Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PENNSION (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The foundation of today’s information-oriented society is based on Information Theory. Entropy is a fundamental concept in both classical and quantum information theory, measuring the uncertainty and the information content present in the state of a physical system. The Asymptotic Equipartition Property (AEP) asserts that the entropy of smaller parts accumulates to produce the total entropy of the entire system, under the assumption that the individual parts are identical and independent. A remarkable generalization of this property is the Entropy Accumulation Theorem (EAT) which states that entropy accumulation occurs more generally without an independence assumption, provided one quantifies the uncertainty about the individual systems by the von Neumann entropy of suitably chosen conditional states. These two results are central in the asymptotic analysis of entropy measures in finite-dimensional quantum systems with a wide range of applications in data compression, source coding, and Quantum Key Distribution. Despite major advances in the study of entropy in quantum information theory, the fundamental limitations of extending the above concepts to infinite-dimensional systems are far from being understood. The main objective of this project is to develop novel mathematical tools to overcome these difficulties and extend these ideas in the framework of abstract von Neumann algebras. In particular, our essential goal will be to establish two main concepts- Asymptotic Equipartition and Entropy Accumulation in von Neumann algebras acting on infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. As a consequence, the generalized version of these two concepts will have direct applications in continuous variable Quantum Key Distribution and other cryptographic protocols, representing a small but important contribution to the European Commission’s Quantum Technologies Flagship supporting pioneering research on quantum science.

Mots clés : von neumann entropy, asymptotic equipartition property, entropy accumulation, von neumann algebras, quantum channels, quantum key distribution, hilbert space

Participants :
- Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet FUNnY-SUMO (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The main objective of FUNnY SUMO is to develop a highly accurate 3D numerical model of monopile offshore wind turbines (MOWT) considering simultaneously all the environmental loads (current + waves + wind), to be used as a high-fidelity model for the definition of a surrogate model that enables the application of data-driven design in the next generation of MOWTs. This project will set the playground for the next generation of offshore data-driven wind turbines and will have an impact on the European industry while boosting the candidate’s applied-research career. The CFD and Surrogate models will be validated with a recent experimental study by FUNnY SUMO’s secondment. The method will be divided mainly into two parts; First is CFD modeling, where a CFD model will be developed for each load acting on the MOWT, and then integration in a complete CFD model of the current + waves + wind effects on the MOWT, aiming at 80% accuracy relative to experimental measurements. The second is developing three Surrogate models using the CFD results. This project is divided into 5 Work Packages (WPs) to efficiently achieve the specific objectives of this proposal. WP1 deals with management, The Specific objectives will be addressed within WP2–4, where WP2 considers Meshing and model settings, WP3 is the validation of numerical models, WP4 deals with the Surrogate model definition, and WP5 addresses the Dissemination activities. The results of the project will facilitate Europe’s energy independence by bolstering innovative design processes in MOWTs based on the application of surrogate models (SM). Furthermore advanced MOWTs will be manufactured and deployed in the EU’s geographical area.

Mots clés : offshore wind turbine, cfd, numerical modeling, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads

Participants :
- Université de Zagreb (Croatie) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de La Corogne (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet MOSAIC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Shark’s and their relatives are distinctly unique compared to other vertebrates (including humans); they have an internal skeleton made entirely out of cartilage. It was presumed that cartilage was the ancestral condition among vertebrates based on the assumption that evolution would be driven toward the increased complexity of bone. However, recent fossil evidence disproves this assumption and reveals that the skeletal mineralisation shown in sharks (calcified cartilage) is an evolutionary innovation. Our understanding of calcified cartilage in sharks greatly lags behind that of the hard tissues in other vertebrates. Thus, the mechanisms behind cartilage calcification, how or whether this relates to bone, and our overall understanding of how hard tissues evolved in vertebrates is impacted. In this project, I will address this knowledge gap by examining the 3D histology of calcified cartilage in a wide range of both living and fossil sharks, using cutting-edge scanning methods. This holistic approach will cover 400 million years of cartilage evolution in sharks. The results of this project will be of importance across multiple scientific fields: advancing our understanding of the evolution of hard tissues in vertebrates, detailed 3D information on structural properties of calcified cartilage relevant to material engineering, and insight into calcification mechanisms relevant to medical research on cartilage disorders in humans. Naturalis is the perfect setting to conduct this research due to the vast collection of preserved sharks available for study, expertise in hard tissue histology, and active collaborations with medical researchers on cartilage disorders. It also offers a valuable platform for public outreach and skills training, such as in management and science communication. This project will provide a crucial stepping stone towards my aspiration to spearhead a research team focused on bridging research of both fossil and living animals.

Mots clés : chondrichthyans, cartilage, skeleton, evolution, tesserae, 3d models

Participants :
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 187624.32 €
Projet MitoMat (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Tumor cell migration and invasion represent the foundation of cancer metastasis. It is therefore critical to better understand the mechanisms driving a specific subset of tumor cells to invade nearby tissues. Invasive cells are known to have an undifferentiated, mesenchymal-like state. However, under specific microenvironment conditions, mesenchymal cells become amoeboid, through a process known as the mesenchymal-to-amoeboid transition (MAT). Paradoxically, it is not the mesenchymal cells that are more metastatic-prone, but the amoeboid cells. What is not yet fully understood is the precise cellular mechanisms driving MAT. Emerging evidence show that mitochondria are closely linked with cellular motility, especially in cancer. Mitochondrial dynamics, consisting mainly in mitochondrial fusion, fission, intracellular trafficking and turnover, was proven to be involved in the migration of mesenchymal-like tumor cells. However, very little is known about the characteristics of lamellipodia-localized mitochondria in these cancer cells on one hand, and how it might influence MAT and the amoeboid phenotype on the other. Therefore, I first aim to evaluate the role of mitochondrial dynamics in tumor microenvironment-triggered MAT during the 3D invasion of melanoma cells by combining microfluidic and optogenetic approaches. Secondly, I will characterize the lamellipodia-localized mitochondria in terms of proteome, age, energetic and oxidative status, in mesenchymal-like melanoma cells using biochemical, microfluidic and proteomic approaches. By the end of the project, MitoMat would significantly improve the mechanistic understanding of how mitochondria are hijacked to fuel cancer cell motility, specifically within melanoma cells with different MAT phenotypes. If mitochondrial dynamics would prove to be a driver for both cell invasion modalities (mesenchymal and amoeboid), our results could represent the premises for a future migrastatic therapy, targeting cancer metastasis.

Mots clés : mitochondrial dynamics, cell migration and invasion, mesenchymal to amoeboid transition, microfluidics, optogenetics, proteomics, melanoma metastasis

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
- Center for engineering in medicine, massachusetts general hospital, harvard medical school (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SmartHAB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) impair water quality and ecosystem health, therefore the EU Water Framework Directive requires water management authorities to establish comprehensive monitoring programs in water bodies at risk. Traditional hand-held sampling provides limited temporal and spatial resolution that generates large uncertainties for decision making and hinders responsiveness of contingency plans. The SmartHAB project will advance emerging automatic high-frequency monitoring (AHFM) systems to improve the forecasting of HABs through data-driven modeling and real-time decision making. Microbial electrochemical sensors (MESs) capable of detecting microbial interactions during HABs episodes will be developed. This novel approach exploits the overlooked role of microbial communities in the promotion and termination of HABs as forecasting model tool. The fellow will conduct a multidisciplinary methodology at Arizona State University (USA) to (i) design and develop low-cost and low-maintenance biosensors and characterize the interface between electroactive bacterial biofilms (EABs) and the electrode; (ii) design and develop a multimodule AHFM platform with biosensors to collect massive water quality data that, after processing through machine leaning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) tools, will allow to correlate the electrical fingerprints with HAB-related processes; and (iii) understand the sensitivity of the biosensor to microbial community shifts. All this knowledge will be transferred to IMDEA Water (Spain-EU), where (iv) the ability of biosensors to identify specific events related to HABs will be enhanced by constructing tailored biofilms on electrodes through an innovative 3D-printing technique. Overall, this project will allow the fellow to gain experience and a set of skills to reach a future position of maturity, while advancing scientific knowledge in the framework of EU policies on adaptation to climate change and digitization of water resources.

Mots clés : harmful algae blooms, cyanobacteria, eutrophication, biosensors, microbial interaction, monitoring, biofilms, electroactive bacteria, 3d printing, scanning electrochemical microscopy, digitalization

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 285140.64 €
- Arizona's Public Universities (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CoCoPro (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Imagine we could make movies of proteins in action. In this project, I propose to develop a unique, table-top setup based on the diffraction of ultracold electrons that does exactly that: make molecular movies of proteins, in particular of the important class of membrane proteins. This tool could revolutionize biochemistry, yielding an ultimate view of nature’s molecular machinery, and helping scientists to understand membrane-protein-related diseases and develop highly targeted medicines. A unique source, developed at the TU/e and based on the femtosecond photoionization of an ultracold gas, generates electron pulses that should in principle be sufficiently short, intense and coherent to enable electron diffraction on 2D crystals of membrane proteins. In this project I will evaluate the source’s capability to generate high-quality diffraction patterns from 2D crystals of e.g. hydrophobin and bacteriorhodopsin. Next, I will measure a sequence of such diffraction patterns in a pump-probe experiment, to obtain a molecular movie of the light-induced conformational change of bacteriorhodopsin. This will be the first protein molecular movie ever obtained on a table-top setup. In parallel, I will improve the source performance. Accelerating the electrons to higher energies (from 10 to above 100 keV), I can keep the sample in its native, aqueous environment inside a Liquid Cell, which strongly extends the applicability of the setup. Modifying the spatial and spectral properties of the ionization laser, I expect to be able to increase the number of electrons per pulse, allowing single-shot diffraction patterns, and to further increase transverse coherence, reducing the required crystal size. Finally, I will seek to improve the coherence of the source to the point where I can apply my experience in Coherent Diffractive Imaging to make molecular movies of a single protein, without crystallization, which is a holy grail in structural dynamics, all on a table-top setup.

Mots clés : ultrafast electron diffraction, molecular movie, membrane proteins

Participants :
- Université de technologie d'Eindhoven (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 254330.4 €
- J.g.h. franssen (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NEUROGLIOSOLVE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

RNA biology is critical for the molecular orchestration of the interplay between specialized brain cell types, and disrupted RNA processing, can cause human disease. A prime example is Myotonic Dystrophy type 1(DM1), a multisystemic disorder caused by the expansion of a non-coding trinucleotide DNA repeat and that involves cognitive impairment and behavioral changes. Molecular pathogenesis is driven by the nuclear accumulation of RNA foci, which sequester RNA-binding proteins that regulate splicing, polyadenylation and subcellular localization of downstream transcripts. However, we do not know the cell populations, molecular pathways and cell-cell interactions primarily affected in the brain. A critical question to develop effective molecular therapies. My host laboratory developed a unique mouse model of DM1 that mirrors the spatiotemporal expression of toxic RNA and relevant brain phenotypes. Using these mice, I will fill three knowledge gaps:(1) I will employ advanced spatial transcriptomics to unravel the vulnerability of diverse cell types throughout brain development and aging;(2) I will use the TRAP technology to uncover subcellular transcriptomic abnormalities in specialized neuron-astrocyte contacts and identify pivotal disease intermediates of neuroglial miscommunication;(3) I will use my expertise in AAV-mediated brain gene delivery to test the capacity of engineered protein decoys, developed in my host laboratory, to release the RNA-binding proteins sequestered in brain cells and correct the behavioral, molecular neurobiological deficit in DM1 mice. Through the integration of cutting-edge transcriptomics with a new focus on synaptic neuroglial communication, I will elucidate DM1 brain pathogenesis with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution, and offer a framework to understand other conditions mediated by toxic RNA repeats, for which DM1 serves as a paradigm. Simultaneously, my project will enhance our understanding of RNA biology in the brain.

Mots clés : myotonic dystrophy, trinucleotide repeat expansion, toxic rna, spatial transcriptomics, gene therapy, neuroglia communication, rna binding proteins, splicing, synapse

Participants :
- Sorbonne Université (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195914.88 €
Projet TargetSep (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

A consequence of climate change is the emergence of fungal plant diseases in Europe. Blast disease on cereal crops is an economically important plant disease caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae and poses a significant threat to global food security. While initially well known as the major disease on rice, wheat blast has recently emerged and is of major concern in wheat production areas since P. oryzae has already developed resistance against most used fungicides. Sustainable solutions for the biocontrol of the cereal blast disease are needed, and active fungal natural products inhibiting novel targets represent a promising alternative. Septin proteins are essential for the pathogenicity of P. oryzae and other fungal plant pathogens and their absence in land plants makes them compelling targets. Yet, no product has been developed to target fungal septins. In a preliminary study, we employed a self-resistance guided genome mining approach to identify candidate biosynthetic pathways of fungal natural products which contain a septin decoy gene. Two biosynthetic pathways were found to likely produce septin-disrupting compounds. I propose to investigate these candidate pathways and validate their potential to control cereal blast. First, wild fungal species containing the identified pathways will be tested for septin-disrupting activity using in vitro fluorescence microscopy-based assay. Second, a synthetic biology approach to activate these candidate pathways in the heterologous host Aspergillus oryzae will aid in characterizing natural compounds and their structure-activity relationships. Finally, natural septin-disrupting compounds will be tested for their ability and efficacy to control blast disease in planta. During TargetSep, I will embark on a multidisciplinary journey to discover natural solutions to control a disease that threatens food safety, while developing various skills like leadership and science communication to fulfill my scientific pursuits.

Mots clés : blast disease, biocontrol, septin, plant fungi interaction, synthetic biology, heterologous expression

Participants :
- Académie royale néerlandaise des arts et des sciences (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 232916.16 €
Projet EMPIRELAB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

How and to what extent did 'free' and unfree non-European labour contributed to build and sustain the Portuguese Asian empire during the 16th and 17th centuries? This is the main question I will address in this project, by exploring the case study of the Estado da Índia (henceforth EI) between 1510 and 1663. The main hypothesis I want to test is that the EI was able to develop and sustain itself (even in times of decline) due to a highly intensive extraction and allocation of non-European labour, especially when compared with other European counterparts in the Indian Ocean, namely the Dutch and the English. This project dialogues therefore with a wider trend in the historiography that analyses the importance of the populations under European imperial dominion for empire building and economic development, especially in what concerns non-European capital, natural resources, and labour. The allocation of labour in colonial settings was noticeable in many dimensions of the everyday life. This project will focus on three intertwined locus of observation: the military, the urban and the rural labour markets. By gathering evidence from European and Asian archives, building and testing a dataset on occupational structures and labour relations in the Portuguese EI, EMPIRELAB will offer a first insight in labour dynamics in Portuguese Asia. The findings of EMPIRELAB will provide historians of the European and non-European empires with comparative data and an innovative perspectivein order to feed larger debates both in academic and non-academic contexts regarding the impact of colonialism in our societies. It will raise awareness about labour and migration in historical perspective, thus helping to overcome established preconceptions about the relevance of labour for imperial history. Moreover, it will contribute to an improved assessment of the origins and maintenance of inequalities in the early modern colonial period.

Mots clés : urban labour rural labour military labour markets occupational structures labour relations indian ocean resistance negotiation subaltern studies eurasian early modern empires

Participants :
- Académie royale néerlandaise des arts et des sciences (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 203464.32 €