Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet NeoGenHeritage (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research goal of this proposal revolves around a widely debated topic in archaeology, anthropology and population genetics: the dynamics of the spread of farming into Europe, or Neolithic transition. For a long time, this key event that was to define modern Europeans has fuelled a dichotomic research debate. In short, did the Neolithic spread into Europe as the result of cultural or demographic diffusion? While many approaches can be attempted, in the last few years, ancient DNA (aDNA) studies have strongly contributed to shedding light on this topic, through the recovery and analysis of an increasing number of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes from prehistorical human samples. Far from closing the debate, these palaeogenomes are revealing a more complicated scenario, where the times, paths and genetic legacy of the Neolithic diffusion seem to have been different in different geographic areas. Furthermore, as the genomic data increase, the aDNA field is soon facing the challenge of evolving from a research area largely based on technical development for the recovery of short DNA fragments, to the analysis of larger datasets (ultimately, whole genome data) in the context of human population genetics. I therefore propose an interdisciplinary project aimed to increase our knowledge on the Neolithic transition by generating, for the first time, genome data from ancient human remains from the Iberian Peninsula at the times of the Neolithic transition. Having been the last region of Europe reached by the Neolithic diffusion, the IP is a crucial area for understanding the relative role of migration and cultural changes. By combining modern technologies for the recovery of ancient genomes, with state-of-the-art statistical data analyses in the context of human population genetics, this project will contribute to the development of practical and theoretical approaches to make the most of aDNA as a powerful research tool in the fields of archaeology and antropology.

Mots clés : ancient dna, neolithic, next generation sequencing, capture, approximate bayesian computation, bioinformatics, bioarchaeology, human population genetics, palaeogenomics

Participants :
- University of Ferrara (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet TERA-NANO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research on terahertz technology has become one of the emerging fields due to the unique properties that it offers, presenting enabling alternatives in imaging, spectroscopy, and communication applications. Increasing research activities in the field also brings the need for high performance components that operate in the terahertz regime, the most important of which are the high performance sources and detectors. Photomixing is one of the most commonly used methods for terahertz generation and detection, which employs an ultrafast semiconductor substrate integrated with an antenna. The state-of-the-art photomixer antennas have either a low radiation resistance in a wide band or a high radiation resistance in a narrow band, both of which introduce a significant reduction in the amount of terahertz power generated or detected. Possible antenna reconfigurability options to overcome these issues have not been investigated so far due to the lack of high performance switching elements in the terahertz band, which could boost the antenna, and hence, photomixer performance significantly. Moreover, electronically controlled beam steering possibilities, which could enhance the system performance radically in terahertz imaging and communication applications, have not been studied to date, which also requires high performance switching elements. In this project, we aim to develop, for the first time, beam steerable and frequency reconfigurable photomixer antenna array for terahertz generation and detection. Beam steering and frequency reconfiguration will be achieved by means of nano-actuators, which is expected to provide high performance switching at terahertz frequencies. The nano-actuators that we target to develop will be the smallest ones reported up to date, which is mandatory to integrate them into the very small antenna dimensions. The proposed project will be a high level of interdisciplinary research between optics, electronics, and mechanical engineering.

Mots clés : terahertz, source, detector, photoconductive antenna, photomixer

Participants :
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University (Turquie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 157845.6 €
Projet HAT-MOZ-sphere (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research programme will comprise the study of the Histone acetyl transferase (HAT) MOZ (Monocytic leukaemia Zinc finger) a critical player in the development and maintenance of the haematopoietic system. In addition, translocations of MOZ are associated with Acute Myeloblastic Leukaemia. Given the importance of this protein in haematopoiesis and leukaemogenesis, it would be essential to further understand the function of MOZ and in particular to identify the genes regulated by its HAT activity of MOZ. A mouse line specifically mutated to abrogate the HAT enzymatic activity of MOZ has been developed in the host laboratory, and represents a powerful and unique tool for the study of MOZ HAT activity. Using Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), genome wide targets of MOZ will be determined and the consequences of the deletion of its HAT activity on the epigenetic landscape will be investigated through the survey of several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II recruitment. The non-histone targets of MOZ will be identified through the SILAC technique. Finally a MOZ murine leukaemic model has been developed, based on the transduction of bone marrow cells with a retrovirus encoding MOZ-TIF2, one of the fusion proteins involving MOZ. ChIP-seq will be performed in these leukaemic cells to identify genes targeted by MOZ-TIF2 and changes in epigenetic marks at these loci. Overall, this project will provide a better understanding of MOZ HAT activity in haematopoiesis and leukaemogenesis. Crucially, this project will enable Dr Anne Largeot to obtain and develop a wide range of new and transferable skills through a variety of multidisciplinary training programs. Relying on the knowledge and expertise of her supervisor and the exceptionally high calibre of the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, this project will enable Dr Anne Largeot to achieve her long-term objective of obtaining a leadership position in a competitive European Institute

Mots clés : moz hat haematopoiesis leukaemogenesis

Participants :
- University of Manchester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet DEALS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research project concerns deaf people who use a signed language, such as BSL (British Sign Language). It investigates the potential of a culturally familiar practice, storytelling, as a means of promoting agency, resilience and better well being. Using techniques of narrative therapy, narrative analysis and grounded theory, the project will explore the significance of life story work to enhance well being from a cross cultural perspective, engaging with deaf migrants from diverse nation states. It will result in a life story instrument, piloted during the study that exploits the visual learning strengths of deaf people and the properties of visual (non-textual) languages through digital media. It extends current research on narrative methods as a form of cultural brokering and emancipatory methodologies within critical deaf epistemologies.

Mots clés : signed languages  deaf peoples

Participants :
- University of Manchester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet DIVERSIRAN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The research project ‘DIVERSIRAN – DIVersification and Economic ReSilience of IRAN’ studies the factors that have shaped Iran's strategies for economic diversification and resilience. Economic diversification in this study is not limited to the traditional definition (i.e. the state’s strategy of diversifying economic activities from the hydrocarbon sector). Instead, it looks for factors shaping the diversification of the economy beyond the country’s borders and their implications on trade and economic partnerships. The project captures all factors that contribute towards shaping development, resilience, and diversification strategies of the Iranian economy. It provides a multifaceted analysis of the impacts of domestic political dynamics, institutional capacity, the military-political-business complex, sanctions, and regional and international affairs on Iran’s economic strategies. By providing a deeper understanding of the current economic mindset and policy implications in Iran, the research applies a forward-looking approach in assessing the long-term impact on the future socioeconomic stability of the country. The project adopts an interdisciplinary mixed-method approach by merging elements of political science, international relations, economics, and development studies. It combines qualitative content analysis of secondary data available in Farsi, English, and Arabic and process tracing in order to assess the causal relationship between factors shaping economic strategies, policy implications, and the long-term socioeconomic impacts in Iran.

Mots clés : iran, economic diversification, sanctions, middle east

Participants :
- Leibniz Association (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 174806.4 €
Projet ELISITY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research project ‘fiEld Line helIcity and Solar eruptivITY’ (ELISITY) will examine the reasons behind the eruptive behaviour of the Sun, and the possibility of forecasting it. The importance of the project stems from the relation of solar eruptivity to Space Weather, and the international effort put in predicting the latter. ELISITY will study the behaviour of the minimally-explored physical quantity field line helicity (FLH) during the production and early stages of solar eruptions. FLH is a proxy for the density of helicity that offers new and important capabilities in the study of solar eruptivity, since it contains the same information with magnetic helicity, the conserved in ideal magneto-hydrodynamics quantity that describes the complexity of a magnetic field, and in addition, it provides information for the locations where helicity is more important. ELISITY will also determine parameters related to the spatial distribution of FLH that indicate eruptivity, and conditions on these parameters for solar eruptions to occur. For these, ELISITY will select observational cases which exhibit different levels of activity and morphology, using existing data from solar missions. The project will accurately compute FLH based on the researcher’s recent developments on the topic. The host institute will provide all required infrastructure and services to assist the researcher, and the supervision by very experienced staff. The project will have a positive impact to all parts involved: the researcher will gain new research skills in using solar observations, and also teaching experience, while the research team of the host will gain on state-of-the-art helicity and FLH computation methods. The potentially ground breaking project results will be disseminated with the publication of scientific articles to peer-reviewed journals, and their presentation to scientific conferences; they will also be communicated to the general public with outreach activities.

Mots clés : magnetic helicity, solar eruptions, coronal mass ejections, space weather forecasting

Participants :
- University of Ioannina (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165085.44 €
Projet MOBILISE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research project “MOBILIZING FOR BASIC INCOMES. SOCIAL INNOVATION IN MOTION (MOBILISE)” investigates the role and influence of civil society organizations (CSOs) on the unprecedented launching of several Basic Income (BI) pilot tests across Europe. Rising levels of unemployment, poverty and increasing income insecurity in several European countries have prompted greater attention around innovative social protection schemes. Grassroots movements often pursue more universal social policies, yet their role and capacity to influence policymaking have been insufficiently studied to date. MOBILISE addresses this gap with a 36-month project that adopts a comparative research design, including two levels of analysis (local and national), and fieldwork in three EU cities. MOBILISE pursues three main goals: (i) to develop state-of-the-art research on the role of CSOs in the reforms of social policy in comparative perspective; (ii) to enhance the future career opportunities and inter-sectoral employability of the researcher through an effective two-way knowledge transfer with host and secondment organization; (iii) to produce and disseminate knowledge on the development of innovative social protection policies, thus contributing to the objectives of the ‘European platform against poverty and social exclusion’ (Europe 2020). MOBILISE achieves these goals through a comprehensive program providing excellent training-through-research and on-the-job skills development at the Université de Genève, and a secondment at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). Furthermore, it includes an ambitious dissemination and communication plan to promote knowledge exchange between the researcher and partner organizations, as well as the production of practical knowledge that will inform both policy makers and CSOs at EU, national and local levels.

Mots clés : basic income, unconditional basic income, social movements, political participation, social innovation, social protection, policy change

Participants :
- University of Geneva (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 304724.16 €
Projet WHAM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The researcher is moving from Italy to Newcastle University (UK) to carry out WHAM, the first ever functional and social study of early European metal awls, 5000-1600 BC. Awls are amongst the first objects to be made from metal in prehistoric Europe, yet their purpose, uses, and social significance have never been explored. To address this problem, the project will investigate what early awls were used for, in what crafts, by what agents, and with what degree of specialism. By researching widespread, yet understudied, early metal tools, the project will overturn orthodox narratives claiming prehistoric metallurgy to be a male-dominated skilled technology. The multidisciplinary method selected for the research integrates the microwear analysis of 130 prehistoric awls (and of 70 objects worked with them) from three sample regions in Europe; the testing of replica awls in various prehistoric crafts; and the contextual analysis of awl burials. The project’s importance is thus: (1) it is the first Europe-wide functional and social analysis of a category of poorly understood metal objects; (2) it is the first ever attempt to examine both awls and worked objects as a coherent technological assemblage; and (3) it is the first ever multidisciplinary study of early metal awls integrating microwear analysis, experimental archaeology, and the social analysis of awl burials. Whilst working on the project, the Researcher will acquire new expertise in multi-method artefact analysis. He will also develop an innovative non-contact approach to archaeological trace recording (using dentistry-grade intraoral scanners) during a three-month secondment at the University of Padua, Italy. The research training received at Newcastle and Padua will equip him with sought-after skills facilitating his reintegration into the academic job market after a three-year break. In turn, he will transfer his knowledge of early stone/shell technology and experimental archaeology to Newcastle.

Mots clés : european prehistory, archaeological science, microwear analysis, experimental archaeology, social archaeology

Participants :
- Newcastle University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet TEMPI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The researcher is moving from Italy to the UK in order to build a new chronology and classification method for early metal artefacts (i.e. axes, daggers and halberds) from Italy, c.4500-2000 BC. The project aims will be achieved through a combination of radiocarbon dating and scientifically informed work on artefact classification criteria, which takes into account the technological transformation undergone by the objects during their life-cycles. The importance of the project is twofold: (a) this is the first time that a researcher develops a reflexive approach to metalwork classification, which explicitly takes into consideration forging, use and other post-casting alterations to the shape and features of objects; (b) it is also the first attempt ever made to ground the chronology of early Italian metalwork in a comprehensive set of radiocarbon dates. The significance of the project goes beyond Italian archaeology insofar as early Italian metals are typologically cross-linked to similar objects in Europe and the Mediterranean. It is thus anticipated that the project will bring about dramatic changes in our understanding of the chronology and developmental sequence of prehistoric metal technology across large swathes of Europe, with particular reference to central Europe, the western Balkans, Sardinia and Crete. Whilst working on the project, the researcher will acquire new expertise in metalwork use-wear analysis and Neutron Diffraction (ND) analysis, two cutting-edge techniques of artefact characterization. ND analysis will be deployed during a secondment at the ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Didcot, UK). The researcher will also develop new skills in radiocarbon dating, artefact classification and statistical analysis. Newcastle University, the host organisation, will in turn benefit from the researcher's expertise in Italian and European prehistory, with special regard to the technology of prehistoric bronzes.

Mots clés : artefact studies, artefact classification, ancient metallurgy, radiocarbon dating, use wear analysis, neutron diffraction analysis

Participants :
- Newcastle University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet BeamSense (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The resolution of images formed using scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) is no longer limited by optical limits of the microscope, but instead by sample damage during acquisition. The image is formed by a highly focused beam of electrons being scanned across the specimen, with diffraction intensities recorded at each probe position. However, the beam can also cause localised heating and rearrangement of the atomic structure – and it is this movement that ultimately limits the image quality. Electron-beam-induced specimen damage is particularly severe for weakly-bound compounds, such as battery materials, photovoltaics or pharmaceuticals. The inability to visualise the atomic structure of these materials easily is a severe impediment to research progress in their respective fields. Overcoming the beam-damage roadblock would have a profound impact across many scientific disciplines. This can be achieved by significantly reducing the number of electrons required to form an image. The mechanics of image formation in STEMs is largely unchanged since their first demonstration 80 years ago: the probe is formed by illuminating a circular aperture with a planar electron wave, brought to a focus on the sample and raster scanned. Portions of the scattered intensity are collected to determine the intensity of the pixel associated with each probe position. Electron detectors have developed significantly in recent years - while the probe-forming apertures have received less attention. A circular aperture creates a probe with broad tails, and an image with only weak contrast, thus requiring many electrons to achieve good signal-to-noise. I have previously developed methods to reshape the electron beam to generate angular momentum. In this work, I will apply related methods to increase the image contrast by intelligent shaping of the wave front. This will reduce the required electron dose, and thus enable atomic resolution STEM imaging of beam sensitive materials.

Mots clés : transmission electron microscopy, phase contrast, beam shaping, ptychography

Participants :
- University of Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €