Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : CHANGE (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : University of Trento — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 955000.0 €

The interplay between Analysis and Geometry has led to a number of spectacular achievements such as the proof of the Poincaré conjecture by Perelman. The goal of this proposal is to establish a research group that will make striking progress along the following two directions, that reflect the two souls, extrinsic and intrinsic, of Riemannian Geometry, as well as their mutual interaction. Minimal surfaces, namely surfaces of zero mean curvature, have been an object of mathematical study since the 18th century (with pioneering work by Lagrange and Euler), and yet remain at the heart of many problems to this day. I aim at shading new light on their understanding, by means of a thorough investigation of the Morse index as an observable on the space of minimal cycles, both in general 3-manifolds of positive curvature and in space forms, towards higher Urbano-type theorems and beyond min-max techniques. Partly motivated by the study of data sets for the Einstein equations on the one hand, and by a far-reaching program by Gromov on the other, we also want to systematically study the interplay between the scalar curvature of a manifold and the mean curvature of its boundary. The project, which builds on my recent contributions and long-term experience in the field, relies on a combination of diverse elliptic and parabolic techniques, and aims at developing effective deformation methods that will have a variety of applications. These directions, while seemingly different, are deeply intertwined both at the technical and conceptual level, and incarnate the primary goal of redefining the state of the art in the investigation of infinite-dimensional spaces of solutions to fundamental geometric problems.

Mots-clés : minimal surfaces,morse index,positive scalar curvature,geometric variational problems
Projet ERC : GliaInnateSensing (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Champalimaud Foundation — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1144742.55 €

The interplay between intestinal microbes and immune cells ensures vital functions of the organism. However, inadequate host-microbe relationships lead to inflammatory diseases that are major public health concerns. Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are an emergent family of effectors abundantly present at mucosal sites. Group 3 ILC (ILC3) produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and regulate mucosal homeostasis, anti-microbial defence and adaptive immune responses. ILC development and function have been widely perceived to be programmed. However, recent evidence indicates that ILC are also controlled by dietary signals. Nevertheless, how ILC3 perceive, integrate and respond to environmental cues remains utterly unexplored. We hypothesise that ILC3 sense their environment and exert their function as part of a novel epithelial-glial-ILC unit orchestrated by neurotrophic factors. Thus, we propose to employ genetic, cellular and molecular approaches to decipher how this unconventional multi-cellular unit is controlled and how glial-derived factors set ILC3 function and intestinal homeostasis. In order to achieve this, we will assess ILC3-autonomous functions of neurotrophic factor receptors. ILC3-specific loss and gain of function mutant mice for neuroregulatory receptors will be used to define the role of these molecules in ILC3 function, mucosal homeostasis, gut defence and microbial ecology. Sequentially we propose to decipher the anatomical and functional basis for the enteric epithelial-glial-ILC unit. To this end we will employ high-resolution imaging, genome-wide expression analysis and tissue-specific mutants for define target genes. Our ground-breaking research will establish a novel sensing program by which ILC3 integrate environmental cues and will define a key multi-cellular unit at the core of intestinal homeostasis and defence. Finally, our work will reveal new pathways that may be targeted in inflammatory diseases that are major Public Health concerns.

Mots-clés : innate lymphoid cells,mucosal immunology,neurotrophic factors,glial cells
Projet ERC : L-SID (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Bar-Ilan University — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BIU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1496944.0 €

The interplay of light and sound waves in matter has attracted the attention of researchers for decades and has found many technological applications. Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) provide an exciting playground for such investigations, due to wavelength-scale guiding structures, periodicity in one or two dimensions, and high-quality resonance structures. The objectives of this proposal are to introduce, investigate and employ interactions between guided optical modes and hyper-sonic acoustic waves, within PICs in silicon and in chalcogenide glass media. Both these platforms are extremely important: silicon for its potential for integration of photonics and digital micro-electronics and mature fabrication technology, and chalcogenides for their unique nonlinear-optical and photo-sensitive properties. However, the introduction of hyper-sonic acoustic waves to both materials is highly challenging, due to the absence of piezoelectricity. To address these challenges, this project is based on developing and validating two alternative methods for the generation of high-frequency acoustic waves. First, photo-acoustic absorption of intense, ultrafast laser pulses by periodic, metallic patterns will be employed. The technique is being used in bulk silicon substrates, and will be carried over and adapted for use in silicon and chalcogenide glass PICs. Second, carefully controlled stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) processes will be used to excite acoustic waves along chalcogenide PICs in a highly localized fashion. Prospective outcomes include new fundamental insights into the opto-mechanical properties of materials, films and periodic structures; novel functionalities of silicon and chalcogenide PICs, such as acousto-optic modulation, dynamic gratings and elasto-optic super-lattices; new types of sensors, such as chip-level distributed measurements of strain, temperature and modal profile; and a first look at non-local behaviour of SBS.

Mots-clés : silicon photonics,photonic integrated circuits,surface acoustic waves,integrated devices
Projet ERC : SuperCoolMix (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Austrian Academy of Sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : OAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1363125.0 €

The intricate mechanisms leading to superfluidity and superconductivity have fascinated researchers for many decades. The pairing of fermionic constituents is at the heart of a rich class of related phenomena in quantum matter. The understanding of unconventional regimes of superfluidity, such as broken-symmetry systems with finite-momentum pairs, poses great challenges for theory and experiment. Our experimental approach is based on a new ultracold model system, which has become available very recently, following a breakthrough in our laboratory. We combine two fermionic isotopes with different masses (Dy-161 and K-40) to create a quantum-degenerate Fermi-Fermi mixture. The system features the key ingredients required for creating novel strongly interacting superfluids: mass imbalance, tunability of interactions, and collisional stability. At present, our Dy-K system represents the only experimentally available Fermi-Fermi mixture that offers this combination of properties. The key point is that, according to theoretical predictions, mass imbalance favors unconventional regimes of superfluidity. In contrast to the widely investigated ultracold fermionic spin mixtures (systems with equal masses), the regions in the phase diagram for unconventional phases are much larger and appear at temperatures that can be realistically achieved in experiments. We will realize strongly interacting Fermi-Fermi superfluids and investigate the various regimes of superfluidity with the ultimate prospect to demonstrate symmetry-broken phases. For this purpose, we will generalize the methods developed for spin mixtures, and we will develop new species-selective optical traps. We will carry out our main research on the Dy-K system, but we will also push the limits of mass-imbalanced systems by extending our studies to a new system with extreme mass ratio (mixture of Dy-161 with Li-6). Our work will lead to a new generation of experiments on ultracold fermions.

Mots-clés : ultracold superfluids,quantum gas mixtures,strongly interacting fermi gases
Projet ERC : SYMBIOSES (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

The introduction of new functionalities into cells is a challenge, but it offers tremendous opportunities. While some traits may be acquired through lateral gene transfer and be immediately operational, others are complex and require comprehensive rewiring of the host cell due to lack of orthogonality. A powerful strategy used by cells to acquire new properties is the incorporation of other dedicated cells as endosymbionts that may eventually become organelles in the course of evolution, the most prominent example being the origin of the mitochondrion and chloroplast, both of which transformed life as we know it. SYMBIOSES is an interdisciplinary project that will explore endosymbioses in an experimental approach to introduce metabolic traits as cellular compartments. In the first phase of the project, we will (i) design novel cell-in-cell merger couples composed of a unicellular eukaryote as the host and a prokaryote as the designated endosymbiont and use modelling to optimize the metabolic pre-requisites for cooperation and ultimately endosymbioses, (ii) establish cooperating co-cultures of cells that depend on each other metabolically, and (iii) develop nanotechnology approaches to incorporate cells into other cells. In the second phase of the project, we will deliver cells into cells to establish endosymbioses as operating units. We will then optimize endosymbioses by re-engineering and experimental evolution. The approach will unite desired traits consisting of core metabolic processes with a focus on biological nitrogen and carbon fixation. SYMBIOSES will establish know-how and concepts for the introduction of novel compartmentalized functions into organisms and put endosymbioses and ultimately organellogenesis to the test.

Mots-clés : endosymbiosis,evolution,microbial interaction,metabolism,metabolic engineering,nanotechnology
Projet ERC : EDAX (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 434750.0 €

The key to move from a mere description of static materials properties to the determination and control of functionality and chemistry lies in understanding dynamic pathways through multidimensional energy landscapes. Through my efforts over the last decade my group accomplished breakthroughs towards the required excited states selectivity and to follow dynamic pathways with resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering (RIXS) in three aspects: Non-linear RIXS for materials science to boost scattering efficiency. Time resolved and Anti-Stokes RIXS for back-ground free detection of excited states. Sub-natural line width RIXS to map out potential energy surfaces at selected atoms. In the ERC research I link these unfolding fields and combine them with ab-initio treatment of excited states to create unprecedented back-ground free X-ray probes of excited states of matter and their dynamics. This will be femtosecond time resolved Anti-Stokes RIXS for excited state selectivity with transform limited pulses and doubly resonant soft X-ray 4 wave mixing to determine multi-center dynamics on atomic scales. The ERC grant will answer long standing questions on the governing principles of functionality, regarding chemical pathways and energy landscapes in molecules as well as phase transitions, driven phases and emergence in functional materials. These novel approaches become only now feasible through the unprecedented brilliance of Free-Electron Lasers and the efforts of my group over the last decade. The ERC grant will establish proof-of-principle at brilliant soft X-ray Free-Electron Lasers that will be followed by world leading, ideal conditions implemented at the European XFEL.

Mots-clés : soft x ray spectroscopy with free electron lasers and synchrotron radiation,european xfel,non linear x ray matter interaction,ultrafast switching,femtochemistry
Projet ERC : TOPOCLIP (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Amsterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UvA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 866143.0 €

The lack of synthetic control over the chirality of curved carbon nanostructures derived from graphene, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), prevents the development of molecular electronics applications that require high purity and uniformity of these materials. Single- and multi-walled CNTs are typically formed as a mixture of chiral, armchair, and zigzag nanostructures that significantly differ in their properties. The urgency of controlled chirality-specific synthesis of CNTs advanced the synthesis of curved molecular nanocarbons – molecular precursors for a stepwise synthesis of uniform single-walled CNTs. Applications in bioimaging, sensing, catalysis, and organic electronics have been rapidly emerging on account of the unusual properties of these hoop-like molecular nanocarbons. To this date, no analogous molecular precursors for topologically more complex carbon nanostructures such as double-walled CNTs or carbon nanoscrolls exist because their topologies do not yet have a stable molecular representation. TOPOCLIP develops such stable molecular representations, enables their synthesis by using a molecular clip, and delivers unprecedented topological molecular nanocarbons. The molecular clip helps controlling the curvature, preserves the electronic communication throughout the molecular nanocarbon structure, or allows construction of the first molecular nanocarbon with a reversible dynamic behavior. TOPOCLIP (1) improves our understanding of strain and non-covalent interactions that (de)stabilize curved nanocarbons, (2) delivers responsive nanocarbons that can alter shape with an external stimulus, and (3) establishes design principles for tailor-made molecular nanocarbons for future nano- and biotechnology applications. Ultimately, TOPOCLIP takes the vital step to find a solution to a long-standing challenge: the chirality-specific synthesis of carbon nanostructures of complex topologies obtained by rolling-up a graphene sheet beyond the single-walled CNTs.

Mots-clés : physical organic chemistry,molecular carbon based materials,curved aromatic molecules,paracyclophane,polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,photoswitching,structure property relationships
Projet ERC : GRANT (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : University of Göttingen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : GAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1374250.0 €

The last decade has seen remarkable progress in the study of growth in infinite families of groups. The main approach has its roots in additive combinatorics, but has truly given fruit in a non-commutative context. It is becoming clear that the central role is played not by groups in isolation, but by actions of groups. It is from this perspective that my plan addresses, at the same time, questions on growth in groups as such and hard problems in analytic number theory. While this line of research on growth started with the study of matrix groups, it has now given strong results on permutation groups as well. Two outstanding matters are the control of dependence on rank in matrix groups, and the removal of the need for the Classification Theorem in permutation groups. Going beyond these questions on diameter and expansion, there are at least three new directions I propose to follow: towards algorithms, towards geometric group theory, and towards number theory. Some of the main recent results in the area take the form of diameter bounds. Bounding a diameter amounts to showing that one can express any element of a group as a short product of generators. One of the main algorithmic questions consists in actually finding such an expression, and doing so rapidly. Links between geometric group theory (which studies growth in infinite groups) and the new combinatorial techniques ought to become stronger. Sofic and hyperlinear groups -- which arose in part from geometric group theory -- seem to invite a combinatorial approach. Additive combinatorics has already shown its relevance to exponential sums, a key subject in analytic number theory. Can a newer perspective based on actions of groups give more general results? Short Kloosterman sums, which are particularly hard to bound, can be framed as a test case. I also plan to pursue related interests in automorphic forms - which are a classical example of the relevance of group actions to number theory - and model theory.

Mots-clés : growth in groups,group actions,exponential sums,sofic and hyperlinear groups,navigation of cayley graphs,short kloosterman sums,fourier transforms,model theory,algorithms
Projet ERC : ThermoRise (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Aveiro — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1988353.75 €

The last decades witnessed a quest for devices responding to temperature at a distance with unprecedented space resolution, approaching the nanoscale. Such devices are valuable in both fundamental and applied science, from overheat in micromachines to hyperthermia applied to cells. Despite great advances, the response is still collected in 2D. In real systems, heat flows in 3 dimensions such that 2D nanothermometers give just a plane view of a 3D reality. The restriction to 2D emerges because space resolution is bound to time and temperature resolutions, leading to a trilemma: scanning into the 3rd dimension is time consuming and cannot be achieve without losing temperature and time resolutions. While incremental improvements have been achieved in recent years, adding the 3rd dimension to nanothermometry is crucial for further impact and requires an innovative approach. Herein, I propose the development of nano local probes with tailored magnetic properties recording critical information about local temperature in 3D. These thermometric local probes avoid the resolution trilemma by recording the most relevant temperature information instead of reading the present temperature value. In many applications, including cellular hyperthermia, most part of the current temperature reading is of minor relevance and can be dropped. The key temperature information includes the maximum temperature achieved, the surpass of a given temperature threshold, and the time elapsed after this surpass. Once recorded, this key information can be read in 3D by standard devices (such as confocal microscopes and magnetic resonance imaging scanners) without time constrains and thus keeping a high space and temperature resolution. Moreover, the reading step can be performed in-situ and/or ex-situ, decoupling probes and reading devices if needed. This widens the range of applications of nanothermometers, allowing detection in confined environments and in non-transparent media.

Mots-clés : magnetic nanoparticles,nanothermometers
Projet ERC : MONIFAULTS (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Université Grenoble Alpes — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UGA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 691781.19 €

The last seismic sequence in Italy, responsible for 298 fatalities and important economic loss, remind us how urgent it is to improve our knowledge about earthquake physics to advance earthquake forecasting. While direct observations during laboratory earthquakes permit us to derive exhaustive physical models describing the behaviour of rocks and to forecast incoming lab-earthquakes, the complex physics governing the nucleation of earthquakes remain poorly understood in real Earth, and so does our ability to forecast earthquakes. I posit that this ‘ignorance’ emerges from our limited ability to unravel information about fault physics from geophysical data.The objective of this proposal is to introduce a new and integrated methodology to monitor the spatiotemporal evolution of elastic properties on real faults using seismological and geodetic data. We will apply machine learning and covariance matrix factorization for improved earthquake detection, and to discover ‘anomalous’ seismological signals, which will reveal unknown physical processes on faults. These novel observations will be integrated with time dependent measurements of rheology and deformation, obtained from cutting-edge techniques applied to continuous seismological and geodetic data. Our integrated monitoring approach will be applied to study how faults respond to known stress perturbations (as Earth tides). In parallel, we will analyse periods preceding significant earthquakes to assess how elastic properties and deformation evolve while a fault is approaching a critical (near rupture) state. Our natural laboratory will be Italy, given its excellent geodetic and seismological instrumentation, deep knowledge about faults geometry and the relevant risk posed by earthquakes. Our research will provide new insights about the complex physics of faults at critical state, necessary to understand how real earthquakes nucleate. This project will also have a major impact on observational earthquake forecast.

Mots-clés : earthquakes forecasting