Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet StochRewind (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The direct detection of gravitational waves from binary stellar-mass black hole systems in our Universe provides a wealth of astrophysical information which is now within our reach. These binaries merge in the LIGO and Virgo detector frequency sensitivity bands, and were once sweeping through the LISA band, emitting at much lower frequencies. In LIGO, the binary mergers appear both as single, resolved events and as a multitude of incoherent signals, known as the stochastic gravitational-wave background. In LISA, a similar picture will be seen, where a few binaries are directly resolved, while the vast majority build up a stochastic signal. With StochRewind, we will draw out all binary black hole information measured by LIGO and Virgo to calibrate the LISA mission, providing a crucial ingredient for LISA data analysis methods. First, we focus on the stochastic background in LIGO, and deliver a brand new pipeline which maximises our chances for detection. Then, we analyse the implications of the LIGO black hole detections and stochastic background for LISA, delivering the first data-based prediction of the LISA binary black hole stochastic background, fully exploiting our multi-band gravitational-wave knowledge. It is essential that StochRewind be hosted by an institute which can supplement the fellow's first-hand experience in stochastic LIGO data analysis with knowledge on black hole population analysis and LISA astrophysics. UniMiB is a unique institution which counts top experts in both these fields, providing an environment which bridges the gap between LISA and LIGO. These revolutionary science objectives will be paired with advanced training objectives tailored to the fellow's personal career development plan, rooted in what UniMiB and the collaborations have to offer. StochRewind will have far-reaching impacts on the community, which will reap the benefits for decades to come.

Mots clés : gravitational waves, gravitational wave background, binary black holes, stochastic searches, ligo, lisa

Participants :
- Université de Milan-Bicocca (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet INTEGRASION (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

III-nitride semiconductors (GaN/AlGaN) are strategic materials for photodetection in a broad spectral range from deep ultraviolet to far infrared. These domains can be addressed thanks to interband and intersubband transitions respectively, which cover wavelengths inaccessible to standard III-V semiconductors. Heterogeneous integration of III-N nanowires (NWs) on 2D materials at the same time opens new technological opportunities for advanced optoelectronics and presents fundamental interest to elucidate the physics of van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE). Available research on epitaxial growth of GaN NWs on 2D graphene has demonstrated its promise; however, the scope for improvement remains limited. A number of questions with fundamental significance e.g. the influence of the 2D material in NW growth, controlling factors for NW size/size-distribution, and generalized understanding of vdWE with experimental authentication remain open. INTEGRASION proposes to address these open questions and to achieve a general understanding of vdWE of nitrides on 2D materials for advanced optoelectronic devices. To reach this goal, GaN/AlGaN NWs will be grown on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (WS2) and comparative analysis will be performed with growth on graphene. The fundamentals of growth process will be assessed experimentally and theoretically emphasizing the impact of 2D materials on the NW growth which is pivotal for heterojunction formation. GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions in multi-quantum well structure will be grown on 2D platforms to demonstrate interband UV photodetection as well as intersubband photodetection in mid- and far-infrared domains. Besides, heterogeneous integration of GaN NWs on 2D platforms will facilitate the post-growth transfer of III-N NWs to flexible substrates where monolithic integration is not possible. INTEGRASION will address these three key aspects: (i) heterogenous growth, (ii) interband/intersubband photodetection and (iii) hybrid integration.

Mots clés : epitaxy, 2d materials, van der waals epitaxy, iii nitrides, nanowires, intersubband photodetection

Participants :
- Université Paris-Saclay (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet OPTICS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The OPTICS project aims to improve the recent reported display technique of MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) metasurface structural colors (applicant’s previous work), through re-designing the color filers and the MEMS cantilevers, for practical display applications for consuming electronics. The proposed technology combines transmission-based plasmonic structural colors with MEMS micro cantilevers to realise full range RGB displays, while using only two common earth-abundant materials: Aluminum (Al) and silicon oxide (SiO2), potentially for cost effective products and fast operation performance. Optical displays play a ubiquitous role in daily life, being an essential component of smartphones, computers, televisions, etc. However, these devices make up roughly half of the 50 million tons of e-waste produced globally every year. In estimate, 40 million tons are generally ending up in burn pits or landfills in developing countries, causing environment and health problems. There is an urgent need for alternative display technologies which are easier to recycle and are financially feasible to be incorporated into sustainable consumer electronics. Structural colors could be an ideal technology for next-generation optical displays. Several reports have been published on controllable / tunable structural colors towards optical displays. However, none of them meet the basic requirements, namely: control individual pixel by voltage, control color of individual pixels, and control brightness of individual pixels. We will examine a new type of optical display technology based on structural colors and MEMS to meet the above requirements. Implemented at the University of Southern Denmark, this project will allow the fellow to enhance both scientific and communication skills, through a well-designed training program (courses, workshops, regular meeting with supervisors), a data management plan, as well as measures for knowledge exchange and dissemination/communication.

Mots clés : mems, metasurface, structural colors, optical display, micro nano fabrication

Participants :
- Université du Danemark du Sud (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214934.4 €
- Université technique du Danemark (Danemark) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SDR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

To understand the history of the chondritic asteroid Ryugu and whether it had a role in delivering volatiles and organic material to early Earth, SDR will constrain the mineral and geochemical variability of sediment samples from Ryugu on a grain and sub-grain scale. Because Ryugu is a rubble-pile asteroid made of re-accreted pieces of the parent body/bodies, near-surface sediment collected by the Hayabusa2 mission represents many depths within the interior of the parent. However, current analyses of collected reflectance spectra are done at the bulk sample scale which can average over interesting features to determine the major components. As individual grains are prepared to be sent out for proposed science, each grain is being documented from multiple viewing angles using the MicrOmega hyperspectral imager (0.99-3.65 micrometers) developed at IAS. This has created an enormous, rich dataset of ~20 hyperspectral images for each of 350 grains analyzed so far, and this dataset will continue to grow over the coming months. By conducting novel statistical analyses of this dataset of >7000 high-resolution image cubes (22 micrometers/pixel), I will identify co-occurring mineral phases, minor phases, and variation in organic phases that have implications for the aqueous alteration conditions within Ryugu and its parent body. Statistical analyses will include: principal component analysis, k-means clustering, distinctiveness measures, pixel-to-pixel correlation, edge detection, and network centrality. My experience publishing on statistical analyses of existing, noisy datasets has prepared me to extract meaningful information from this large, complicated dataset. This work will culminate in an updated model of formation and alteration on Ryugu’s parent body which relies on the types and position of minerals to infer alteration gradients and constrain the nature, number, and temperature of aqueous alteration events.

Mots clés : asteroid, spectroscopy, alteration history

Participants :
- Université Paris-Saclay (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet CHaNGe (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This proposal is primarily interested in algebraic geometry, a field that underpins geometric intuition with the precision brought about by calculation from algebra. The algebraic information of an algebraic variety - the set of common zeros of polynomial equations – is packaged in sheaves and organized in categories, which makes it possible to study these objects by importing the tools of homological and (non-)commutative algebra. This categorical approach is natural for many of the current leading questions in mirror symmetry, birational geometry, representation theory, and theoretical physics because it serves as a bridge between the geometric and algebraic language. It is also fundamental, as many properties and even classification results are not possible without it. The proposal is deeply interdisciplinary, and it connects broad areas of algebra and geometry. It naturally splits into three parts. The first aims to investigate one of the most fundamental properties of curves, namely contractibility, with non-commutative deformation theory. It will generalize classical results using modern language, at the same time producing many new explicit examples of rational curves in threefolds. Linking contractibility and non-commutative algebra will bring deep consequences for the birational and enumerative geometry of Calabi-Yau varieties, advancing areas of string theory.  The second part studies surfaces with mild positive curvature (Fano, but with ineffective anticanonical bundle). The main objective is to prove a mirror theorem, packaging physical information with tools of homological algebra. The new heuristics, definitions, and techniques will open up an avenue to investigate higher dimensional settings.  The third part involves reconstructing varieties from associated categorical data. I will tackle some hard open cases, developing new tools and combining them with classical methods.

Mots clés : non commutative deformations derived categories homological mirror symmetry fano varieties birational geometry rational curves semiorthogonal decompositions categorical torelli theorems

Participants :
- Université Paris-Saclay (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195914.88 €
Projet PORTAL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Efficient therapeutic delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant challenge in treating neurological disorders. The BBB, composed of tightly regulated endothelial cells, severely restricts drug access to the brain, reducing efficacy and increasing off-target effects. While lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been essential for developing mRNA-based vaccines, their use in brain-targeted therapies is limited by poor BBB penetration and suboptimal mRNA translation. Apolipoproteins, our body’s own nanodelivery system, possess the inherent ability to cross the BBB. Extensive preliminary data demonstrate that apolipoprotein nanoparticles (aNPs) efficiently integrate mRNA for extrahepatic delivery and are a compelling platform for brain targeting. While mRNA immune cell delivery firmly established, I propose exploring apolipoprotein nanoparticles (aNPs) for mRNA delivery to the brain. The PORTAL project aims to harness the unique properties of apolipoproteins to deliver mRNA across the BBB. By screening 400 compositionally diverse aNPs—comprising apolipoprotein A1, E, and fusion apolipoproteins targeting BBB receptors—this project seeks to identify lead candidates for effective mRNA delivery to the brain. Each aNP will carry mRNA encoding Cre recombinase, along with unique DNA barcodes for detailed biodistribution and functional studies in the A14 neuroinflammation mouse model. By integrating protein engineering, RNA therapeutics, and preclinical neuroinflammation models, this research aims to uncover key factors driving BBB penetration and mRNA delivery efficiency. The innovative combination of apolipoproteins and lipid nanotechnology will unlock new pathways to the brain, setting a new standard for RNA-based treatments. Upon completion of this Program, I will be equipped with cutting-edge technical, teaching, and leadership skills, empowering me to excel as an independent researcher and drive innovation of nanomedicine brain treatments.

Mots clés : mrna delivery, nanoparticles, blood brain barrier, apolipoprotein, neuroinflammation

Participants :
- Université de technologie d'Eindhoven (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217076.16 €
- Technion - Institut de technologie d'Israël (Israël) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CIVILITY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Renaissance men and women had a passion for virtue and a genius for cruelty. They had wonderful manners and barbaric inclinations, lovely clothes and terrible diseases. Can they really teach us something about civility? I think they can: they were made of contradictions and so are we. And both, we and they, dream of a society where politeness and respect reduce tensions and allow a peaceful and pleasant cohabitation for all. The goal of this research project, executed at the University of Lille under the supervision of Marie-Claire Thomine, is to prove that the roots of civility go back to the 16th century and that there was a mature form of civility in the Renaissance France a century before what is usually considered to be the beginning of the 'politesse française'. I will identify its main models and situate them in relation to the previous (medieval) ones and those from the century of Louis XIV. I will argue that Renaissance authors used the literature as the principal means of wide diffusion of this new civility, and this is precisely what makes this century a turning point in the history of manners in France and a part of the cultural reform initiated by the kings and queens of France to build a more cohesive and peaceful society. Furthermore, I want also to prove that this evolution can be observed using the modern tools of historical pragmatics, a branch of pragmatics that had developed strongly over the last twenty years but was not yet used to study the phenomenon of (im)politeness in France during the Renaissance. I will accomplish those goals through a program of close reading of prose texts (essentially literary dialogues and collections of short stories) of the 15th and 16th centuries, informed by the literature of civility, and through corpus-based research to detect and define evolution in verbal and nonverbal behaviors in the time of the last kings of the Valois dynasty.

Mots clés : french, renaissance, literature, civility, short stories, early modern, manners

Participants :
- Université de Lille (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet UrbanCog (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Natural habitats are disappearing at record speeds, and our world is becoming increasingly urbanised. Recently, researchers started exploring how cognitive abilities (the mechanisms by which animals acquire, process, store and act on information from the environment) may allow animals to adapt to urban environments. Many of these studies revealed cognitive differences between urban and non-urban dwelling animals and linked these to informational challenges related to the highly dynamic nature of urban environments. Here I hypothesize that urban diets also contribute to such cognitive differences. Although lab-based studies indeed showed important effects of diet on the development of cognition, this idea so far received little attention in the urban cognition literature. I will address this important knowledge gap by combining theoretical frameworks and methodology from psychology, ecology, and microbial sciences. Furthermore, as most of the previous work linking urbanization with cognition was correlational in nature, I will supplement my interdisciplinary approach with a powerful combination of controlled laboratory experiments and measures of cognition in the wild. Specifically, I will test how high-fat high-sugar diets (WP1), and the gut microbiome (WP2) shape cognition in three domains that are considered crucial for survival in urban environments, namely spatial learning, inhibitory control, and social learning. I will use feral pigeons, a species that thrives in urban environments, and whose diet varies widely between urban and non-urban environments, as my model species. This project will build on my experience as an animal cognition researcher, allow me to develop new methods to measure cognition and acquire new skills in GPS tracking and microbiology. By combining approaches from different fields, and continuing implementing open-science practices, this project will raise my profile internationally in the field of cognitive ecology.

Mots clés : animal cognition, diet, gut microbiome, urbanization, pigeons

Participants :
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
- Université de Toulouse (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MaterHypoBiota (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The alarmingly high incidence of obesity, particularly in children, highlights the need to better understand the factors and mechanisms involved in the early development of this pathological condition. Accumulating evidence, including work from the host lab, support the idea that the maternal nutritional environment could influence the offspring’s susceptibility to develop obesity and related comorbidities in later life. In particular, there is growing appreciation that developmental malprogramming of hypothalamic neuroendocrine system by the perinatal environment represents a possible cause for these diseases. However, the mechanisms by which the maternal environment affects hypothalamic development and predisposition to obesity are still largely unknown. We hypothesize that the maternal gut microbiota (mGM) conditions, in the offspring, the development of hypothalamic structures with lifelong metabolic consequences. We will test this novel hypothesis by using two complementary animal models of impaired mGM: germ-free dams and dams with antibiotic-induced alteration of gut microbiota during pregnancy and lactation. We will assess neuroanatomical organization of hypothalamic feeding circuits, structural and functional development of blood-brain barrier as well as metabolic outcomes in the offspring. Finally, we will examine the cause and effect relationship between mGM and hypothalamic development and function by determining whether i) maternal fecal material transplant and ii) dams’ supplementation with specifically identified microbial metabolites prevent offspring’s neuroanatomical and metabolic alterations. Completion of this project will i) shed light on a new vertical role of mGM on hypothalamic neurodevelopment and metabolic programming and ii) identify new potential drivers leading to early-life metabolic disorders. Given the high prevalence of maternal antibiotic use and childhood obesity, this project could have a potential impact on public health.

Mots clés : neuroendocrinology maternal gut microbiota, metabolic programming, early life obesity

Participants :
- Université de Lille (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 211380.88 €
Projet ANIMA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The ANIMA (Artificial INtelligence-based Interactive Microtonal Compositional Assistant) project addresses the limitations of current AI-driven music generation systems by shifting the focus toward human-centered creativity. Unlike platforms that risk homogenizing musical output, ANIMA empowers users to engage deeply with novel harmonic structures, specifically microtonal harmony. This project explores music systems beyond traditional Western 12-tone equal temperament (12-TET), embracing 31-tone and 53-tone equal temperaments to unlock new musical possibilities and enhance compositional diversity.  The project is rooted in European academic perspectives and draws on computational modeling and machine learning to support rather than replace human agency. It builds on the ongoing work at institutions such as the MUSAiC (ERC) project, the Music Technology Group at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and the Algomus lab at Université de Lille. ANIMA allows composers to explore expanded harmonic and melodic vocabularies with real-time interactive interfaces and data visualization to navigate microtonal harmonic spaces.  ANIMA aims to establish a microtonal music corpus and develop computational models integrating advanced music theory with machine learning techniques. This paradigm shift contributes to a broader understanding of harmony, promotes cultural diversity, and supports the preservation of non-Western musical traditions. The open-source framework also paves the way for its integration into music education, musicology, and digital humanities, with potential commercialization through collaborations with industry partners.  In summary, ANIMA is poised to revolutionize AI-assisted music composition by offering innovative tools for microtonal music exploration while maintaining the intrinsic value of human creativity.

Mots clés : music and musicology, history of music, artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, interface design, machine learning, computational creativity, visualization and natural language processing

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
- Université de Lille (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €