. Thus, understanding the molecular changes mediating the organism´s response to such an imbalance is highly important. It is established, that animals respond to a single eAA deficiency behaviorally and metabolically. Evidently, the organism recognizes eAAs-imbalance and translates it into a specific foraging behavior and feeding decisions appropriate for compensating for such specific nutrient deficiency (i.e increased protein preference and feeding). How this is done however remains elusive. We hypothesize that this nutrient imbalance drives molecular changes that are "mirrored" in gene transcription in order to drive the response to eAA imbalance, in a tissue specific manner. In this project we will unravel molecular mechanisms involved in the metabolic and behavioral responses to eAAs imbalance , while focusing on protein appetite, in a comprehensive manner. To achieve this, we propose to employ a novel high-throughput RNA sequencing method to decipher tissue specific translational changes following eAAs deprivation. Using a bioinformatic approach, we will look into the processes underlying these transcriptional changes. Interestingly, preliminary data already reveals common biological pathways underlying the response to all eAA deficiencies the fly gut. We will genetic approaches to test the relevance of these pathways to protein feeding and to the physiological response to eAA deficiencies. We foresee this project to open an essential next step in nutritional- neuroscience research, with potential to further our knowledge about the link between stomach, gut and brain signals in driving nutrient homeostasis.

Mots clés : drosophila feeding, gut brain axis, protein appetite, nutrition

Participants :
- Champalimaud Foundation (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 159815.04 €
Projet MecaMorphEME (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The quantitative understanding of the early development of mammalian embryos is essential to the progress of reproductive medicine. Yet, the physical and mechanical principles governing their morphogenesis remain largely unknown. Early mouse embryos self-organize by a succession of cell divisions, deformations and rearrangements, leading ultimately to the specification of two distinct cell lineages, segregated in inside and outside layers. Mechanical forces are therefore as important as biochemical activity in this process and precise 4-dimensional imaging of cells within the embryo reveals intense surface dynamics, regulated by contractile and adhesion proteins. However, our understanding of early embryos development still lacks a precise physical model integrating a dynamic description of the mechanical forces controlling cell shape and cell-cell adhesion. I will design a 4D physical model of the early mouse embryo providing accurate cell dynamics predictions. Cell shapes are primarily controlled by the actomyosin cortex and they will be described using recently developed cortical active shell theories. To represent accurately cell-cell adhesion dynamics, I will consider the crosstalk between cortical and adhesion proteins activities. Importantly, this model will be designed in close collaboration with an experimental group expert in the biophysical characterization of the mouse embryo, to incorporate measured mechanical parameters and molecular regulation mechanisms. Our model will be refined through cycles of theoretical predictions and experimental validations to uncover the principles of early mammalian embryos development and, more specifically, the mechanism of cell internalization at the 8 to 16 cells transition. This interdisciplinary project, at the interface between physical modeling and developmental biology will provide a unique and accurate biophysical framework for understanding the morphogenesis of early mammalian embryos.

Mots clés : modeling, simulation, early mouse embryo, morphogenesis, actomyosin cortex, cell cell adhesion, active gels, level set methods

Participants :
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171460.8 €
Projet OEMBS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The quest for a complete understanding of out-of-equilibrium behaviors in entangled many-body systems is a fundamental challenge in contemporary physics. In contrast with equilibrium, where several effective approaches (based on low-energy approximations) are available, there is no effective framework to describe out-of-equilibrium phenomena yet. One has then to rely only on numerical methods, such as the time-dependent Density Matrix Renormalization Group (tDMRG). In this context, the goal of the project is to clarify fundamental aspects of out-of-equilibrium physics in strongly-entangled systems, both in one and in two dimensions. The proposed research pursues a very interdisciplinary approach, by combining state-of-the-art entanglement-based numerical tools, as well as exactly-solvable models. Specifically, in one dimension the project aims at developing a better numerical and analytical framework to: i) simulate the full out-of-equilibrium dynamics in integrable models, merging Monte Carlo and Bethe ansatz techniques; ii) understand the out-of-equilibrium behavior of many-body continuous systems, employing the framework of tensor network techniques (continuous matrix product states); iii) understand the interplay between disorder and integrability in many-body localized phases of matter. Finally, in two dimensions the aim of the project is to characterize the out-of-equilibrium signatures of topological order in quantum spin liquids, with special attention to the comparison with recent experimental results.

Mots clés : entanglement, quantum quenches, many body localization, topological order, quantum spin liquids, integrability, tensor networks, monte carlo, exact diagonalization

Participants :
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet COIN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Doctoral Networks - Industrial Doctorates
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The rapid increase in data traffic in the past years and traffic forecasts will lead to capacity exhaust in the optical fibre communications infrastructure which carries over 95% of all data services. The optical fibre channel is nonlinear, that is, its properties, namely its refractive index, is dependent on optical intensity, and at high power densities, the combination of nonlinear effects and dispersion leads to nonlinear distortion, limiting both achievable capacities, spectral efficiencies and distances. A key research area requiring investigation is nonlinear coding and detection, tailored to the nonlinear channel to dramatically improve the data throughput of future optical networks. New R&D is critically needed not only for finding new native nonlinear communication techniques but also transferring them into practical, error-resilient systems. The COIN objective is, thus, the development of a new area of nonlinear communications including forward error correction, essential for reliable communication. Specifically, COIN will investigate the application of nonlinear Fourier transforms and nonlinearity-tailored coding and detection by effectively integrating the scientific expertise of the key academic research groups in information theory, coding, coherent optical communication and high-speed transmission with the industrial know-how of the consortium. The COIN R&D goals will be to focus on the development of new, native communication schemes and waveforms alongside with the development of coding schemes for these and existing non-linear Fourier transform based transceivers. The R&D tasks will be carried out along with researcher training in the leading scientific centres in Europe. The PhD training programme is designed to maximize the unique synergy between the collaborators to promote career opportunities of the COIN researchers in ICT, generating new types of key expertise and and human capital for the European Research Area.

Mots clés : optical communications, optical networks, information theory, nonlinear optics, optical fibre systems

Participants :
- Chalmers University of Technology (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 527318.64 €
- Nokia (Germany) (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 546575.76 €
Projet NEUROSHELL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The rapid worldwide expansion of marine bivalve aquaculture has lead to a growing demand for hatchery production of seed. Increase in this production has however been hampered by a lack of physiological synchrony of individuals, with difficulties in 1) conditioning of broodstock and predicting when they will spawn, 2) metamorphosis of larvae into spat. The overall research objective of Neuroshell is to advance knowledge on the environmental, neuroendocrine and endocrine control of these key stages in bivalves. This will be done through a daily rhythms approach, by investigating the effect of daily environmental cycles on reproduction (sub-project 1) and metamorphosis (sub-project 2), and generating a profile of target neuroendocrine/endocrine factors at given stages under these conditions. Then determining whether these factors too exhibit daily rhythmicity. Work will be performed on the European oyster, Ostrea edulis, through in vivo experiments. Neuroshell is multidisciplinary and intersectoral, combining physiological, biochemical and molecular techniques with shellfish aquaculture and industry integration. It also includes a secondment in Spain. Transfer of knowledge and comprehensive training of the researcher are key elements of the action. The core focus of the researcher to date has been on reproductive neuroendocrinology and physiology in fish species for commercial aquaculture. To broaden her research scope dramatically, the project has been developed with the Scottish Association of Marine Science UK (host), to enable her to gain knowledge, skills, competencies, experience and contacts in an entirely new group of species of major commercial importance. Overall, results have the potential capacity to advance hatchery production of marine bivalves and fundamental science, and promote the researcher to a level of professional maturity and independence. Ultimately contributing to the excellence and competitiveness of EU aquaculture research and industry.

Mots clés : neuroendocrinology, bivalve mollusc, light, temperature, reproduction

Participants :
- Scottish Association For Marine Science (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 337400.64 €
Projet SynWaiXen (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The realization of the first total syntheses of the two marine natural products waixenicin A and xenibellol A is the aim of this proposal. For this purpose, a N-heterocyclic carben (NHC)-catalyzed bicyclization shall be employed as key transformation. Both target structures are members of the Xenia diterpenoids family and exhibit cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. Despite these highly desirable, promising biological properties and unique structural features, therapeutic applications have been prevented by the circumstance that no synthetic access has been achieved until this day. Using retrosynthetic pattern recognition, we realized that the central fused lactone motif (of both natural products) could be efficiently accessed via a recently reported NHC-catalyzed bicyclization reaction. This organocatalytic methodology enables a rapid creation of molecular complexity and, therefore, its application to these total syntheses should save time and other resources. If a therapeutic potential can be corroborated, a synthetic access would provide this family of Xenia diterpenoids (or their derivatives) as possible anticancer drugs. As a result, this project could potentially lead to an improvement of medical care for future cancer patients, thereby also addressing a UN sustainable development goal.

Mots clés : total synthesis of complex molecules, nhc catalysis, bicyclization, organocatalysis, xenia diterpenoids

Participants :
- Universität Innsbruck (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174167.04 €
Projet SmARTS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The recent advances in open-source and low-cost software and hardware are increasing the number of technologies based on the ‘sharing-knowledge’ philosophy, allowing users to develop their own instruments according to their analytical needs. The aim of SmARTS is to develop a device for inspection, monitoring and analysis of Cultural Heritage materials (objects and structure surfaces) by means of multi-analytical approaches based on a low-cost apparatus. The SmARTS device will be tested by monitoring the conservation state of a set of stained glasses from the Sagrada Familia church of Barcelona (Spain), as well as related metal frames. The device will be equipped with multiple sensors to acquire environmental data (temperature, humidity, etc.) as well as analytical data (UV-IR, thermal signals, colorimetric, etc.), and micro-cameras in order to integrate the collected data with real-time imaging. A software for signal processing and data mining completes the design. The innovation lies in the use of low-cost, open-source hardware and software, which allows a sustainable approach to Cultural Heritage preservation. The originality lies in the device’s modular architecture, conceived as a hub controlling different sensors modules which can be easily assembled or disassembled, so ensuring an extremely flexible analytical instrument, adaptable to different materials and contexts. SmARTS is highly committed to EU's strategy endorsed in the field of Cultural Heritage preservation, by promoting an interdisciplinary approach, and by proposing the application of cutting-edge science and technology . Moreover, SmARTS integrates the applicant’s knowledge in conservation science into a top level research team of the University of Vic (Spain), the MECAMAT, whose research focuses in material science and mechatronics with a strong commitment with the private sector. This will enhance the capacities to convert the research results into commercial opportunities.

Mots clés : cultural heritage conservation science, material analysis, mechatronics, low cost technology, open source, sustainable cultural heritage

Participants :
- University of Vic (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet MulHaRes (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The recent catastrophic flood and landslide events triggered by heavy rainfalls have shown how vulnerable communities can be to natural disasters. To mitigate the impacts of natural disasters on communities, disaster resilience assessment and planning are required for the built-environment. The proposed research aims to develop a decision framework to support multi-hazard resilience of residential building stocks under rainfall-triggered floods and flow-type landslides (i.e., debris, mud-flows), considering two refinement levels in the framework: individual buildings vs. building portfolios in a community. The effects of uncertainties and spatial correlations in hazard demand and common building configurations and practices will be reflected in an aggregated assessment of multi-hazard resilience of building portfolios. The building portfolios that will be focused in the proposed methodology are residential buildings within a typical EU community, considering residential construction practice in Europe. However, the proposed framework can be adapted for resilience assessment and planning for other building portfolios involving different occupancies. The fellow Dr. Deniz, with her research experience in community disaster resilience and her firm-background in civil engineering, and reliability and statistical tools, has the required technical expertise to achieve the goal by conducting state-of-the-art robust analyses for the proposed project “A probabilistic decision framework for MULti-HAzard RESilience of residential building portfolios subjected to floods and landslides”. The proposed decision framework will greatly contribute to different stakeholders seeking to find optimal mitigation strategy for homes and to improve insurance portfolio risk policy, public policy and disaster management plans. This fellowship will support Dr. Deniz to establish an internationally well-recognized academic career and become one of the leading people on this particular research.

Mots clés : disaster resilience, residential building structures, building portfolio, flood, rainfall induced landslide, debris flow, damage, performance, recovery, decision making, multi hazard

Participants :
- Özyeğin University (Turquie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 145355.52 €