Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet CL-3DE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent research has shown that both humans and animals respond differently to rewarding objects when they are near compared to when they are far. I have developed a proposal to examine how proximity to rewarding objects impacts the brain, the choices we make and how we learn. This proposal has been explicitly designed to address the three key objectives of Horizon 2020. 1) Excellent Science: as a reintegrated researcher, I will transfer my knowledge of delivering immersive 3D stimuli in a laboratory setting to Jean-Claude Dreher's research group. Here, I will learn state-of-the-art techniques from the field of neuroeconomics to test the notion that a dual system network consisting of the striatum and hippocampus are critical to near and far choice outcomes. I will also test the notion that the same network is critical to how we learn about relationships in near and far space. 2) Competitive Industries: excellent immersive 3D will be essential to research outcomes. In the first of a two-part secondment, I will work with industry experts in visual effects to develop the highest quality stereographic stimuli for my experiments. Second, I will return to engage industry experts with my findings about how the brain is impacted by 3D screen imagery. 3) Better Society: I will engage with the public, especially younger people, from the outset to raise awareness about how the everyday choices we make can be influenced by environmental factors that we are often unaware of. I believe that this innovative research can have a significant impact on European society and industry and my career as a researcher.

Mots clés : neuroeconomics, decision making, choice, learning, reward, spatial depth, distance, fmri, neuroimaging, ieeg, model based fmri, computational modelling

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet MitSyn (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent studies have highlighted a strong genetic association between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Gaucher’s disease (GD), a lysosomal storage disorder that causes severe neurodegeneration in children and shares some pathophysiological features of PD. GD results from mutations that reduce activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCase), causing impaired lysosomal function. It was recently shown that GCase mutations cause several defects associated with impaired cellular quality control - impaired autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of oligomeric alpha-synuclein, a protein strongly involved in sporadic and genetic PD forms. In fact, alpha-synuclein aggregates are the main constituent of Lewy Bodies, characteristic proteins inclusions found in parkinsonian brains. While PD shows similar features and involves defects in the same pathways, it remains unclear how these diverse findings relate to each other. In the present study we propose to identify the specific interactions between intracellular signaling pathways, cellular quality control pathways and alpha-synuclein oligomerization in an attempt to generate a unifying hypothesis that brings together known features of GD and PD pathophysiology. We will use primary neuronal cultures from gba knockout mice and inducible pluripotent stem cells derived from the GD mouse model and from patients, in which alpha-synuclein will be overexpressed or silenced. Mitochondrial (dys)function, impaired clearance mechanisms and alpha-synuclein oligomerization will be quantitatively characterized in these models by means of an array of biochemical, biophysical and advanced imaging techniques. The results of the work will give us further insights into PD molecular mechanisms and may provide new therapeutic targets.

Mots clés : parkinson s disease gaucher s disease alpha synuclein mitochondria live imaging autophagy protein aggregation

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet CabaKarst (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent studies have shown a globally increasing vegetation cover, also known as the greening Earth. Elevated atmospheric CO2 has been identified as the main driver of this greening. On the contrary, human management is usually reported to cause land degradation and deforestation, especially in humid areas where population pressure is high. This project aims at challenging this simplistic view by introducing the Chinese karst regions as a study area known as one of the world’s most fragile and degraded ecosystems, but also a hot-spot of global greening hosting mega-engineering conservation projects which are the largest in human history. Here my research hypothesis is that conservation efforts in China’s karst regions offset degradation and lead to an increased carbon sequestration with global impact. I aim to (1) develop methods to assess aboveground biomass carbon (ABC) losses and gains with newest satellite data, (2) attribute ABC dynamics to conservation and degradation using inventory data, (3) test the sensitivity of ABC to climate extremes and explain how conservation efforts affect these, and (4) assess the regional and global impact of observed ABC changes as a climate change mitigation measure. Whereas the host institution is world leading in satellite based assessments of climate induced greening of global drylands, me and my project will add a new dimension to the host’s portfolio: the human induced greening of a humid zone. Moreover, the host is world leading in the application of newest satellite data for vegetation cover and ABC assessments and has direct contacts to data developers (e.g. vegetation optical depth based on low frequency passive microwave data). The combination of (a) my regional knowledge, my access to inventory data and contacts to Chinese stake-holders with (b) the host’s experience in data processing and scientific publishing will generate novel knowledge on human induced carbon sequestration as a climate change mitigation measure.

Mots clés : earth observation, karst, vegetation monitoring, natural resource management, afforestation, climate change, degradation, conservation

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet ZIDOMS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent technological advances have brought the implementation of personal and precision medicine in the clinic within reach. In this project, we are proposing to use zebrafish as a novel, efficient tool to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of Marfan Syndrome (MFS), a rare genetic disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical features. Since there is no definitive cure for MFS, patients need lifelong supportive treatment to prevent morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular complications. Together with the detection of a number of syndromic symptoms, positive diagnosis of MFS relies on the identification of a deleterious mutation in the fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene. Nevertheless, genetic testing often leads to the discovery of FBN1 variants which are not unequivocally linked to disease development. Current practice relies on the evaluation of historical and predictive parameters to classify variants of unknown significance as potentially causal mutations, but no biological model exists to efficiently validate the genetic classifications. This project aims to make optimal use of the combination of the know-how of the researcher, Dr. Sips, in the field of cardiovascular physiology and animal models of disease, with the clinical expertise of the supervisor, Prof. De Backer, in the diagnosis and treatment of MFS patients. The goal is to develop a zebrafish-based model that will allow for the quick classification of unknown variants in the FBN1 gene to aid in the diagnosis of MFS. In addition, the model will allow an efficient screening of drug libraries to look for potential new therapies, which might make it possible to find patient-specific treatments. Taken together, this project aims to take advantage of the synergy between the researcher and the supervisor in order to develop a novel strategy for a personalized approach to medicine. MFS is studied as a proof-of-concept clinical challenge with unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment.

Mots clés : zebrafish, high throughput screening

Participants :
- Ghent University (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet HOU-DUAL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent years have seen a transformation of housing careers. Significant homeownership declines among young adults is evident across Europe, with growing shares in rental or staying on in the parental home. These are not merely symptoms of a temporary recession, but are outcomes of fundamental changes in labour and housing markets alongside shifting state roles. Even in so-called ‘homeowner societies,’ a future of mass homeownership appears unlikely. Rather, we see increasingly divided sectors where insiders have seen sizable asset growth contrasted with significant shares shut out from the housing market. Globally, ‘financialization’ processes have been at forefront of housing market transformation. Financialization describes real forces that have progressively changed the nature of housing, through its integration with global capital flows, neoliberal re/deregulation and increasing commodification: changes that may exacerbate the translation of labour to housing divides. All this, in an era where labour inequalities have increased and housing assets have grown in importance in the face of welfare cutbacks. Given varied homeownership entry, diverging market outcomes, and intergenerational transmission, housing is clearly central to structuring inequalities. Forces of financialization have only amplified the importance of housing towards socio-economic divides. The proposal develops a theoretical and empirical understanding of how European housing is increasingly structured by insider-outsider dynamics - or housing dualization - within contexts of labour inequality and financialization. The quantitative approach is both multi-scalar and interdisciplinary. First addressing macro-level housing divides across national settings, followed by multi-level analyses into individual outcomes structured by differing national and regional contexts. The research builds on distinct literatures across: labour market dualization, comparative housing studies, and financialization.

Mots clés : housing inequality, labour market inequality, homeownership, financialization, generation rent, parental co residence, housing systems, welfare systems, intergenerational, intragenerational divides

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160800.0 €
Projet SpeedDMN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent years have seen remarkable strides taken in the understanding, simulation, and control of complex quantum systems, evidenced by the fact that so-called second generation quantum technologies are becoming viable and a global concerted effort to exploit quantum systems is steadily progressing. To maximise the potential of these emerging technologies we must both understand their underlying working principles and be able to manipulate them effectively. In regards to the former, the quickly growing field of quantum thermodynamics is, and continues to, develop the basic framework to understand work, heat, and efficiency when quantum systems are used. Regarding the latter, a plethora of techniques to control quantum systems have come to the forefront of research, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. From a practical standpoint we normally seek to achieve this control in the shortest possible time. In this regard, one of the most intriguing aspects of quantum systems emerged from the clarification of Heisenberg’s energy-time uncertainty relation when Mandelstam and Tamm showed that it sets a minimal time for a quantum system to evolve: the quantum speed limit time. The main goal of the proposed action will be to exploit the recent developments in understanding the thermodynamics of quantum systems in order to develop control techniques for complex quantum systems that operate as quickly as physically possible, while requiring the minimal resources. This will be achieved by establishing connections between the quantum speed limit and other fundamental bounds, determining the achievability of the quantum speed limit using state-of-the-art control techniques, and designing new protocols that require minimal experimental resources, yet achieve a desired task.

Mots clés : quantum thermodynamics

Participants :
- Aarhus University (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet PReB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Recent years have seen tremendous experimental progress in realization of quantum devices. Quantum devices are inherently noisy and dissipative because complete isolation from surrounding environment is impossible at such small length scales. Fundamentally, they work by driving the system out of equilibrium, for example, by applying a voltage. This makes them 'driven dissipative many-body quantum systems'. State-of-the-art theoretical and numerical techniques allow exploration of such systems only under very restrictive conditions. This severely limits our understanding of already experimentally realizable situations and their capability for device applications such as energy transfer and heat management. In this project, I propose to develop a new technique, the Periodically Refreshed Baths (PReB) scheme, for open quantum dynamics which will go much beyond the current state-of-the-art methods. It will numerically exactly describe quantum dissipative many-body systems under a constant or time dependent voltage/temperature bias over a wide range of parameters. This will be achieved by combining fundamental concepts from condensed matter physics with those from open quantum systems and incorporating them in state-of-the-art numerical methods for quantum many-body dynamics. The resulting numerical method is expected to find long-term applications in a wide range of problems in quantum physics, biology, chemistry and engineering. In this project, as an application, I propose to use the PReB scheme to extensively explore quantum thermodynamics of one class of intermediate scale quantum systems, which is impossible with current state-of-the-art techniques. This project will thus open access to completely uncharted territories for intense research activities and technological developments. The research will be carried out in the perfectly suited 'Thermodynamics and energetics of Quantum Systems' (QuSys) group of Prof. John Goold at Trinity College Dublin.

Mots clés : open quantum systems, quantum thermodynamics, non equilibrium statistical physics

Participants :
- Trinity College Dublin (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184590.72 €
Projet WLEP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Recently, perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have emerged as a new generation of efficient and low-cost LED technology because of their unique optoelectronic properties. Although great advances and exciting progress have been achieved in monochromatic perovskite LEDs, no white perovskite LED has been reported yet. This project targets the development of new white light-emitting perovskite (WLEP) emitters and high-performance white perovskite LEDs. Recent progress on Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites (RPPs) suggests a promising way for realizing WLEP thin films for high performance white LEDs. Therefore, in this project, I aim to develop efficient and stable white perovskite LEDs based on RPP thin films. Firstly, novel WLEP materials will be developed by using a strategy combining mixed A-site cations and rigid large organic cations. Secondly, high-quality WLEP thin films will be prepared through ‘cocktail’ approach-based additive engineering or/and post treatments. Ultimately, efficient and stable white perovskite LEDs will be fabricated by coupling new device architectures, device engineering and device physics. Also, the fellow will be trained to acquire new interdisciplinary knowledge and skills and to achieve professional maturity by implementing the project. The expected results of this project will considerably advance the research field of perovskite LEDs, consequently promoting the academic reputation of the host organization, ensuring EU’s dominant role in the research field of perovskite optoelectronics and enhancing the international impact of EU. Meanwhile, the expected outcomes are new WLEP materials and white perovskite LEDs which have great potential for commercialization. In the long term, commercialization of efficient and low-cost white perovskite LEDs will reduce energy consumption of lighting, helping reach EU’s energy saving targets, and can also generate economic growth and new job opportunities.

Mots clés : electronics, semiconductor, lighting application

Participants :
- Linköping University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203852.16 €
Projet MU-MED (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Records of births, deaths, and people alive are some of the most important statistics that are collected and analysed by states and societies. In many developing countries, however, these records are deficient. These limitations constrain public policy, health responses, and scientific knowledge. The research project I propose, MU-MED (Measuring and Understanding Mortality, its Exposures, and its Determinants in developing countries) aims to radically improve the measurement and understanding of population health in low and middle-income countries. Contributing to the monitoring and achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals, the project develops novel methods to measure mortality in developing countries and examine its determinants. Focusing on India in this project, I will estimate mortality rates, life expectancies, and standard errors of life table quantities at all ages from sample surveys and civil registration systems. Additionally, I will examine social determinants of mortality, calculating the first set of life expectancies by slum residence; caste, religion, and social group; and social class, as measured by household wealth and occupational categories. Finally, I will examine the impact of environmental exposures such as heat and humidity, floods, and air pollution on mortality. Together, the scientific papers from this proposal will improve scientific understanding of the level, trends, and determinants of mortality in developing countries. Because the research outlined here focuses on improving measurement of mortality, it will be of value to the wider research and global policy community. The research will inform public policy and public discussion within developing countries, as well as in global organizations such as the UN and the WHO, by suggesting intervention priorities for health improvements in developing countries. It will also help countries, researchers, and organizations assess the impact of health interventions.

Mots clés : mortality, health, vital registration, health gradients, environmental determinants of health

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet ATMESPHERE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Reduction of carbon emission to the atmosphere has become a key target to preserve the planet from its dramatic effects. The EU aims to become the first climate-neutral bloc by 2050, but development of novel carbon capture technologies, and a shift towards sustainable production of chemicals, are required to reach such ambitious goal. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES), in which CO2 is biologically converted to carboxylates and/or alcohols, enables reduction of carbon emissions whilst producing green chemical products. To date, acetate is the main compound produced from CO2 via MES, whereas more valuable caproate has been only produced at low concentrations due to product toxicity and thermodynamic limitations. The “atMESphere” project aims to push MES towards commercialisation by implementing a novel, resilient and sustainable biorefinery concept for selective production, extraction and concentration of caproate from CO2. In a first stage, the operation conditions in MES cells (including microbial consortia, pH, H2 partial pressure, and carbon availability) will be investigated and fine-tuned to obtain, for the first time, selective, high-rate caproate production from CO2. Then, a novel two-stage purification process, comprising of extraction through silicone membrane and concentration by shock electrodialysis, will be developed and integrated to the optimised MES cell, through a recirculation loop, to achieve selective separation of caproate, which has several applications in the energy, food and chemical industry. This project is highly interdisciplinary, involving tools, approaches and expertise from engineering, microbiology, electrochemistry, biotechnology, and membrane technology, and the experienced researcher will receive high-quality training on both scientific and horizontal skills. Dissemination, communication and exploitation activities have been planned to reach the most diverse audiences, and ensure commercial relevance of the proposed technology.

Mots clés : microbial electrochemical technologies, bioelectrochemical systems, caproic acid, membrane extraction, shock, electrodialysis, hydrogen partial pressure, biocathode, greenhouse gas

Participants :
- University of Girona (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €