Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Stellar-MADE (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Université Grenoble Alpes — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UGA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 710813.75 €

In regions of active star formation, the protoplanetary discs around young stars act as planetary factories. Recent observing campaigns have shown that the majority of protostars belong to multiple stellar systems: the younger the stars, the higher the degree of multiplicity. Young discs are then strongly affected by stellar multiplicity, unavoidably modifying the way in which planets form. The detailed evolution of multiple systems with discs and planets however remains to be explored. Since most current models have been designed for single stars, there is an urgent need to extend these models to multiple stars. This will pave the way for a better understanding of the process of planet formation, at a more general level. The Stellar-MADE project aims to provide a comprehensive view of disc dynamics and planet formation within multiple stellar systems. My team and I will thoroughly study multiples to: (1) Establish the formation channels of protoplanetary discs around young stellar objects; (2) Follow disc dynamics and grain growth in order to identify the regions of planetesimal formation; (3) Characterise planetary architectures and the resulting exoplanet population. To achieve our goals we will perform hydrodynamical and N-body simulations, developing and adapting state-of-the-art codes (Phantom, MCFOST, Rebound). Our calculations will include a broad range of physical processes: disc thermodynamics, radiative transfer, gravitational perturbations, aerodynamic friction, dust growth, and Mean-Motion Resonances. This will allow us to identify and quantify stellar multiplicity effects across evolution. My previous work on binary stars constitutes proof-of-concept that it is possible to coherently connect protoplanetary disc evolution to planetary architectures. Unveiling the effects of stellar multiplicity on planet formation will be a major breakthrough, which will enable us to interpret the whole exoplanetary population under a new and more realistic prism.

Mots-clés : protoplanetary discs,planet formation,exoplanets,stellar binaries,hydrodynamics,celestial mechanics
Projet ERC : PHOTONICS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498315.0 €

Photosynthetic microbes contribute over 50% of carbon fixation on Earth. Inhabiting extremely diverse environments, they always have to cope with a friend that is simultaneously their enemy: sunlight. Photon energy is necessary for photosynthesis, but it continuously damages the photosynthetic apparatus, primarily the first enzyme in oxygenic photosynthesis – Photosystem II (PSII) – in the process of photoinhibition. Upon photodamage, PSII becomes irreversibly inactivated, unable to do electron transfer, and requires costly repair involving protein translation. Photoinhibition represents a major limiting factor to terrestrial and aquatic photosynthesis. Despite decades of research on PSII and photoinhibition, many key aspects of photoinhibition remain unresolved, among them: -the site within the PSII complex where the photoinhibitory damage takes place, as well as its molecular nature -partitioning of the known different types of damage, dependent on the environment and conditions -the role of the mysterious haem b559, conserved in phototrophs close to PSII reaction centre and transferring electrons, long speculated to play a role in photoprotection but with no convincing role assigned to date In PHOTONICS, I aim to focus on these issues to provide a thorough description of photoinhibition and photoprotection strategies in photosynthetic microbes. I will use a combination of novel in vivo methods, taking advantage of the most recent developments in time-resolved fluorescence- and absorption spectroscopies. These will be combined with genetics and state-of-the-art structural biology. It is the integrative nature of PHOTONICS, bridging different scales of complexity in a hypothesis-driven manner, that will allow to finally resolve the critical missing pieces of PSII function and damage. Finally, it will provide a methodological blueprint for assessment of photoinhibition in situ, and aid modelling of photosynthetic productivity under fluctuating conditions.

Mots-clés : photosynthesis,photophysics,time resolved spectroscopy
Projet ERC : EVOL-SV (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499998.75 €

Genetic diversity is a fundamental level of biodiversity at a time of global change. It provides variation that underpins species persistence and their adaptation to changing environments. Variation in the direction or presence of DNA sequences has been largely overlooked until now. Yet, those structural variants (SVs) represent a key aspect of genetic diversity. SVs cover 3 to 10 times more of the genome than the well-studied single-nucleotide variants and have different properties (length, effect on recombination, mutation rate). Structural variation thus represents a quantitative and qualitative shift in our understanding of genetic diversity, with predicted, but understudied, implications for evolution.  The project EVOL-SV calls for a reassessment of the genomic basis of eco-evolutionary processes. My ambition is to lead new research avenues on the impact of SVs in ecology and evolution and to determine the contribution of SVs to current biodiversity. I will combine cutting-edge genomics and powerful experimental approaches, developed throughout my career, to perform multidisciplinary research on a focal system, Coelopa flies, and then across taxa.  First, I will investigate SVs within a population genetic framework in Coelopa spp. to determine how SV properties affect their distribution and effects on fitness. Second, I will assess the contribution of SVs to deleterious load in a case of range shift northwards. Third, I will examine how SVs contribute to phenotypic adaptation, focusing on parallel climatic gradients and rapid thermal variation. Fourth, at a broader phylogenetic level, I will draw general principles about the evolution of structural genetic diversity.  EVOL-SV will have long-term impacts by providing the first comprehensive assessment of structural genetic diversity across the tree of life, developing the study of SVs in non-model species, and determining how genetic architecture contributes to evolutionary response in a rapidly changing world.

Mots-clés : biological diversity adaptation,genetic diversity,structural variants,climate change
Projet ERC : qDynnet (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497536.0 €

Quantum neural networks are a young research field, that has been rapidly expanding due to their potential to attain revolutionary computing capacities and the possibility to learn on quantum data, inaccessible to classical computers. However, despite impressive proof-of-concept results, currently existing approaches that rely on sparsely coupled qubits, are not scalable to network sizes and connectivities with tunable weights required for state-of-the art tasks. In qDynnet, I will adopt a completely new and unexplored approach that uses parametrically coupled superconducting quantum oscillators instead of physically coupled qubits, that will allow me to obtain quantum neural networks of unprecedented size, connectivity and tunability. To do this, I will shift the paradigm by implementing neurons as basis states of dynamically coupled multi-level quantum oscillators, and connections between neurons as transition rates obtained through different dynamical processes such as parametric coupling, resonant drives and dissipation. I will implement experimentally quantum neural network architectures that were only simulated until now and use them to demonstrate data classification with basis state neurons. In order to go towards more complex tasks, I will use parametric coupling to introduce tunable connections between neurons. I will develop new training methods that will allow me to tune connections in such dynamical quantum neural networks and use them to demonstrate learning to recognize quantum states. I will develop circuit geometries that will be scalable to large quantum neural networks with millions of neurons and tunable connections. The qDynnet project will provide understanding of physics, and methods for dynamical coupling and training, that will have a broad impact across quantum computing fields and serve as a foundation for a whole new family of large-scale dynamical quantum neural networks.

Mots-clés : quantum machine learning,neuromorphic computing,superconducting circuits
Projet ERC : INGENIOUS (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1840536.0 €

The wave/particle duality is one of the counter-intuitive traits of quantum mechanics. The fundamental constituents of matter and light can be either apprehended as corpuscules or waves depending on the choice of the measurement apparatus. In the case of light, one can either decide to measure the quadrature of the electromagnetic field or count the photons impacting the detector. These two modalities come with pros and cons, the first one is sensitive to both the phase and the amplitude of the field but at the cost of a fundamental noise associated to vacuum fluctuations while the latter is only sensitive to the energy of the field but at the Photons lie at the heart of the human experience; they are the most direct way to sense our immediate material environment. A light source irradiates material objects in its surroundings and depending on their composition, materials will re-emit the incident light with slight variations in intensity and color. In the course of the last century, the meaning of imaging has been considerably broadened, scientific and technological advances have enabled the detection of single quanta of light from further away, at smaller scales, and on a considerable enlarge portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. At one extremity of the spectrum, the field of microwave quantum optics (1-10 GHz) has emerged as a powerful tool to probe quantum systems. We have recently demonstrated high-performance single microwave photon detection based on elementary superconducting circuits. Based on this novel method, a new window on new material systems is opened at unprecedented sensitivities. This proposal aims at the improvement of the newly developed single microwave photon detector for the exploration of new luminescent systems in the microwave domain. In particular, the detection of individual paramagnetic electron spins for quantum computing and quantum-enhanced sensing applications; and the search of one of the leading dark-matter candidates, axions.
Projet ERC : FermiMath (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Basque Center for Applied Mathematics — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : BCAM
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 72500.0 €

The quantum many-body problem presents us with a baffling variety of phenomena whose mathematical understanding is just leaving infancy. One of the most prominent examples is the behavior of electrons in condensed matter: surprisingly, despite the presence of strong interactions between particles in the microscopic Schroedinger equation, on a macroscopic level one observes almost non-interacting particles. Moreover, some properties even turn out to be universal, i.e., do not depend on the details of the microscopic equation at all. Fermi liquid theory has been phenomenologically developed as an emergent theory to describe these correlation effects in systems of interacting fermionic particles. The first goal of this project is a rigorous derivation of Fermi liquid theory from the Schroedinger equation. My approach will be based on the analysis of high-density scaling limits. While the analysis of scaling limits has been tremendously successful in the last years for bosonic systems, in fermionic systems it has been restricted to the derivation of mean-field theories. Recently I have developed an approximate bosonization for three-dimensional systems which can be rigorously applied in high-density scaling limits. This is one of the few tools that permit an analysis beyond mean-field theory, enabling us now to describe correlations without relying on perturbation theory. The second goal is to show that one-dimensional systems can be analyzed similarly but display a very different behavior called Luttinger liquid, demonstrating that the approach allows to distinguish Fermi from non-Fermi liquids. Thus I will not only provide a unified justification of the non-interacting electron approximation in two and more dimensions, but also pave a new way to and partially resolve the classification problem of the fermionic phase diagram.

Mots-clés : quantum many body problem,schroedinger equation,effective theories,scaling limits
Projet ERC : SAGMA (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention,  Diagnosis and T reatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : University Hospital Aachen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UKA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential for revolutionizing radiology by enhancing diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and personalized patient care. However, current AI applications are limited to only specialized taskArtificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential for revolutionizing radiology by enhancing diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and personalized patient care. However, current AI applications are limited to only specialized tasks, thus failing to capture the complexity of radiological practice, which requires integrating multimodal data and nuanced decision-making. My vision with SAGMA is to develop an agent-based General Medical AI (GMAI) system that overcomes these limitations by combining specialized AI models with generalized reasoning capabilities. The project is structured around three central objectives: 1. Develop specialized image analysis AI models in a scalable manner by leveraging large language models (LLMs) to extract structured data from existing radiological reports. This will enable efficient training across various radiological tasks using unstructured clinical data. 2. Assemble a GMAI system using a LLM as an agent that coordinates the specialized AI models, incorporates uncertainty estimates, and integrates additional tools such as clinical guidelines and laboratory values. This system will utilize multimodal inputs to support comprehensive decision-making. 3.Validate the utility of the agent-based system in realistic clinical settings by assessing its impact on diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and the overall radiological workflow, ensuring acceptance by clinical experts. By achieving these objectives, SAGMA will bridge the gap between current AI capabilities and the multifaceted nature of radiological practice. The project will demonstrate how an agent-based GMAI system can augment and empower human expertise, potentially transforming radiology and paving the way for similar advancements in other medical specialties.
Projet ERC : MindTheGap (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Entité participante : Université d'Utrecht — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1145919.0 €

Darwin identified the incompleteness of the geological record as a major concern in our ability to reconstruct the evolutionary history from fossils. Geological strata are not, however, a random selection of the past, but are deposited and preserved in processes which can be modelled mathematically. This project employs numerical forward modelling, a technique from sedimentary basin analysis, to quantify how stratigraphic gaps affect evolutionary patterns in the fossil record. It focuses on tropical carbonate platforms, because they are the richest archive of biodiversity through the Phanerozoic and are directly formed by organisms, thus preserving a positive feedback loop between the environment, evolution, and sediment formation. Completeness of the record depends on the time scale of measurement. Previous work demonstrated that long gaps in the record, in the range of 106-107 years, are reflected in biodiversity reconstructions. Here we address shorter gaps (103-105 years), which are more frequent, but harder to detect. They can be predicted using models of stochastic sedimentation, astronomical forcing, and sedimentary and diagenetic self-organization. Forward modelling will be used to simulate the effect of gaps in the record produced by each of these processes on diversity and character evolution. This will allow us to answer the questions: What part of diversity do we miss owing to the missing rock record? Are the preserved intervals exceptional or representative? Is there a systematic part of biodiversity and environmental records which will always fall into gaps? By applying the findings of the forward modelling to fossil successions, we will be able to identify and correct for the missing parts of the record and formulate testable hypotheses on the original tempo and mode of evolution at the highest temporal resolution achievable in the geological record.

Mots-clés : stratigraphic palaeobiology,self organization,trait evolution,character evolution,phylogenetics,basin analysis,diagenesis,carbonate sedimentology,age models,stratophenetics,brownian motion,orbital forcing,astrochronology
Projet ERC : ArtWater (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Université d'Utrecht — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1749375.0 €

In the last few decades, researchers have come to believe that where there is liquid water, there is life, regardless of the physical conditions of the surroundings. Indeed, living organisms have been discovered in environments with extreme temperatures, radiation, or high salinity. In terms of temperature, the lowest limit to sustain the metabolic activities of bacteria is reported to be -20 ºC in permafrost. Yet, the survival mechanism of life below the freezing point of water is still not fully understood, though it has important implications for origin of life studies and the search for life in the universe. The prerequisite of life at subzero temperatures is the existence of liquid water. Intracellular liquid water not only serves as solution medium, but also plays a crucial role in biological processes such as metabolisms in cells. Therefore, understanding the physical state of intracellular water at subzero temperatures is important. In ArtWater, we will employ synthetic compartments as model system to investigate the physical state of compartmentalized water at subzero temperatures. The project will be conducted through a bottom-up approach: from pure water in compartments to crowded compartmentalized solutions that mimic cytoplasm in natural cells. The crystallization, diffusion, and dynamics of water will be studied by differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy, respectively. Several types of state-of-the-art synthetic compartments will be employed including polymersomes, liposomes, and complex coacervates. Furthermore, we will develop artificial cells equipped with liquid water enabling biological activities at subzero temperatures. The ArtWater project will not only open the window for understanding the survival mechanisms at extremely low temperatures but also provide a new platform for tunable bioengineering processes such as cryopreservation and cryo-enzymology and shed light to astrobiology.

Mots-clés : origin of life,astrobiology
Projet ERC : FLAVIR (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and I mmunotherapy
Entité participante : Université d'Utrecht — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1687500.0 €

Flaviviruses are a tremendous burden on global public health. The genus consists of yellow fever virus, dengue virus, and zika virus amongst others. These viruses threaten more than half the global human population and are spreading into new territories. The recent zika virus pandemic stresses the need for a suitable protein engineering toolkit to enable swift development of emerging flavivirus antigens for structural studies, serology and vaccine development. Moreover, the structural determinants of a neutralizing polyclonal antibody response are currently not well understood, in large part for a lack of suitable methods to address the complex interactions of multiple antibodies directed against a heterogeneous, glycosylated viral antigen.  With FLAVIR I will use my unique expertise in both mass spectrometry and electron microscopy to develop a comprehensive structural proteomics toolkit for in-depth profiling of the neutralizing antibody response against flaviviruses. Using a combination of novel mass spectrometry-based antibody sequencing techniques, glycoproteomics profiling and electron microscopy, we will uncover how the polyclonal antibody response against flaviviruses is directed by key structural determinants of the Envelope glycoprotein that is displayed on the surface of infectious virions.  We will develop new strategies to produce prefusion stabilized E-dimers and ultimately reconstruction of full icosahedral flavivirus-like particles from soluble components. The outlined strategies will be tested and streamlined for broad applicability across the flaviviruses so that it can be swiftly adapted for emerging species and strains. We will characterize our designs with state-of-the art mass spectrometry methods (native MS, mass photometry, HDX-MS) and electron microscopy.  We will use these optimized antigens to uncover the role of antigen glycosylation in antibody binding, profile the serum antibody repertoire directed against the E-antigen and map ou

Mots-clés : serology structural proteomics