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

This project aims to unlock a crucial yet overlooked chapter of Late Antique history by exploring the Christian architecture of Euphratesia, a region largely forgotten in modern archaeological research. While nearby regions like Northern Syria have been extensively studied, Euphratesia remains a blank spot on the map of Late Antique scholarship. Through this fellowship, I will address this gap by conducting the first comprehensive analysis of the province’s church buildings, which played a pivotal role in the spread of early Christian practices and architecture. My research will involve recording and studying these churches, examining their construction, design, liturgical elements, and put it into context. This will not only reveal how Euphratesia connected culturally and architecturally to its neighbors like Antioch and Northern Mesopotamia, but also how it contributed to the development of Christian rituals. The project is timely, given recent discoveries in the region, and promises to provide new insights into how early Christian communities shaped their cultural landscapes. The impact will be far-reaching: it will fill a major gap in our understanding of early Christianity, contribute to the academic community. The fellowship at the University of Warsaw will expand my expertise as a leading researcher in the field and offers a unique opportunity to pioneer a study that will influence future scholarship in archaeology, religious studies, and history.

Mots clés : late antiquity, sacral architecture, liturgy, byzantine archaeology, near east, northern syria, cult and society

Participants :
- Université de Varsovie (Pologne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 81583.08 €
Projet SPUCS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

People increasingly depend on their personal smart devices (smartphones, smart watches, voice assistants) to communicate, access information, transact, and perform critical functions. These devices overwhelmingly comprise proprietary software and hardware components made by a handful of non-EU vendors. These vendors have exceptional control over those devices, raising justified concerns over anti-competitive practices, massive data gathering, surveillance, denial of service, and consequently personal freedoms and democracy. Digital sovereignty has been identified as a key political priority for the EU. SPUCS: “software architectures for Secure, Private, and User-Controlled Smart devices” contributes novel privacy-preserving architectures, realizable on existing hardware, that limit the control of vendors on user devices towards a future of open, sovereign personal devices. While previous initiatives for open and privacy-preserving smart devices lacked in functionality and therefore in adoption, SPUCS introduces concepts and methods that enable users to continue using their preferred operating systems and applications in an isolated way, with increased privacy protection. Specifically, the project will contribute secure mechanisms to seamlessly run multiple mobile operating systems simultaneously on a mobile device with strong isolation and privacy guarantees – limiting vendors’ ability to collect and connect data. Furthermore, the project will develop methods for securely running individual applications (phone, messaging, banking) on an open platform without trusting the operating system or proprietary vendor software. Finally, the project will plan an adoption strategy that will boost the scientific and industrial impact of the results towards a secure and self-sovereign Europe. The project also fosters interdisciplinary two-way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host, as well as training of the researcher in advanced scientific techniques.

Mots clés : privacy security smartphone trusted

Participants :
- Université Friedrich-Alexander d'Erlangen-Nuremberg (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université économique d’Athènes (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 153486.72 €
Projet Light4Switch (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Plants can dissipate excess absorbed light energy as heat, by reversible switching of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) into photoprotected quenched states, to prevent photodamage of photosynthetic apparatus. The conformational switch of LHCII is suggested to modulate the interaction between the embedded pigments, and consequently activate charge transfer and/or excitation energy transfer processes which ultimately lead to the dissipation of excess energy as heat, known as energy-dependent quenching (qE). Although the site of qE has been long established, i.e. the LHCII, the specific protein domains and conformational switches responsible for activating qE are currently unknown. This MSCA fellowship project AZO-LHCII aims to determine the role of the protein matrix of the LHCII in tuning their energetic state and driving the photoprotective switch of plants. To this end, this disciplinary project will for the first time strive to manipulate the conformation of LHCII antenna proteins with azobenzene photoswitches and use a novel multipulse transient absorption spectroscopy approach to study in real-time the effect of site-specific conformational fluctuations on the regulation of the excitation energy transfer in LHCII.

Mots clés : azobenzene, ligh harvesting complex, transient absorption spectroscopy, energy transfer

Participants :
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet PhotoVISTA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Photosynthesis sustains life on Earth by turning sunlight into fuel for other biological processes. However, photosynthetic organisms can face a lethal threat when they suddenly receive too much light. In cyanobacteria, key photoprotection against excessive illumination involves the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) and the light-harvesting pigment-proteins, Phycobilisomes (PBs). When photoactivated OCP binds to a PB, surplus solar energy absorbed by the PB is safely dissipated, and photosynthesis can continue despite dangerous conditions. While our understanding of the OCP-related mechanism has improved over the last years, its dynamic aspects and the intermediate steps of activation remain largely elusive due to the lack of appropriate experimental techniques. In this interdisciplinary project, I will explore the OCP-related mechanism in vitro using a novel spectroscopic approach: the PHOTOactivation VISible Transient Absorption spectroscopy (photoVISTA) and isolated OCPs & PBs. With photoVISTA, I will dissect the activation of this molecular mechanism across multiple timescales with the femtosecond temporal resolution, from the earliest photophysical and photochemical reactions taking place at the order of femtoseconds to processes beyond the seconds. I will reveal the intermediate steps between the initial absorption of a photon by the OCP and its photoactivation, up to its binding and docking on a PB and energy dissipation in the OCP-PB complex. Being a multipulse technique, photoVISTA will provide unprecedented control over OCP’s photoactivation and will let me propose a comprehensive molecular model of photoprotection beyond the reach of conventional pump-probe spectroscopy. The breakthroughs in this project, further explaining how cyanobacteria manage the flow of excitation energy in their photosynthetic apparatus, will give us crucial know-how for improving photosynthesis and impacting green biotechnology and food production.

Mots clés : photosynthesis photoregulation and photoprotection ultrafast absorption spectroscopy orange carotenoid protein light harvesting cyanobacteria photobiology photochemistry

Participants :
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet CAMERAS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Recent breakthroughs in quantum technologies combining academic and R&D efforts have ushered quantum networks into a new era, where quantum information can be stored, processed, and transferred. A key challenge in this new era is enhancing the capabilities of individual nodes to realize a quantum repeater that will extend quantum links to reach continental distances. Quantum memories are one of the building blocks for synchronizing temporal events in a quantum repeater, allowing entanglement distribution beyond the physical limitations of fiber loss. In this context, our proposed research seeks to push the boundaries of quantum communication by developing a cutting-edge quantum memory designed for high-rate, long-distance entanglement distribution. The project focuses on the development of an efficient, multiplexed, cavity-enhanced quantum memory using a praseodymium (Pr3+)-doped yttrium orthosilicate (YSO) crystal, known for its long coherence times and multiplexing capabilities. The first objective is to demonstrate a cavity-enhanced on-demand quantum memory for single photons, using the spin-wave atomic frequency comb protocol. The challenge is to mitigate optical loss and noise to enable single-photon storage with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The second objective aims at implementing a novel spatial multiplexing scheme that leverages non-trivial collective spin excitations in the cavity memory. This will be combined with temporal and frequency multiplexing to enhance the memory's capacity to store multiple degrees of freedom. The ultimate goal is to distribute light-matter entanglement using cavity-enhanced multimode quantum memory over a 50 km deployed optical fiber in a metropolitan area. Our approach seeks to achieve higher efficiency and increased rates, which are essential for practical metropolitan quantum networks. These milestones are important steps toward building a robust application-ready quantum network and establishing a European quantum internet.

Mots clés : quantum memory, rare earth ion doped crystals, quantum repeater, cavity enhancement, entanglement distribution, quantum networks

Participants :
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 209914.56 €
Projet ClearPath (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-associated, irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. Α fundamental neuropathological hallmark of this disease is the accumulation of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide in the extracellular space and its aggregation in the brain. Interestingly, critical role for a healthy brain is played by clearance mechanisms of endothelial cells, which traverse the Αβ peptide through the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), a highly selective semipermeable border. Studies in recent years have shown that endothelial cells remove Aβ by endocytosis, and that impairment of this function is key to AD progression. However, the exact contribution of the distinct individual endocytic routes, as well as the involved molecular mechanisms, are largely unexplored. Hence, the main objective of ClearPath is to undertake a holistic approach that will shed light into the unexplored endocytic routes involved in brain Aβ clearance and to identify the relationship between endocytic abnormalities and clinical pathologies of AD. To this end, ClearPath aims to: a. develop an in vitro co-culture BBB model system using endothelial and neuronal cells derived from established isogenic hiPSCs; b. screen the distinct endocytic routes to identify their contribution in Aβ clearance; c. undertake bioinformatic analysis of genome-wide datasets from AD patients, to reveal novel disease-associated genes implicated in the endocytic routes; d. use transgenic animal models to validate the role of endocytic pathways in Αβ clearance. The multidisciplinary nature of this project warrants accomplishment of the research objectives, as well as advancement of the research capacity of the Post-doctoral fellow, thus boosting her career in the field. Besides, the results of the study will improve our understanding in Aβ clearance mechanisms, thus contributing to novel strategies aiming to reduce the load of Aβ peptide in the brain, thereby preventing or delaying the onset of the disease.

Mots clés : neurovascular dysfunction, alzheimer s disease, amyloid peptide, endothelial cells, endocytosis

Participants :
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université ionienne (Grèce) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 169326.72 €
Projet HigherSpinCFT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Conformal symmetry is the maximal spacetime symmetry in relativistic quantum field theory. Such a symmetry is also realised in condensed matter systems at second order phase transitions. Conformal field theories possessing higher-spin and/or duality symmetries, along with their supersymmetric extensions, have recently been the focus of enormous interest worldwide. This proposal puts forward a research program to explore the dynamics and quantum aspects of such theories. Using recent advances in group theoretic formalism to compute correlation functions, the project aims to develop novel, manifestly supersymmetric techniques used for comprehensive analysis of three-point functions for conserved higher-spin current multiplets in superconformal field theories in Minkowski and Anti-de Sitter backgrounds – both playing pivotal roles in deciphering celebrated dualities between quantum field and gravity theories. Another goal is to study, for the first time, the quantum properties of the recently discovered Modified Maxwell (ModMax) theory. The latter is a unique non-linear extension of Maxwell's electrodynamics which is conformal and duality invariant. It has opened new avenues, all to be discovered, to study new classes of non-analytic conformal field theories. The project outcomes will advance our knowledge of scattering amplitudes and their relation to anomalies of superconformal field theories on curved backgrounds, while at the same time giving new insight into the field of non-linear electrodynamics. These results will be of major significance for a wide range of areas of modern mathematical and theoretical high-energy physics including string theory, gravity, cosmology and condensed matter.

Mots clés : quantum field theory, dualities, conformal invariance, superspace, supersymmetry, higher spins, correlation functions

Participants :
- Istituto nazionale di fisica nucleare (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet LingStats (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The speech signal is a continuous stream, where, contrary to written language, words are not separated. Infants track regularities present in the speech signal and take advantage of such regularities to segment it. This mechanism has been called Statistical Learning and it may underlie later language development outcomes. The present project aims to investigate the linguistic statistical learning abilities during the first two years of life and how they relate to later language development in different infant populations. The current project will identify early neural and cognitive risk markers for developmental disorders and explore how/whether these correlate to statistical learning abilities and other linguistic abilities. By combining outputs of two innovative methodologies (fDCS/EEG and pupillometry), this work will contribute to the improvement of neurocognitive experimental methods suitable to test the mechanisms of language learning and processing in infants and to the foundations for implementing scientific findings in clinical and non-clinical settings.

Mots clés : language learning, linguistics, word learning

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ECOSWIR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of low-cost optoelectronic devices in the short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1-2 um), would open up a huge number of applications, such as 3D and adverse weather imaging, night vision for surveillance and automotive safety, chemical hazard detection, environmental sensing, and biomedical diagnostics etc. leading to a direct and huge impact on quality of life, health, and security, provided that such technologies are available at low cost and high volumes, to serve consumer electronics markets. To address this large consumer market volume the necessity for low-cost, non-toxic, and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible SWIR photodetectors is therefore indispensable. To date, the SWIR has been served by costly epitaxial III-V semiconductors, which are not monolithically integrated to silicon (CMOS) electronics, and suffer from high growth cost and low volume manufacturing. Compared to epitaxial technology, solution-processed technology based on colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) is more promising for SWIR photodetectors due to low cost and high volume manufacturing, and their CMOS integrability. On the other hand, InSb is an environmentally friendly III–V semiconductor which possesses a narrow direct band gap and the highest room temperature carrier mobility, and the smallest exciton binding energy of all semiconductors, thus being ideal for SWIR photodetectors. Therefore, ECOSWIR aims to develop a whole new material platform based on non-epitaxial InSb CQDs that, in contrast to current III-V technologies, will enable CMOS compatibility and large-scale production of optoelectronic materials.Utilizing this achievement, ECOSWIR will provide a proof of principle of InSb CQDs SWIR photodetectors with performance that cannot be met by any prior CQDs devices, that will be competitive to the costly epitaxial technology and warrant introduction into high-volume, consumer electronics markets and pave the way towards printable SWIR photodetctors.

Mots clés : colloidal quantum dot, short wave infrared, photodetector, environmentally friendly, low cost

Participants :
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet EQC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The proposed project Energetics of Quantum Correlations aims to establish a comprehensive framework for studying quantum correlations and thermodynamics in continuous variables. The key research goals established within this project encompass the creation of a universally applicable operational framework delineating the relationship between entanglement and energy manipulation. This framework should be readily employable within the quantum technology sector. Additionally, the project aims to conceive practical applications for harnessing energetic quantum advantages. Lastly, it seeks to formulate an experimental plan for assessing the proposed theory. To achieve these goals, the project leverages the expertise of both the hosting institution, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), and the partner institution, ICFO. Furthermore, the project emphasises knowledge transfer and collaboration. During the outgoing phase, the researcher will collaborate closely with Prof. Paz's team at UBA, gaining insights into quantum thermodynamics and correlations. In the return phase at ICFO, collaboration with Prof. Acín's Quantum Information Theory group will involve advanced analytical and numerical methods for characterising quantum correlations. The project places a strong emphasis on skills transfer. The researcher will actively engage in co-supervising PhD and master's students, enhancing supervisory and management skills. Teaching activities at both institutions will improve pedagogical abilities, while participation in interdisciplinary initiatives will foster networking and knowledge exchange. In addition, the project is committed to develop energy efficient quantum technologies, aligning with the MSCA Green Charter. With a strong foundation in theory and practical experiments, coupled with a commitment to sustainability and knowledge exchange, it is well-positioned to make significant strides in our understanding of quantum correlations and their role in energy processing.

Mots clés : continuous variables quantum information, quantum correlations, quantum thermodynamics

Participants :
- Institut technologique de Buenos Aires (Argentine) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institute of Photonic Sciences (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 164031.48 €