Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet AsterAdapt (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Biodiversity is disappearing at an unprecedented high pace in human history, with climate change being one of the main drivers of this loss. However, there are still major gaps in our understanding of how species evolve and how they may respond to climate change, making it difficult to take effective conservation action to halt this biodiversity loss. Oceanic islands - those that have never been connected to continental landmasses - are considered biodiversity hotspots, harbouring a unique biota as a result of explosive diversification events in which multiple species arise from a single ancestor (radiations). These radiations usually occur within a short period of time due to the rapid adaptation of species to new island environments (adaptive radiations). In the AsterAdapt project, two island plant radiations will be studied to learn about the adaptation process behind high species diversification and to use this knowledge to predict the impact of climate change on oceanic island plants. Specifically, it aims to assess the extent to which the specific environmental conditions of the species have determined the evolution of species traits and their genetic differentiation. These environment-phenotype-genotype associations, together with the result of an experiment simulating an extreme drought event, will be projected into future climatic conditions to predict plant responses to climate change. Using a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach and integrating different data sources, AsterAdapt will answer apt research questions in evolutionary ecology and island biology, while contributing to addressing global priorities regarding the halt of biodiversity loss and the mitigation of the effects of climate change. The development of this project will foster my research independence and maturity, providing a pathway towards establishing myself as a group leader in the field of plant ecology and evolution.

Mots clés : oceanic islands, functional traits, adaptive radiations, angiosperms, climate change

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Johann Wolfgang Goethe de Francfort-sur-le-Main (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217965.12 €
Projet CROC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

To improve the poor clinical outcomes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC), we need to understand the cancer cell-tumour microenvironment (TME) dynamic interactions upon disease evolution and treatment. In my proposed project, I will establish a unique TME-HGSC patient-derived organoid (PDO) multi-culture model system to identify and understand how the TME impacts treatment responses and how treatment resistance can be overcome. To generate multi-culture PDO preclinical models of HGSC for the first time, I will use my own expertise in 3D culture and stromal cell isolation from patient-derived material, and I will integrate self-generated “TME units” with well-characterized HGSC PDOs established at the host laboratory. I will then use this model to study the chemotherapy-induced changes at the single cell level. I will compare the transcriptional states of the treated models to the interval/recurrent PDOs and correlate their in vitro treatment responses to the patient responses. I will predict strategies to increase the sensitivity of the cancer cells to the HGSC standard treatment by targeting the tumour-TME interactions or the cancer cells themselves without generating a more tumour-supportive TME, by using the multi-culture PDOs in high-throughput drug screens and subsequently integrating the generated data. Finally, I will functionally validate the predicted therapeutic strategies by CRISPR gene editing and drug treatment of the models. I expect that my project will generate profound knowledge on the chemoresistance mechanisms in HGSC and provide the scientific community with a unique experimental model that incorporates the TME to state-of-the-art HGSC PDOs. In addition, this fellowship will allow me to enhance my international visibility through high-impact publications independent from my PhD supervisor and provide me with a great track record in obtaining independent funding, essential to successfully secure independent research grants in the future.

Mots clés : treatment resistance molecular mechanisms tumour microenvironment patient derived organoids high grade serous ovarian carcinoma single cell sequencing prediction models

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 239491.52 €
Projet FUSIORANA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The advent of topological materials has shaken the field of quantum physics, bringing with it the prospect of non-local states that exhibit non-abelian exchange statistics. A promising candidate for a topological state is a Majorana bound state (MBS), whose non-local nature makes it impervious to local noise, and whose state can be manipulated by changing the topology of multiple MBSs. This topological protection brings with it potential game-changing quantum computing applications. The last decade has been marked by significant advances in the field which have resulted in many observations through DC transport that are consistent with the presence of MBS. However, the DC transport characteristics of MBSs are very similar to trivial Andreev bound states, and consequently clear evidence of MBSs has thus far not been observed. The FUSIORANA project aims to unambiguously demonstrate the existence of MBSs by probing their coherent properties. Moving past DC transport, time-domain techniques will be employed to observe the lifetime of MBSs, their behavior when fused together, and finally to control their quantum state and measure their coherence. The findings of this project will reignite the field of topological quantum physics, spurring a next generation of experiments exploring coherent properties of non-local MBSs. It will also place MBSs as a prime candidate for a future quantum computer. The combination of expertise and infrastructure make the University of Copenhagen an ideal host institution for the proposed research project. The project will be supervised by C. Marcus and co-supervised by F. Kuemmeth; their combined knowledge on DC transport, Majorana physics, and time-domain control and readout perfectly match the topics of this project. The project also builds upon the existing MBS experiments in the group of C. Marcus, which have thus far been responsible for many of the key developments in the field of MBSs.

Mots clés : majorana bound states, topological superconductivity, quantum dots, coherent control, quantum transport, non abelian statistics

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230774.4 €
Projet CareKill (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

As epitomized by epidemics and pandemics throughout human history, including the ongoing SARS CoV-2 pandemic, social life carries risks of substantial and rapid spread of infectious diseases. Termites living in pathogen-rich environments have evolved remarkably robust social immunity mitigation strategies that effectively prevent diseases from spreading within colonies. Individual termites carefully balance whether to care for a sick nestmate and save the colony worker resources, or kill the sick nestmate to remove the risk of an infection spreading. The behavioural and immunological factors driving this dichotomy remain obscure. The CareKill action will close major gaps in our understanding the role of pathogen dose and infection stage in governing the switch from care to kill, what genes are involved in decision-making (immune pathways, neural networks, genes involved in stress), and how behavioural and immune memory impact care-kill decision making during subsequent encounters with sick nestmates. The action will capitalise on my extensive background in behavioural ecology and social immunity in termites, and integrate state-of-the-art pathogen load quantification and global gene expression analyses on actively caretaking or killing focal termites to establish if social immune memory is key to effective long-term reduction of disease risks. In doing so, this work explores novel concepts and hypotheses to close important gaps in our understanding of social immunity. CareKill will benefit from synergies of ongoing chemical ecology research in the focal termite species by my host, Michael Poulsen (University of Copenhagen), who will provide training in combining molecular techniques and termite ecology. CareKill will provide fundamental novel insights into the adaptive value of mitigation strategies that are essential to curb the spread of diseases and that allow for long-lived animal societies to sustain in the face of pathogenic threats.

Mots clés : social immunity, care kill dynamics, ecological immunology, social insects

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214934.4 €
Projet GINS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The habitats of most vertebrates are disappearing at an increasing rate with major consequences for their survival and that of humans. Increase in disease emergence and levels of poverty are two of its many impacts, which pose a threat to a sustainable economy worldwide. Monitoring and managing species is essential to restore a sustainable use of resources. Genomics approaches provide a framework to quantify the health status of species using genetic diversity, inbreeding and demographic history. However, such approaches have been widely ignoring a defining aspect of many threatened species – social groups, the fundamental units in which many species are organised, live and reproduce. Through this MSCA-IF, I will develop a new framework using identity-by-descent genomic information to infer socioecological parameters, e.g. group sizes and migration rates - essential for the survival of species. Taking advantage of new readily available samples of mouse lemurs, this action will provide direct input to Madagascar, serving as a model to evaluate recent past anthropogenic actions and, more vitally, preview the impact of ongioing changes on the socioecology of species, under alternative land-use scenarios. This will be a general framework to study the social structure of many other species faced with similar environmental challenges across the globe. The rising public awareness of ecological changes makes it an ideal time to share knowledge on biodiversity, and I will strongly invest in outreach activities. This action provides a unique opportunity for me to learn an essential set of skills on high level statistical genomic methods and non-model organisms’ genomics analysis, coupled with cultivating an extensive new network of expert collaborations. Through this action, I believe I will contribute to conservation genomics and specifically to lemur conservation while gaining invaluable assets for my career development as an independent researcher.

Mots clés : sociality, mating systems, inbreeding, genomics, endangered species, lemurs, identity by descent tracts ibd , runs of homozygosity roh

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 230774.4 €
Projet DoCoByz (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

To understand the evolving role of Islam in Europe, it is important to comprehend the forms and contents of intellectual exchange between the Latin and Byzantine world. Research to date has mainly focused on the Latin impact on the Christian perception of the Qur’an and Islam. Documenta Coranica Byzantina (DoCoByz) will address a significant research gap by diachronically exploring Greek translations of the Qur’an and anti-Islamic argumentation in Byzantine polemics (7th–13th century) before the first Latin translation appeared (12th century). This way it will be possible to synchronously compare their possible impact on the later Latin tradition. DoCoByz will trace the exact transmission lines of (I.) the Greek Qur’anic translation(s) (Testimonia Coranica Graeca), in order to (II.) document their reception and (re)use within Greek-Orthodox polemics (Episteme Islamica Orthodoxa), and to (III.) distill diachronically the common topoi and stereotypes of anti-Islamic argumentations as well as to synchronously study them with the pre-12th century Latin translations (Traditio Islamica Medievalis). The project is based on a genuine interdisciplinary approach: it combines Greek, Latin, and Arabic philologies with paleographical, historical, and theological work and methods of digital humanities. DoCoByz will create big data corpora giving open access to them as TEI XML files. It will process them into an online database which will contain a synoptical digital edition of all sources reaching out to both researchers and the broader public. After the project’s lifetime, the database can be continuously enriched with sources from (Early) Modern Times as the project's methodology especially focuses on reproducibility and interoperability with other projects. This will contribute to broaden our perception of Islam and of Christian-Muslim relations. DoCoByz's multidisciplinary approach will enable scholars to tackle urgent questions of hitherto unstudied intellectual interactions between the Latin and Byzantine anti-Islamic tradition and Qur’anic knowledge in Medieval Christianity.

Mots clés : christian muslim relations, byzantium, qur an, translations, digital humanities

Participants :
- Université de Notre-Dame-du-Lac (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 107467.2 €
Projet SOLCAT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

As the shadow of climate change deepens and calls for sustainability grow louder, the fine chemical industry faces a dilemma. On the one side, traditional processes optimised over decades, increasingly fall foul of environmental regulations. This is particularly true for amidations, one of the most commonly performed industrial processes: current power-hungry protocols largely rely on wasteful stoichiometric agents. On the other side, promising catalytic innovations like Single-Atom Catalysts (SACs) and Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs) fail to make the leap to industry, due to fundamental limitations and lack of scalability studies. SOLCAT will address these challenges by designing Single Atom-FLPs (SA-FLPs), a novel family of hybrid catalysts. Herein, FLPs will be embedded into the very surface of a solid support, ensuring stability and accessibility. Adjacent to them, photoactive SACs will be anchored, fostering a synergistic interaction between the two catalytic sites. Guided by computational models and cutting-edge characterisation, the structure-function relationship of the new catalysts will be elucidated, and continually refined. Armed with these insights, the exceptional activity of the SA-FLPs will be unleashed towards photocatalytic amidations. The process will then be adapted to operate under flow, bridging the divide between academia and industry. To achieve these objectives, this action will consolidate an interdisciplinary team of experts both in industry and academia. As a result, a new class of bifunctional catalysts will be established and optimised towards one of the most ubiquitous and polluting industrial processes. Importantly, it will impart a diverse set of skills in research, leadership and project management alongside an extensive network of collaborators to an Experienced Researcher thus propelling him towards scientific independence.

Mots clés : single atom catalysts frustrated lewis pairs photocatalysis heteroatom coupling reactions carboxylic acid amidations process intensification

Participants :
- École polytechnique de Milan (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet InCreeGuIng (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Concrete, as the most widely used construction material, is responsible for about 7% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Addressing this environmental challenge within the construction sector necessitates urgent development and adoption of multi-beneficial materials characterized by low carbon emissions, superior durability, and excellent mechanical properties. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) emerges as such a material, offering a 26% reduction in carbon emissions and a 24% cost advantage according to comparative LCA and LCC analysis on benchmark structures. UHPC is the ideal candidate material for broad application, particularly in construction of new and retrofitting existing aging infrastructure subjected to cyclic and sustained actions, including bridges, tunnel linings, wind turbine towers, roads, and aircraft runways.  However, the lack of knowledge regarding UHPC's long-term performance, including creep and fatigue behaviour, hinders its widespread use in infrastructure projects. The objective of this project is to unlock this critical knowledge gap and develop structural design guidelines aimed at driving the construction sector's transition towards carbon neutrality through the use of high-performance materials that enable us to build better, for longer and employing lower material volumes, which all imply reduced consumption of raw resources and reduced environmental impacts in the short and long term. Employing multiscale experimental tests, multi-physics and mesoscale numerical methods, the project aims to comprehensively characterize and predict UHPC's response to creep and fatigue, and the creep-fatigue coupled effect (cyclic creep).  InCreeGuIng's breakthrough will fill the current knowledge gaps in understanding UHPC's long-term performance. This initiative will enhance Europe's competitiveness in constructing eco-friendly, resilient, and durable infrastructure by providing practical design tools to expedite their widespread adoption.

Mots clés : uhpc, creep and fatigue behaviour, cyclic creep, mesoscale numerical modelling, sustainability

Participants :
- Université de technologie de Darmstadt (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- École polytechnique de Milan (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet GRAIN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Stem cell-based therapy is an attractive way to treat a panel of as-yet incurable diseases, amongst which is Parkinson’s Disease, caused by the progressive degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons. To make this a reality, efficient and precise differentiation protocols of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) need to be developed. While a protocol for differentiation of mesDA neurons exists, little is known about the resulting progenitors’ homogeneity and the mechanisms that control their maintenance, expansion and differentiation. MesDA neurons arise from ventral midbrain progenitors, whose differentiation requires the transcription factor Neurogenin 2 (NGN2). NGN2 acts as a “master regulator” by binding to, and stimulating transcription of, a panel of poorly defined target genes, while itself negatively regulated by HES1, one of the main effectors of Notch signalling. Yet, the involvement of Notch signalling in mesDA differentiation and the composition of the HES1/NGN2 gene regulatory network (GRN), i.e. the group of genes under their transcriptional control, in this context remains largely unknown. The aim of this action is to determine the mechanisms by which HES1, NGN2 and their GRN control mesDA differentiation. Building upon and expanding existing tools and knowledge in the host lab, I will use a multidisciplinary approach combining genome editing and hESC biology to derive mesDA progenitors from a panel of wildtype and HES1/NGN2 KO hESCs cell lines, with a multiomics approach to define the members of the HES1/NGN2 GRN and unravel its mechanism of action. The synergy between the expertise of the host lab in developmental and stem cell biology, and my extensive knowledge of bioinformatics and experience in the generation of multiomics datasets, will allow to both improve the efficacy and quality of the current mesDA differentiation protocols, as well as expand fundamental knowledge about the architecture of GRNs regulated by Notch signalling.

Mots clés : next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, chromatin biology, development, neuronal differentiation

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214934.4 €
Projet SpontaneousPAST (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project focuses on a new theoretical view that I recently published together with my Host supervisor. According to our continuum hypothesis, two spontaneous phenomena, déjà vu and involuntary autobiographical memories, although studied separately, are actually a result of the same underlying processes. This novel theoretical view may transform the current understanding of memory retrieval processes and is in urgent need for systematic empirical investigation to develop a data-based theoretical framework for a broad range of spontaneous cognitions. The project creates a crosstalk between currently separate areas of research in which I (an autobiographical memory specialist in experimental psychology) join forces with my Host supervisor (an expert in déjà vu, metacognition and neuropsychology) to advance theoretical models of autobiographical memory retrieval. To this end, within the project I will undertake advanced training in déjà vu methods, metacognition, single-case study methods in neuropsychology and transdisciplinary training on the brain and cognition. This will be then used in planned empirical studies aimed at (1) testing the novel theoretical approach with empirical evidence and (2) further advancing theory of autobiographical memory, déjà vu and spontaneous cognitions. While the project is expected to significantly contribute to the research area, it will also significantly advance my professional research career by providing me with new skills, knowledge, experience in new for me area of research, and to let me build up a long-lasting network of collaborators.

Mots clés : autobiographical memory, d j vu, involuntary memories involuntary cognitions retrieval processes spontaneous cognition

Participants :
- Université du Hertfordshire (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Grenoble Alpes (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 211754.88 €