Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet Lig2BTX (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Crude oil is the primary source for six-membered aromatic hydrocarbons, building blocks for the production of synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and dyes. Due to the looming petroleum crisis, biomass valorization is currently receiving a great emphasis in industries and academic institutions for sustainable chemical production. For decades, the pulp and paper industries struggled to generate sustainable technologies to produce value-added chemicals from the Kraft lignin, where it was utilized as fuel to produce heat. This issue is now at the forefront in front of the second generation of biorefineries. Since the first generation of biofuels relies on the food material resulting in rising food prices. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable processes for the production of aromatics from renewable sources, i.e., lignin, a natural biopolymer consisting of 6 membered aromatic rings. Therefore, the hydrotreatment of lignin to aromatics contributes to emerging resource sustainability and makes the bio-refining processes profitable. The proposed project, Lig2BTX, aims to develop a unique, sustainable catalytic hydrotreatment process for the production of aromatics from an inexpensive and abundant Kraft lignin by utilizing Dandelion type single hollow microsphere catalyst. Also, investigation of the best routes for high yields of aromatics and minimize the overall production cost. The Lig2BTX project combines knowledge from the synthesis of catalysts, chemical engineering, and understanding the molecular level processes by DFT studies. This project will provide breakthrough scientific and engineering experience combined with an excellent training program. It will implement several work packages, focusing on Dandelion flower-like metal oxide synthesis, processes for the production of aromatics from lignin, and optimization of the process the high yields of aromatics, together with the innovation management.

Mots clés : aromatics, biomass, biorefinery, catalyst, hydrotreatment, lignin, metalsulfides, renewable energy

Participants :
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 155548.26 €
Projet IMPARTIAL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

We are living in an age of increased moral disagreement and polarization. One explanation for this trend is partiality. People on one or both sides of contested social issue (abortion, COVID-19, climate change, etc.) do not give equal or adequate weight to the interests of all those concerned. Their views are based on bias or prejudice. Finding ways of increasing impartiality may therefore be one of the most important tasks that humanity currently faces. My project attempts to contribute to this task. In particular, I will investigate one particular device that philosophers have used to promote impartial reasoning, namely the so called “veil of ignorance” thought experiment — an attempt to abstract from knowledge about one’s gender, race, income and other morally irrelevant characteristics that might distort one’s judgments. Previous research has only focused on people’s actual choices behind the veil of ignorance. My project, in contrast, will investigate the methodological appropriateness of this thought experiment. (1) How robust is the VOI (i.e., to what extent are the judgments people arrive at by engaging in the thought experiment influenced by irrelevant factors)? (2) How effective is the VOI (i.e., to what extent does it fulfill the function it was supposed to fulfill)? (3) What are the larger philosophical implications of these findings? The framework that I will use in investigating these questions is that of experimental philosophy. That is, I will run empirical studies on people’s intuitions to inform philosophical argumentation. Being supervised by leading experts at the Universities of Tokyo (outgoing phase), Graz (return phase), Oxford (secondment) and Auckland (secondment), my research has the potential to significantly impact a number of debates in both philosophy and psychology — and hopefully, it can also make a small contribution to making morality more impartial in public discourse.


Participants :
- Université Victoria de Wellington (Nouvelle-Zélande) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Tokyo (Japon) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 271743.84 €
Projet GEPREST (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The process by which humans formulate increasingly complex internal representations from sensory stimuli based on their available knowledge has been investigated traditionally by a somewhat disconnected set of approaches under various labels such as “feature detection”, “grouping”, “figure-ground segregation”, “chunking”, “categorization” and “learning”. We explore the idea that there might exist some general unconscious mechanisms of this pattern formation process that work similarly and repeatedly across different levels of complexity from basic segmentation to complex chunking-based learning and across different modalities. such as vision (typically viewed with spatial processing) and audition (associated with temporal processing). We will follow 4 principles in our work to test this. First, we will focus a) on the auditory and visual modalities, b) with space and time as the two dependent dimensions of comparison, and c) we will test the two endpoints of the complexity scale: at one end, pure tones in audition and single squares in vision easily treated by instantaneous perceptual biases and at the other end, complex time- and space-varying patterns requiring learning. Second, we will perform the equivalent version of each experiment in both modalities to check the generality of the mechanisms that establish the representations of the input. Third, we will use the same testing method across experiments, measuring behavioral sensitivity induced by the resulting representation to quantify the representation’s structure and its EEG correlates. Fourth, we will interpret our results by building a new hypothesis about humans’ internal representation into a Hierarchical Bayesian Model so that we can derive further individual- and population-specific predictions to inspire subsequent empirical work. Our integrated approach will contribute to a deeper understanding of the general principles of representation forming and its malfunctioning in special populations.

Mots clés : sensory perception, visual processing, auditory processing, behavioral neuroscience, probabilistic modeling, computational modeling

Participants :
- Université d'Europe centrale (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 199440.96 €
Projet ILIBRLSYRIA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The past two decades have seen a decline in the liberal world order; states increasingly move away from peaceful negotiation, justice, and human rights. Instead, they rely on an emerging model of authoritarian conflict management, which depends on excessive violence, coercive negotiations, and hierarchical structures of power to suppress internal conflicts. However, recognising that state coercion is crucial, yet not sufficient, to construct and sustain a long-term order, scholars have recently begun to examine the illiberal peacebuilding practices employed by authoritarian regimes to construct and consolidate postwar order. This is an emerging area of inquiry in which many authoritarian practices and their impacts on local communities remain understudied in the academic literature. Focusing on Syria, ILIBRLSYRIA combines cutting-edge empirical strategy with interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the processes and impacts of novel illiberal peacebuilding practices deployed by the regime to control space and society in areas recaptured from defeated rebel forces. ILIBRLSYRIA is structured around three in-depth and interrelated studies, each focusing on one illiberal practice identified through extensive field observation. These include the remobilisation of former rebels, the diversion of international aid, and the stimulation of refugee migration. The theoretical and empirical findings will provide original insights into the realities and complexities of authoritarian postwar governance in contexts often viewed through the simplistic lens of military victory by incumbent regimes. ILIBRLSYRIA is highly relevant for policy circles. It will offer evidence-based knowledge and contribute to ongoing debates focused on developing strategies to counteract and mitigate the impacts of illiberal peacebuilding, particularly at a time when such practices are on the rise worldwide.

Mots clés : illiberal peace building, authoritarian conflict management, authoritarianism, middle east politics, state building, syria

Participants :
- Université d'Europe centrale (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230184.72 €
Projet CROSSING (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This research examines how selected Nigerian youths adopt cross-dressing and concomitant expressions to transgress normative gender roles on social media. In most parts of Africa, gender non-conformance is criminalised. As a result, transvestism is shunned and Nigerian scholars have largely failed to study the un/framing of gender beyond the binary structure. In the few instances in which they have studied acts of transvestism, they have assessed them in line with governmental viewpoints, as acts of derisory subjects. Focusing on male-to-female cross-dressing (MCD) and transvestism on online platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, this study aims at filling a blatant research gap and at countering partial research perspectives.  Focusing on the social media performances of Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky), James Brown (Princess of Africa), and Daniel Anthony Nsikan (Jay Boogie), I argue that these characters cross-dress and adopt gender non-conforming identities to construct new selves and challenge the political status quo. By way of online performances, they counter legal constraints and contest their social and cultural exclusion.  Using an interdisciplinary methodology – methods of performance studies and digital humanities are combined with those of literary and cultural analysis, I examine the kinds of non-binary genders they perform. I discuss how they realise their acts, deploying, exaggerating, and dismantling theatrical elements and hegemonic gender stereotypes of Nigerian culture and other African societies. I also enquire how digital media are used to construct gender beyond binary structures. Adding qualitative research methods, I also analyse the ways different online/offline groups receive these performances. Finally, I gauge the potential effects of these gender-challenging online performances on an individual, communal, and cultural level. By so doing, I will become an expert on online performances and gender non-binaries in Africa.

Mots clés : cross dressing, performance, nigeria, digital humanities, gender, africa

Participants :
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230184.72 €
Projet ParaMAS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Paramagnetic materials have found application in various different industries, in particular involving the conversion, the transport, and the storage of energy. The characteristic microscopic feature for the majority of these materials are unpaired electrons that are located at transition metal ions. Such paramagnetic centers are the key element for the macroscopic properties, e.g., reactivity. To understand the function of paramagnetic materials, why they deliver, or fail to deliver the required properties, and eventually to tune their performance, the local atomic structure of the paramagnetic centers must be fully understood. In diamagnetic materials, these structural features typically escape X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy (EM), but are readily accessible to solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR). However, the current repertoire of ssNMR methods is not tailored to paramagnetic systems, where metal centers produce large perturbations in the spectrum of the surrounding nuclei and hamper the critical steps of the acquisition of the NMR experiments and the subsequent spectral assignment and interpretation. In this project, we will align modern multi-dimensional ssNMR experiments with ultra-fast magic-angle spinning (MAS). This includes complex radio-frequency irradiation schemes using amplitude and phase modulation, leveraging the unique instrumentation available at the host lab, allowing us to rotate the studied sample at 110,000 times per second or possibly faster. Supported by numerical spin-density-matrix analysis, we will develop a new toolbox of ssNMR methodologies to acquire high-resolution spectra of paramagnetic materials, and thus, precisely determining element-specific NMR parameters. Linking these spectroscopical features to the structure elements from known samples will finally allow us to present the comprehensive characterization of paramagnetic electrode materials, inaccessible by ssNMR to date.

Mots clés : solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, ultra fast magic angle spinning, paramagnetic materials

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet QuALIHDS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Light mediated dipole-dipole (DD) interactions in high density samples constitutes an interesting source of complex physical phenomena. Ultracold atomic systems provide a unique platform to study such fundamental phenomena. This project targets the systematic study of the light mediated DD interactions in Yb atoms, a two-electron atom. This remains a highly unexplored regime where even simulations for small atom numbers remain difficult. A profound knowledge of the DD coupling mechanism can have severe implications in our understanding of atom-light quantum interactions in high density samples, and can open the way to new and exciting possibilities in quantum simulation or quantum metrology. We will study DD interactions in high spatial and optical density samples of Yb. Our main goal is to understand line shifts for near-resonance probing light in the usual weak drive regime, but also in the strong and pulsed operation regimes. The expected line shifts will inevitably affect the atomic population dynamics, which has implications in advanced metrological protocols (Rabi/Ramsey spectroscopy) currently used in state-of-the-art optical atomic clocks. Understanding and harnessing DD interactions in such context can be a crucial step towards more precise and stable atomic sensors.

Mots clés : quantum metrology, quantum simulation

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet REMIDOS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Understanding the arrangement of atoms when individual atomic sheets are combined is crucial for unlocking their unique optical and electronic properties. Recent advances in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, such as sliding ferroelectricity, have opened new avenues for exploring these properties under varying electric fields. My project, Revealing and Exploiting Moiré Interface Dynamics via Optical Spectroscopy (REMIDOS), aims to investigate and control how atomic arrangements influence the optical and electronic behaviors in moiré heterostructures – materials in which atomic layers are stacked with a slight relative twist or lattice mismatch. To achieve this, I will develop a novel technique called oblique incidence second-harmonic generation, which enables precise probing of the atomic configurations at twisted interfaces. By studying how electric fields alter these configurations and the resulting changes in optical and electronic properties, my research will provide deeper insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing these materials.  This fellowship will significantly advance my expertise in cutting-edge 2D material systems and optical measurement techniques, enhancing my publication record and positioning me as a leading researcher poised for an independent career. In addition, I will gain valuable transferable skills, including project management, supervision, and effective scientific communication, through interdisciplinary collaborations and structured training programs. The outcomes of this project are expected to offer transformative insights into atomic registries in moiré materials and potentially identify an electronic switch, paving the way for innovative applications in quantum devices and optoelectronics. Moreover, the development of this non-destructive probing technique could become a standard tool for researchers in the field, broadening the impact across condensed matter physics, materials science, and photonics.

Mots clés : second harmonic generation, moir superlattice, moir interface, nonlinear optics, exciton physics, strongly correlated states

Participants :
- Université Heriot-Watt (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet RegionalDopamine (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Appropriate selection of situation-appropriate behaviour requires both learning and motor control. Release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the striatam is crucially involved in both of these processes. However, previous work investigated learning and motor functions of dopamine in isolation. To fully understand dopamine function and dysfunction, it is imperative to take both learning and motor control into account. Striatal dopamine release is thought to encode a reward prediction error, the discrepancy between expected and obtained outcome, as well as promote movement. Dopamine release optimises and drives behaviour by modulating the activity of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and their downstream neural pathways. Binding of dopamine to type-1 and type-2 dopamine receptor-expressing MSNs differentially modulate intracellular signalling cascades, increasing or decreasing phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA), respectively. Differential modulation of PKA activity is thought to underlie learning and motor control, ultimately driving behaviour. Importantly, dopamine’s influence on MSNs is functionally disparate between limbic, associative, and sensorimotor domains, and it is hypothesised that these regions differentially encode learning and movement. Here, I aim to discern the entanglement of dopamine functions by employing a powerful behavioural task that differentiates between learning and movement, while 1) simultaneously recording dopamine release in distinct striatal domains, and 2) recording the activity type-1 or type-2 MSNs using a novel, cutting-edge tool to detect real-time PKA activity. The complementary power of these innovations will enable me to drive forward the current understanding of dopamine’s function by combining state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques, elucidating the entanglement of dopamine in learning and motor control on behaviour.

Mots clés : dopamine, voltammetry, motor control, reward prediction error, fibre photometry, go no go, rodent

Participants :
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 187624.32 €
Projet HIGH SEAS ENERGY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The high seas are those marine areas under no State's jurisdiction. So far, all marine renewable energy (RE) activity is being conducted under State's jurisdiction. However, recent advances in technology are raising the prospect of carrying out RE activity on the high seas. Currently, only seabed mining activities in the Area have been regulated. The Area is the seabed and ocean floor beyond the limits of State's jurisdiction. From the legal viewpoint, the main gap is a lack of an international regulatory framework, informed by participatory mechanisms and supported by scientific evidence, for RE activities on the high seas, especially regarding their environmental and social impacts. The primary project objective (O) is to provide the scientific community and policymakers with science-informed and indigenous knowledge-based recommendations in support of the development of RE regulation on the high seas. Two specific Os are set to complement the primary O, namely: O1 To advance the use of systematic consultation processes that facilitates research at the crossroads of marine sciences and law. O2 To advance critical knowledge and understanding of environmental pressing issues comparable to the regulation of RE on the high seas, such as deep-sea mining in the Area. A multistep innovative methodology will be adopted, by integrating marine scientific knowledge, consultative processes, and advanced critical research in the subject matter. A case study (interdisciplinary and participatory) involving marine scientists, indigenous and coastal communities and policy makers will be conducted onboard the Research Vessel KronPrins Haakon at the beginning of the project. The case study outcomes will be analysed through critical legal analysis to build a knowledge base for policy recommendations. The project will advance the PI’s career in an international research environment, allowing her to generate independent, high-quality, and reproducible results.

Mots clés : high seas, renewable energy, bbnj negotiations, law of the sea convention, climate change, indigenous knowledge, bodiversity, research vessel

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Valence (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 120768.64 €