Project acronym 3D-In-Macro
Project Inequality in 3D – measurement and implications for macroeconomic theory
Researcher (PI) Andreas Fagereng
Host Institution (HI) STIFTELSEN HANDELSHOYSKOLEN BI
Country Norway
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2019-STG
Summary This project will contribute toward a better understanding of inequality and its macroeconomic implications. We will study inequality and its dynamics along three dimensions: Consumption, Income and Wealth, “3D Inequality.” With novel microdata we can measure the entirety of the economy down to the single household along the 3 dimensions.
In macroeconomics, much theoretical progress has been made in understanding when distributions matter for aggregates. Newer heterogeneous agent models deliver strikingly different implications for monetary and fiscal policies than what the traditional representative agent models do, and also allow us to study the distributional implications of different policies across households. In principle, this class of models can incorporate the potentially rich interactions between inequality and the macroeconomy: on the one hand, inequality shapes macroeconomic aggregates; on the other hand, macroeconomic shocks and policies affect inequality. However, absent precise micro-level facts it is difficult to establish which of the potential mechanisms highlighted by these models are the most important in reality.
Our empirical efforts will be disciplined by these recent developments in modelling macroeconomic phenomena with microeconomic heterogeneity. Our overarching motivation is to quantify the type of micro heterogeneity that matters for macroeconomic theory and thereby inform the development of current and future macroeconomic models. The novel insights we aim to provide could lead to substantial improvements in both fiscal and monetary policy tools. Furthermore, a better understanding of the forces behind growing inequality will inform the current debate on this issue and provide important lessons to policy makers who see economic inequality as a problem in itself.
Summary
This project will contribute toward a better understanding of inequality and its macroeconomic implications. We will study inequality and its dynamics along three dimensions: Consumption, Income and Wealth, “3D Inequality.” With novel microdata we can measure the entirety of the economy down to the single household along the 3 dimensions.
In macroeconomics, much theoretical progress has been made in understanding when distributions matter for aggregates. Newer heterogeneous agent models deliver strikingly different implications for monetary and fiscal policies than what the traditional representative agent models do, and also allow us to study the distributional implications of different policies across households. In principle, this class of models can incorporate the potentially rich interactions between inequality and the macroeconomy: on the one hand, inequality shapes macroeconomic aggregates; on the other hand, macroeconomic shocks and policies affect inequality. However, absent precise micro-level facts it is difficult to establish which of the potential mechanisms highlighted by these models are the most important in reality.
Our empirical efforts will be disciplined by these recent developments in modelling macroeconomic phenomena with microeconomic heterogeneity. Our overarching motivation is to quantify the type of micro heterogeneity that matters for macroeconomic theory and thereby inform the development of current and future macroeconomic models. The novel insights we aim to provide could lead to substantial improvements in both fiscal and monetary policy tools. Furthermore, a better understanding of the forces behind growing inequality will inform the current debate on this issue and provide important lessons to policy makers who see economic inequality as a problem in itself.
Max ERC Funding
1 376 875 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-05-01, End date: 2025-04-30
Project acronym 3D-loop
Project Mechanism of homology search and the logic of homologous chromosome pairing in meiosis
Researcher (PI) Aurele PIAZZA
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Homologous recombination (HR) is a conserved DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair pathway that uniquely uses an intact DNA molecule as a template. Genome-wide homology search is carried out by a nucleoprotein filament (NPF) assembled on the ssDNA flanking the DSB, and whose product is a “D-loop” joint molecule. Beyond accurate DSB repair, this capacity of HR to spatially associates homologous molecules is also harnessed for homolog pairing in meiosis. The goal of “3D-loop” is to tackle two long lasting conundrums: the fundamental homology search mechanism that achieves accurate and efficient identification of a single homologous donor in the vastness of the genome and nucleus, and how this mechanism is adapted for the purpose of homologs attachment in meiosis.
I overcame the main hurdle to study these core steps of HR by developing a suite of proximity ligation-based methodologies and experimental systems to physically detect joint molecules in yeast cells. It revealed elaborate regulation controlling D-loop dynamics and a novel class of joint molecules. This proposal builds upon these methodologies and findings to first address basic properties of the homology sampling process by the NPF and the role of D-loop dynamics, with the long-term goal to establish a quantitative framework of homology search in mitotic cells (WP1). Second, the meiosis-specific regulation of homology search leading to homolog pairing likely integrates chromosomal-scale information. Genome re-synthesis and engineering approaches will be deployed to (i) achieve a quantitative and dynamic cartography of the cytological and molecular events of meiosis over a large chromosomal region, (ii) probe cis-acting regulations at the chromosomal scale, and (iii) revisit the molecular paradigm for crossover formation (WP2). We expect this project to shed light on the fundamental process of homology search and its involvement in the chromosome pairing phenomenon lying at the basis of sexual reproduction.
Summary
Homologous recombination (HR) is a conserved DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair pathway that uniquely uses an intact DNA molecule as a template. Genome-wide homology search is carried out by a nucleoprotein filament (NPF) assembled on the ssDNA flanking the DSB, and whose product is a “D-loop” joint molecule. Beyond accurate DSB repair, this capacity of HR to spatially associates homologous molecules is also harnessed for homolog pairing in meiosis. The goal of “3D-loop” is to tackle two long lasting conundrums: the fundamental homology search mechanism that achieves accurate and efficient identification of a single homologous donor in the vastness of the genome and nucleus, and how this mechanism is adapted for the purpose of homologs attachment in meiosis.
I overcame the main hurdle to study these core steps of HR by developing a suite of proximity ligation-based methodologies and experimental systems to physically detect joint molecules in yeast cells. It revealed elaborate regulation controlling D-loop dynamics and a novel class of joint molecules. This proposal builds upon these methodologies and findings to first address basic properties of the homology sampling process by the NPF and the role of D-loop dynamics, with the long-term goal to establish a quantitative framework of homology search in mitotic cells (WP1). Second, the meiosis-specific regulation of homology search leading to homolog pairing likely integrates chromosomal-scale information. Genome re-synthesis and engineering approaches will be deployed to (i) achieve a quantitative and dynamic cartography of the cytological and molecular events of meiosis over a large chromosomal region, (ii) probe cis-acting regulations at the chromosomal scale, and (iii) revisit the molecular paradigm for crossover formation (WP2). We expect this project to shed light on the fundamental process of homology search and its involvement in the chromosome pairing phenomenon lying at the basis of sexual reproduction.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 779 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym 3DPartForm
Project 3D-printing of PARTiculate FORMulations utilizing polymer microparticle-based voxels
Researcher (PI) Julian Thiele
Host Institution (HI) LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR POLYMERFORSCHUNG DRESDEN EV
Country Germany
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary New polymer materials are necessary to match the demand for highly integrated, multifunctional, responsive systems for sensing, information processing, soft robotics or multi-parametric implants. Both established
material design concepts based on lithography, and emerging engineering efforts based on additive manufacturing (AM) are currently not able to fully address the need for topologically complex, multifunctional
and stimuli-responsive polymer materials. This proposal aims at establishing a radically new approach for polymer material design, rethinking AM on both material and process level. Here, functionality will be already
embedded at the building block level to emerge into larger scales. The exact methodology relies on polymer microparticles as a novel material basis with arbitrary geometry, function, mechanics and responsiveness.
These microparticulate formulations will serve as predefined, voxel-like building blocks in AM yielding hierarchical assemblies with spatially defined voxel position and programmable, adaptive properties, which clearly go beyond existing functional material classes. With that, 3DPartForm will address the current lack of additive manufacturing providing multifunctional, stimuli-responsive materials, in which not only strongly different, but most importantly functional building blocks with intrinsic time axis will be processed into true 4D-polymer multimaterials. Products emerging from this approach will reach a previously unknown level of system integration, where optical transparency, electric and thermal conductivity as well as diffusivity and mechanical rigidity will become spatiotemporally tunable at single-voxel level. Coupled sensing and actuation operations will be realized by processing, transforming and manipulating single or combined input stimuli within these materials in the focus of 3DPartform, and platforms for biomimetics and cell-free biotechnology will be implemented as a long-term goal.
Summary
New polymer materials are necessary to match the demand for highly integrated, multifunctional, responsive systems for sensing, information processing, soft robotics or multi-parametric implants. Both established
material design concepts based on lithography, and emerging engineering efforts based on additive manufacturing (AM) are currently not able to fully address the need for topologically complex, multifunctional
and stimuli-responsive polymer materials. This proposal aims at establishing a radically new approach for polymer material design, rethinking AM on both material and process level. Here, functionality will be already
embedded at the building block level to emerge into larger scales. The exact methodology relies on polymer microparticles as a novel material basis with arbitrary geometry, function, mechanics and responsiveness.
These microparticulate formulations will serve as predefined, voxel-like building blocks in AM yielding hierarchical assemblies with spatially defined voxel position and programmable, adaptive properties, which clearly go beyond existing functional material classes. With that, 3DPartForm will address the current lack of additive manufacturing providing multifunctional, stimuli-responsive materials, in which not only strongly different, but most importantly functional building blocks with intrinsic time axis will be processed into true 4D-polymer multimaterials. Products emerging from this approach will reach a previously unknown level of system integration, where optical transparency, electric and thermal conductivity as well as diffusivity and mechanical rigidity will become spatiotemporally tunable at single-voxel level. Coupled sensing and actuation operations will be realized by processing, transforming and manipulating single or combined input stimuli within these materials in the focus of 3DPartform, and platforms for biomimetics and cell-free biotechnology will be implemented as a long-term goal.
Max ERC Funding
1 474 125 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-04-01, End date: 2025-03-31
Project acronym 3DScavengers
Project Three-dimensional nanoscale design for the all-in-one solution to environmental multisource energy scavenging
Researcher (PI) Ana Isabel BORRAS MARTOS
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Imagine a technology for powering your smart devices by recovering energy from lights in your office, the random movements of your body while reading these lines or from small changes in temperature when you breathe or go out for a walk. This very technology will provide energy for wireless sensor networks monitoring the air in your city or the structural stability of buildings and large constructions remotely and sustainably, avoiding battery recharging or even replacing them. These are the challenges in micro energy harvesting from (local) ambient sources.
Kinetic, thermal and solar energies are ubiquitous at our surroundings under diverse forms, but their relatively low intensity and intermittent availability limit their potential recovery by microscale devices. These restrictions call for multi-source energy harvesters working under two principles: 1) combining different single-source harvesters in one device, or 2) using multifunctional materials capable of simultaneously converting various energy sources into electricity. In 1), efficiency per unit volume can decrease compared to the individual counterparts; in 2), materials as semiconductors, polymeric and oxide ferroelectrics and hybrid perovskites may act as multisource harvesters but huge advances are required to optimize their functionalities and sustainable fabrication at large scale.
I propose to fill the gap between these approaches offering an all-in-one solution to multisource energy scavenging, based on the nanoscale design of multifunctional three-dimensional materials. The demonstration of an industrially scalable one-reactor plasma/vacuum method will be crucial to integrate hybrid-scavenging components and to provide 3DScavengers materials with tailored microstructure-enhanced performance.
My ultimate goal is to build nanoarchitectures for simultaneous and enhanced individual scavenging applying photovoltaic, piezo- and pyro-electric effects, minimizing the environmental cost of their synthesis
Summary
Imagine a technology for powering your smart devices by recovering energy from lights in your office, the random movements of your body while reading these lines or from small changes in temperature when you breathe or go out for a walk. This very technology will provide energy for wireless sensor networks monitoring the air in your city or the structural stability of buildings and large constructions remotely and sustainably, avoiding battery recharging or even replacing them. These are the challenges in micro energy harvesting from (local) ambient sources.
Kinetic, thermal and solar energies are ubiquitous at our surroundings under diverse forms, but their relatively low intensity and intermittent availability limit their potential recovery by microscale devices. These restrictions call for multi-source energy harvesters working under two principles: 1) combining different single-source harvesters in one device, or 2) using multifunctional materials capable of simultaneously converting various energy sources into electricity. In 1), efficiency per unit volume can decrease compared to the individual counterparts; in 2), materials as semiconductors, polymeric and oxide ferroelectrics and hybrid perovskites may act as multisource harvesters but huge advances are required to optimize their functionalities and sustainable fabrication at large scale.
I propose to fill the gap between these approaches offering an all-in-one solution to multisource energy scavenging, based on the nanoscale design of multifunctional three-dimensional materials. The demonstration of an industrially scalable one-reactor plasma/vacuum method will be crucial to integrate hybrid-scavenging components and to provide 3DScavengers materials with tailored microstructure-enhanced performance.
My ultimate goal is to build nanoarchitectures for simultaneous and enhanced individual scavenging applying photovoltaic, piezo- and pyro-electric effects, minimizing the environmental cost of their synthesis
Max ERC Funding
1 498 414 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-03-01, End date: 2025-02-28
Project acronym ABODYFORCE
Project High Throughput Microfluidic Cell and Nanoparticle Handling by Molecular and Thermal Gradient Acoustic Focusing
Researcher (PI) Per AUGUSTSSON
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2019-STG
Summary In this project we will push the limits of microscale ultrasound-based technology to gain access to diagnostically important rare constituents of blood within minutes from blood draw.
To meet the demands for shorter time from sampling to result in healthcare there is an increased interest to shift from heavy centralized lab equipment to point-of-care tests and patient self-testing. Key challenges with point-of-care equipment is to enable simultaneous measurement of many parameters at a reasonable cost and size of equipment. Therefore, microscale technologies that can take in small amounts of blood and output results within minutes are sought for. In addition, the high precision and potential for multi-stage serial processing offered by such microfluidic methods opens up for fast and automated isolation of rare cell populations, such as circulating tumor cells, and controlled high-throughput size fractionation of sub-micron biological particles, such as platelets, pathogens and extracellular vesicles.
To achieve effective and fast separation of blood components we will expose blood to acoustic radiation forces in a flow-through format. By exploiting a newly discovered acoustic body force, that stems from local variations the acoustic properties of the cell suspension, we can generate self-organizing configurations of the blood cells. We will tailor and tune the acoustic cell-organization in novel ways by time modulation of the acoustic field, by altering the acoustic properties of the fluid by solute molecules, and by exploiting a novel concept of sound interaction with thermal gradients.
The project will render new fundamental knowledge regarding the acoustic properties of single cells and an extensive theoretical framework for the response of cells in any aqueous medium, bounding geometry and sound field, potentially leading to new diagnostic methods.
Summary
In this project we will push the limits of microscale ultrasound-based technology to gain access to diagnostically important rare constituents of blood within minutes from blood draw.
To meet the demands for shorter time from sampling to result in healthcare there is an increased interest to shift from heavy centralized lab equipment to point-of-care tests and patient self-testing. Key challenges with point-of-care equipment is to enable simultaneous measurement of many parameters at a reasonable cost and size of equipment. Therefore, microscale technologies that can take in small amounts of blood and output results within minutes are sought for. In addition, the high precision and potential for multi-stage serial processing offered by such microfluidic methods opens up for fast and automated isolation of rare cell populations, such as circulating tumor cells, and controlled high-throughput size fractionation of sub-micron biological particles, such as platelets, pathogens and extracellular vesicles.
To achieve effective and fast separation of blood components we will expose blood to acoustic radiation forces in a flow-through format. By exploiting a newly discovered acoustic body force, that stems from local variations the acoustic properties of the cell suspension, we can generate self-organizing configurations of the blood cells. We will tailor and tune the acoustic cell-organization in novel ways by time modulation of the acoustic field, by altering the acoustic properties of the fluid by solute molecules, and by exploiting a novel concept of sound interaction with thermal gradients.
The project will render new fundamental knowledge regarding the acoustic properties of single cells and an extensive theoretical framework for the response of cells in any aqueous medium, bounding geometry and sound field, potentially leading to new diagnostic methods.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 720 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-11-01, End date: 2024-10-31
Project acronym AD_AGING_AND_GENDER
Project Unmasking cellular and molecular networks encoding risk and resilience in Alzheimer’s disease
Researcher (PI) Naomi Miriam Habib
Host Institution (HI) THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Country Israel
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2019-STG
Summary AlzheimerAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a crucial problem in our society, raising the need for new therapeutic targets. Evidence suggests multiple non-neuronal cells are implicated in the systemic deficits of AD, but the complex cellular diversity in the brain hampers the investigation of specific cells and their interactions. Moreover, the course of the disease is highly variable, due to multiple risk factors, including aging and gender, which have overlapping molecular signatures with AD that might be further masking disease mechanisms.
I propose to expand the resolution from tissues to cellular environments, and to untangle overlapping molecular signatures of gender and aging, in order to unmask molecular mechanism of AD. Technological advances in genomics and imaging, including the single nucleus RNA-sequencing methods developed by me, as well as my expertise in computational analysis and CRIPSR perturbations, provide a unique opportunity to address this challenge. I obtained preliminary results strongly suggesting that multiple cell types are indeed altered in AD brains of mice and humans, and that gender, aging, and AD have overlapping molecular features. I hypothesize that age-dependent cellular/molecular alterations are key drivers of cognitive decline, and that the dynamics of these alterations determine risk and resilience levels in individuals.
We will test this hypothesis by: 1) Charting the cellular microenvironments and tissue topology of the human AD brain, to reveal cells, pathways, and cellular interactions driving AD; 2) Mapping the dynamic cellular/molecular trajectories in aging and AD in w.t. and AD mice, to untangle AD, aging, and gender dimorphism; and 3) Identifying regulators of cognitive resilience and decline in AD and aging, and connecting genes to function by detailed mechanistic investigations in vivo.
Overall, our innovative proposal is expected to advance our understanding of AD mechanism, and the link to aging and gender dimorphism.
Summary
AlzheimerAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a crucial problem in our society, raising the need for new therapeutic targets. Evidence suggests multiple non-neuronal cells are implicated in the systemic deficits of AD, but the complex cellular diversity in the brain hampers the investigation of specific cells and their interactions. Moreover, the course of the disease is highly variable, due to multiple risk factors, including aging and gender, which have overlapping molecular signatures with AD that might be further masking disease mechanisms.
I propose to expand the resolution from tissues to cellular environments, and to untangle overlapping molecular signatures of gender and aging, in order to unmask molecular mechanism of AD. Technological advances in genomics and imaging, including the single nucleus RNA-sequencing methods developed by me, as well as my expertise in computational analysis and CRIPSR perturbations, provide a unique opportunity to address this challenge. I obtained preliminary results strongly suggesting that multiple cell types are indeed altered in AD brains of mice and humans, and that gender, aging, and AD have overlapping molecular features. I hypothesize that age-dependent cellular/molecular alterations are key drivers of cognitive decline, and that the dynamics of these alterations determine risk and resilience levels in individuals.
We will test this hypothesis by: 1) Charting the cellular microenvironments and tissue topology of the human AD brain, to reveal cells, pathways, and cellular interactions driving AD; 2) Mapping the dynamic cellular/molecular trajectories in aging and AD in w.t. and AD mice, to untangle AD, aging, and gender dimorphism; and 3) Identifying regulators of cognitive resilience and decline in AD and aging, and connecting genes to function by detailed mechanistic investigations in vivo.
Overall, our innovative proposal is expected to advance our understanding of AD mechanism, and the link to aging and gender dimorphism.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-06-01, End date: 2025-05-31
Project acronym AGEMEC
Project Age-dependent mechanisms of sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease in patient-derived neurons
Researcher (PI) Jerome Stefan MERTENS
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK
Country Austria
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) accounts for the overwhelming majority of all AD cases and exclusively affects people at old age. However, mechanistic links between aging and AD pathology remain elusive. We recently discovered that in contrast to iPSC models, direct conversion of human fibroblasts into induced neurons (iNs) preserves signatures of aging, and we have started to develop a patient-based iN model system for AD. Our preliminary data suggests that AD iNs show a neuronal but de-differentiated transcriptome signature. In this project, we first combine cellular neuroscience assays and epigenetic landscape profiling to understand how neurons in AD fail to maintain their fully mature differentiated state, which might be key in permitting disease development. Next, using metabolome analysis including mass spec metabolite assessment, we explore a profound metabolic switch in AD iNs that shows surprisingly many aspects of aerobic glycolysis observed also in cancer. While this link might represent an interesting connection between two age-dependent and de-differentiation-associated diseases, it also opens new avenues to harness knowledge from the cancer field to better understand sporadic AD. We further focus on identifying and manipulating key metabolic regulators that appear to malfunction in an age-dependent manner, with the ultimate goal to define potential targets and treatment strategies. Finally, we will focus on early AD mechanisms by extending our model to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. An agnostic transcriptome and epigenetic landscape approach of glutamatergic and serotonergic iNs will help to determine the earliest and probably most treatable disease mechanisms of AD, and to better understand the contribution of neuropsychiatric risk factors. We anticipate that this project will help to illuminate the mechanistic interface of cellular aging and the development of AD, and help to define new strategies for AD.
Summary
Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) accounts for the overwhelming majority of all AD cases and exclusively affects people at old age. However, mechanistic links between aging and AD pathology remain elusive. We recently discovered that in contrast to iPSC models, direct conversion of human fibroblasts into induced neurons (iNs) preserves signatures of aging, and we have started to develop a patient-based iN model system for AD. Our preliminary data suggests that AD iNs show a neuronal but de-differentiated transcriptome signature. In this project, we first combine cellular neuroscience assays and epigenetic landscape profiling to understand how neurons in AD fail to maintain their fully mature differentiated state, which might be key in permitting disease development. Next, using metabolome analysis including mass spec metabolite assessment, we explore a profound metabolic switch in AD iNs that shows surprisingly many aspects of aerobic glycolysis observed also in cancer. While this link might represent an interesting connection between two age-dependent and de-differentiation-associated diseases, it also opens new avenues to harness knowledge from the cancer field to better understand sporadic AD. We further focus on identifying and manipulating key metabolic regulators that appear to malfunction in an age-dependent manner, with the ultimate goal to define potential targets and treatment strategies. Finally, we will focus on early AD mechanisms by extending our model to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. An agnostic transcriptome and epigenetic landscape approach of glutamatergic and serotonergic iNs will help to determine the earliest and probably most treatable disease mechanisms of AD, and to better understand the contribution of neuropsychiatric risk factors. We anticipate that this project will help to illuminate the mechanistic interface of cellular aging and the development of AD, and help to define new strategies for AD.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 565 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym AGRICON
Project Ancient genomic reconstruction of convergent evolution to agriculture
Researcher (PI) Pontus Rickard Otto Peter Skoglund
Host Institution (HI) THE FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE LIMITED
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary As global climates warmed ca. 10,000 years ago came a remarkable convergent transformation of human lifestyles that occurred independently in multiple continents and human populations. This transition from hunter-gatherer subsistence to food-production catalysed large-scale population growth, offering the opportunity for increased rates of adaptation, but also rapidly presented a large number of independent human populations with a new evolutionary challenge. This project will use ancient population genomics—the only way to directly reconstruct human genetic evolution—to study whether evolutionary processes during the agricultural transition differed in differed regions. Which genomic adaptations were associated with the agricultural transition? Did adaptation to hunter-gatherer and agricultural lifestyles act on similar genetic architecture in different instances? To which extent did adaptation in domestic dogs—the only species domesticated prior to the agricultural transition—occur in convergence with humans? To answer these questions, the project will generate ancient genomic data from pre-agricultural and early agricultural populations from multiple human- and domestic dog populations from Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia. This will be achieved with direct sequencing as well as a new human ~850,000 SNP capture panel designed to avoid bias towards Eurasian ancestry. We will also develop new computational methods robust to the challenges posed by ancient genomes to identify adaptive admixture, analyse copy number variation, test continuous population models, and statistically assess convergence in the genomic architecture of adaptation. Leveraging cutting-edge ancient genomics and two model organisms for the genomic basis of phenotypic variation, this project aims to reconstruct the universal evolutionary phenomena underpinning a watershed evolutionary episode that shapes global biodiversity and the human condition to this day.
Summary
As global climates warmed ca. 10,000 years ago came a remarkable convergent transformation of human lifestyles that occurred independently in multiple continents and human populations. This transition from hunter-gatherer subsistence to food-production catalysed large-scale population growth, offering the opportunity for increased rates of adaptation, but also rapidly presented a large number of independent human populations with a new evolutionary challenge. This project will use ancient population genomics—the only way to directly reconstruct human genetic evolution—to study whether evolutionary processes during the agricultural transition differed in differed regions. Which genomic adaptations were associated with the agricultural transition? Did adaptation to hunter-gatherer and agricultural lifestyles act on similar genetic architecture in different instances? To which extent did adaptation in domestic dogs—the only species domesticated prior to the agricultural transition—occur in convergence with humans? To answer these questions, the project will generate ancient genomic data from pre-agricultural and early agricultural populations from multiple human- and domestic dog populations from Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia. This will be achieved with direct sequencing as well as a new human ~850,000 SNP capture panel designed to avoid bias towards Eurasian ancestry. We will also develop new computational methods robust to the challenges posed by ancient genomes to identify adaptive admixture, analyse copy number variation, test continuous population models, and statistically assess convergence in the genomic architecture of adaptation. Leveraging cutting-edge ancient genomics and two model organisms for the genomic basis of phenotypic variation, this project aims to reconstruct the universal evolutionary phenomena underpinning a watershed evolutionary episode that shapes global biodiversity and the human condition to this day.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-11-01, End date: 2024-10-31
Project acronym AGRIMKT
Project Improving Market Access for Farmers: Evidence from East Africa
Researcher (PI) Lorenzo Casaburi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Agriculture employs the majority of the labor force in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing efficiency of agricultural production is a crucial step to foster economic development. Limited access to both input and output markets is widely considered a major obstacle to technology adoption and, in turn, to agricultural productivity.
In this proposal, I outline a research program that focuses on improving farmers’ market access in East Africa. The research builds on the expertise I have developed on these topics over the last ten years.
The research program consists of three related projects. In Project A, we will use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impact of a holistic approach to improve market access: contract farming. The prevalence of contract farming arrangements in the developing world is growing. However, so far, there is no experimental evidence on their impact. We have established a partnership with a large contract farming company in Kenya, which has agreed to randomize the order in which it will expand to new villages.
In Project B, we will study how to increase demand for crop insurance among smallholders. Building on previous successful experimental work, we will test i) whether offering pay-at-harvest insurance, as opposed to upfront premium pay, raises take-up, ii) which behavioral mechanisms may drive such response, and iii) whether pay-at-harvest can foster sustained insurance demand over multiple crop seasons.
In Project C, we will combine parcel-level proprietary data for three decades that we obtained from a large agribusiness company with land registry data to study the determinants and impact of land market access for smallholders.
The research program will generate new insights on how to improve access to key markets for agricultural producers. We expect the findings of the study will generate high interest among academics, development practitioners, and policymakers.
Summary
Agriculture employs the majority of the labor force in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing efficiency of agricultural production is a crucial step to foster economic development. Limited access to both input and output markets is widely considered a major obstacle to technology adoption and, in turn, to agricultural productivity.
In this proposal, I outline a research program that focuses on improving farmers’ market access in East Africa. The research builds on the expertise I have developed on these topics over the last ten years.
The research program consists of three related projects. In Project A, we will use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impact of a holistic approach to improve market access: contract farming. The prevalence of contract farming arrangements in the developing world is growing. However, so far, there is no experimental evidence on their impact. We have established a partnership with a large contract farming company in Kenya, which has agreed to randomize the order in which it will expand to new villages.
In Project B, we will study how to increase demand for crop insurance among smallholders. Building on previous successful experimental work, we will test i) whether offering pay-at-harvest insurance, as opposed to upfront premium pay, raises take-up, ii) which behavioral mechanisms may drive such response, and iii) whether pay-at-harvest can foster sustained insurance demand over multiple crop seasons.
In Project C, we will combine parcel-level proprietary data for three decades that we obtained from a large agribusiness company with land registry data to study the determinants and impact of land market access for smallholders.
The research program will generate new insights on how to improve access to key markets for agricultural producers. We expect the findings of the study will generate high interest among academics, development practitioners, and policymakers.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 913 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-01-01, End date: 2025-12-31
Project acronym ALPHA
Project Assessing Legacies of Past Human Activities in Amazonia
Researcher (PI) Crystal MCMICHAEL
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
Country Netherlands
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Amazon forests contribute vital ecosystem services, including maintaining biodiversity (>10,000 tree species) and storing large amounts of carbon. Amazonia also features prominently in global climate, carbon, and vegetation models, which assume tropical forests are effectively pristine and that past human disturbance mimicked natural processes. It is now evident that recurrent human disturbance of Amazonia, like fire and deforestation, were significant in some areas. Since those disturbances likely modify subsequent vegetation dynamics - including temporarily increasing forest capacity to absorb carbon - the emerging paradigm of human disturbance is a challenge to global ecological understanding. The focus of my project is thus to reliably determine whether human disturbances occurred in locations that form the basis of global models. A key expected outcome is to either legitimize or force revision to these models of carbon sequestration potential in Amazonia.
I will innovatively integrate ecological, paleoecological, archaeological, chemical and biogeographic analyses to assess the degree to which past human disturbance drives the diversity patterns and carbon dynamics observed in modern Amazonian forests. For key long-term sites across Amazonia, I will quantify the: i) time since the last fire, ii) past fire frequency, extent and intensity, iii) past vegetation change in the presence and absence of human activity, and iv) continuity of past human activity over the last 1000 years. My results will provide the first quantification of local-scale recovery processes exceeding 100 years in tropical forests, and will determine if observed forest dynamics are driven by disturbances that occurred before modern ecological surveys began. I will then quantify the extent to which past disturbances create an overestimation of carbon storage potential, driving a profound reexamination of carbon sequestration and biodiversity patterns in Amazonia.
Summary
Amazon forests contribute vital ecosystem services, including maintaining biodiversity (>10,000 tree species) and storing large amounts of carbon. Amazonia also features prominently in global climate, carbon, and vegetation models, which assume tropical forests are effectively pristine and that past human disturbance mimicked natural processes. It is now evident that recurrent human disturbance of Amazonia, like fire and deforestation, were significant in some areas. Since those disturbances likely modify subsequent vegetation dynamics - including temporarily increasing forest capacity to absorb carbon - the emerging paradigm of human disturbance is a challenge to global ecological understanding. The focus of my project is thus to reliably determine whether human disturbances occurred in locations that form the basis of global models. A key expected outcome is to either legitimize or force revision to these models of carbon sequestration potential in Amazonia.
I will innovatively integrate ecological, paleoecological, archaeological, chemical and biogeographic analyses to assess the degree to which past human disturbance drives the diversity patterns and carbon dynamics observed in modern Amazonian forests. For key long-term sites across Amazonia, I will quantify the: i) time since the last fire, ii) past fire frequency, extent and intensity, iii) past vegetation change in the presence and absence of human activity, and iv) continuity of past human activity over the last 1000 years. My results will provide the first quantification of local-scale recovery processes exceeding 100 years in tropical forests, and will determine if observed forest dynamics are driven by disturbances that occurred before modern ecological surveys began. I will then quantify the extent to which past disturbances create an overestimation of carbon storage potential, driving a profound reexamination of carbon sequestration and biodiversity patterns in Amazonia.
Max ERC Funding
1 481 378 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
