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 ALTER-brain
Project Metastasis-associated altered molecular patterns in the brain
Researcher (PI) Manuel VALIENTE
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACION CENTRO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES ONCOLOGICAS CARLOS III
Country Spain
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS4, ERC-2019-COG
Summary Organ colonization is the most inefficient step of metastasis. However, once a few cancer cells manage to re-initiate their growth in the brain, the initial naïve microenvironment, which was not favouring and even actively limiting the number of potential metastasis initiating cells, is slowly rewired into a different ecosystem with pro-metastatic properties. In this project (ALTER-brain), we will study the biology of microenvironment reprogramming to explore innovative ways of treating metastasis.
Microenvironment reprogramming relies on altered molecular patterns that emerge in specific brain cell types simultaneously to the outgrowth of metastases. Dissecting the biology of these emerging patterns and their functional consequences could provide the basis to prevent metastasis but also to treat advances lesions. A key objective of ALTER-brain is the identification of newly established functional networks among previously non-connected components of the microenvironment that are critical to nurture tumour growth.
This research proposal focuses on metastasis in the brain given its rising incidence, poor therapeutic options and short survival rates upon diagnosis. ALTER-brain will use novel (i.e. spontaneous metastasis) and clinically relevant (i.e. relapse after therapy) experimental mouse models of brain metastasis combined with genetically engineered mice in which we will target specific components of the microenvironment. In addition, we will apply novel lineage tracing technologies to understand the origin and emerging heterogeneity of the reprogrammed microenvironment. Given the clinical relevance of our research, human brain metastasis provided by our clinical network will be used to validate key findings.
ALTER-brain will identify key principles underlying the unknown biology of the brain under a specific pathological pressure that might be translated to other highly prevalent disorders affecting this organ in the future.
Summary
Organ colonization is the most inefficient step of metastasis. However, once a few cancer cells manage to re-initiate their growth in the brain, the initial naïve microenvironment, which was not favouring and even actively limiting the number of potential metastasis initiating cells, is slowly rewired into a different ecosystem with pro-metastatic properties. In this project (ALTER-brain), we will study the biology of microenvironment reprogramming to explore innovative ways of treating metastasis.
Microenvironment reprogramming relies on altered molecular patterns that emerge in specific brain cell types simultaneously to the outgrowth of metastases. Dissecting the biology of these emerging patterns and their functional consequences could provide the basis to prevent metastasis but also to treat advances lesions. A key objective of ALTER-brain is the identification of newly established functional networks among previously non-connected components of the microenvironment that are critical to nurture tumour growth.
This research proposal focuses on metastasis in the brain given its rising incidence, poor therapeutic options and short survival rates upon diagnosis. ALTER-brain will use novel (i.e. spontaneous metastasis) and clinically relevant (i.e. relapse after therapy) experimental mouse models of brain metastasis combined with genetically engineered mice in which we will target specific components of the microenvironment. In addition, we will apply novel lineage tracing technologies to understand the origin and emerging heterogeneity of the reprogrammed microenvironment. Given the clinical relevance of our research, human brain metastasis provided by our clinical network will be used to validate key findings.
ALTER-brain will identify key principles underlying the unknown biology of the brain under a specific pathological pressure that might be translated to other highly prevalent disorders affecting this organ in the future.
Max ERC Funding
1 897 437 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-07-01, End date: 2025-06-30
Project acronym antiCSC
Project Targeting the cancer stem cell (CSC) metabolism with designed, reactive metal complexes
Researcher (PI) Jose Luis MASCARENAS
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Country Spain
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2019-PoC
Summary Designed, bulky metal complexes with a labile coordination position react with accessible guanines at G4 DNA quadruplexes, promoting changes in their conformation and function. Importantly, we have found that this selective reactivity leads to very interesting biological effects. In particular, some of these compounds are able to suppress the “stem”-like character of cancer stem cells, apparently by deterring their mitochondrial respiration. Preliminary experiments, including in vivo assays, confirm that these biological effects result in remarkable antitumoral activities. This proposal aims to explore the scope of the approach, confirm that the mechanism of action involves mitochondria, design more selective versions and exploit the potential of the compounds as new type of anticancer agents.
Summary
Designed, bulky metal complexes with a labile coordination position react with accessible guanines at G4 DNA quadruplexes, promoting changes in their conformation and function. Importantly, we have found that this selective reactivity leads to very interesting biological effects. In particular, some of these compounds are able to suppress the “stem”-like character of cancer stem cells, apparently by deterring their mitochondrial respiration. Preliminary experiments, including in vivo assays, confirm that these biological effects result in remarkable antitumoral activities. This proposal aims to explore the scope of the approach, confirm that the mechanism of action involves mitochondria, design more selective versions and exploit the potential of the compounds as new type of anticancer agents.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-01-01, End date: 2022-06-30
Project acronym ApeGenomeDiversity
Project Great ape genome variation now and then: current diversity and genomic relics of extinct primates
Researcher (PI) Tomas MARQUES BONET
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Country Spain
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS2, ERC-2019-COG
Summary In our quest to fully understand the processes that shape the genomic variation of species, describing variation of the past is a fundamental objective. However, the origins and the extent of great ape variation, the genomic description of extinct primate species and the genomic footprints of introgression events all remain unknown. Even today, and in contraposition to human evolutionary biology, the almost null presence of ancient great ape samples has precluded a comprehensive exploration of such diversity.
Here, I present two approaches that will expose great ape diversity throughout time and will allow me to compare the genomic impact of introgression events across lineages. First, I would like to take advantage of ancient ape samples that will provide us with a direct view of the genomes of extinct populations. Second, I would like to exploit current and recent diversity to indirectly access the parts of extinct ape genomes that became hybridized with current species in the past. For the latter, we will analyse hundreds of non-invasive samples taken from present-day great apes as well as historical specimens. Altogether, this information will enable me to decipher novel genomes that until now have been lost in time. In this way, I will be able to properly understand the origins and dynamics of genomic variants and to study how admixture has contributed to today´s adaptive landscape.
By completing this proposal and performing analogies to the human lineage, fundamental insights will be revealed about (i) the spatial-temporal history of our closest species and (ii) the functional consequences of introgressed events. On top of that, these results will help to annotate functional consequences of novel mutations in the human genome. In so doing, a fundamental insight will be provided into the evolutionary history of these regions and into human mutations with multiple repercussions in the understanding of evolution and human biology.
Summary
In our quest to fully understand the processes that shape the genomic variation of species, describing variation of the past is a fundamental objective. However, the origins and the extent of great ape variation, the genomic description of extinct primate species and the genomic footprints of introgression events all remain unknown. Even today, and in contraposition to human evolutionary biology, the almost null presence of ancient great ape samples has precluded a comprehensive exploration of such diversity.
Here, I present two approaches that will expose great ape diversity throughout time and will allow me to compare the genomic impact of introgression events across lineages. First, I would like to take advantage of ancient ape samples that will provide us with a direct view of the genomes of extinct populations. Second, I would like to exploit current and recent diversity to indirectly access the parts of extinct ape genomes that became hybridized with current species in the past. For the latter, we will analyse hundreds of non-invasive samples taken from present-day great apes as well as historical specimens. Altogether, this information will enable me to decipher novel genomes that until now have been lost in time. In this way, I will be able to properly understand the origins and dynamics of genomic variants and to study how admixture has contributed to today´s adaptive landscape.
By completing this proposal and performing analogies to the human lineage, fundamental insights will be revealed about (i) the spatial-temporal history of our closest species and (ii) the functional consequences of introgressed events. On top of that, these results will help to annotate functional consequences of novel mutations in the human genome. In so doing, a fundamental insight will be provided into the evolutionary history of these regions and into human mutations with multiple repercussions in the understanding of evolution and human biology.
Max ERC Funding
1 896 875 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-06-01, End date: 2025-05-31
Project acronym ARCTIC
Project Air Transport as Information and Computation
Researcher (PI) Massimiliano ZANIN
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Air transport has by and large been studied as a transportation process, in which different elements, e.g. aircraft or passengers, move within the system. While intuitive, this approach entails several drawbacks, including the need for large-scale simulations, the reliance on real data, and the difficulty of extracting macro-scale conclusions from large quantities of micro- scale results. The lack of a better approach is in part responsible for our inability to fully understand delay propagation, one of the most important phenomena in air transport. ARCTIC proposes an ambitious program to change the conceptual framework used to analyse air transport, inspired by the way the brain is studied in neuroscience. It is based on understanding air transport as an information processing system, in which the movement of aircraft is merely a vehicle for information transfer. Airports then become computational units, receiving information from their neighbours through inbound flights under the form of delays; processing it in a potentially non-linear way; and redistributing the result to the system as outbound delays. In this proposal I show how, as already common in neuroscience, such computation can be made explicit by using a combination of information sciences and statistical physics techniques: from the detection of information movements through causality metrics, up to the representation of the resulting transfer structures through complex networks and their topological properties. The approach also entails important challenges, e.g. the definition of appropriate metrics or the translation of the obtained insights into implementable policies. In the main text of the proposal I present a number of preliminary results that point towards a radically new way of thinking about the dynamics of air transport. ARCTIC’s methodology will be used over the next five years to characterize and model delay propagation, as well as to limit its societal and economic impact.
Summary
Air transport has by and large been studied as a transportation process, in which different elements, e.g. aircraft or passengers, move within the system. While intuitive, this approach entails several drawbacks, including the need for large-scale simulations, the reliance on real data, and the difficulty of extracting macro-scale conclusions from large quantities of micro- scale results. The lack of a better approach is in part responsible for our inability to fully understand delay propagation, one of the most important phenomena in air transport. ARCTIC proposes an ambitious program to change the conceptual framework used to analyse air transport, inspired by the way the brain is studied in neuroscience. It is based on understanding air transport as an information processing system, in which the movement of aircraft is merely a vehicle for information transfer. Airports then become computational units, receiving information from their neighbours through inbound flights under the form of delays; processing it in a potentially non-linear way; and redistributing the result to the system as outbound delays. In this proposal I show how, as already common in neuroscience, such computation can be made explicit by using a combination of information sciences and statistical physics techniques: from the detection of information movements through causality metrics, up to the representation of the resulting transfer structures through complex networks and their topological properties. The approach also entails important challenges, e.g. the definition of appropriate metrics or the translation of the obtained insights into implementable policies. In the main text of the proposal I present a number of preliminary results that point towards a radically new way of thinking about the dynamics of air transport. ARCTIC’s methodology will be used over the next five years to characterize and model delay propagation, as well as to limit its societal and economic impact.
Max ERC Funding
1 297 024 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-03-01, End date: 2025-02-28
Project acronym ATTOSTRUCTURA
Project Structured attosecond pulses for ultrafast nanoscience
Researcher (PI) Carlos HERNANDEZ-GARCIA
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Light is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploriLight is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploring nature at the frontier of the human knowledge. The rapid development of laser technology allow us today to generate ultrashort pulses of coherent structured light: light fields with custom spatial and temporal properties, such as intensity, phase and angular momentum. The later one represents one of the most interesting light properties nowadays, as topological light beams carrying angular momentum interact with matter differently, introducing mechanical motion to micro and nano-structures, and affecting fundamental excitation rules. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) stands as a unique mechanism to provide coherent flashes of light with outstanding properties: its radiation spectrum expands from the vacuum ultraviolet to the soft x-rays; it can be synthesized in pulses as short as several attoseconds (10^-18 seconds): and it can be structured in its angular momentum properties. This proposal represents a timely opportunity to explore the ground-breaking opportunities offered by attosecond structured x-ray sources. It conveys computing light-matter interaction in extreme conditions, which requires an extraordinary effort in the elaboration of new theoretical tools to design, propose and guide future experiments at the frontier of ultrafast science. We shall pioneer the new scenario of angular momenta in structured ultrashort x-rays –the most complex coherent pulses to date–. It is not difficult to envision a new era in ultrafast nanotechnology that makes use of these x-ray sources. In particular we shall pioneer their application to nanoscience and ultrafast magnetism. We aim to establish the grounding principles of attomagnetism, taking advantage of the unique opportunity offered by structured light pulses to induce pure attosecond magnetic fields, which could set the precedents of high-rate magnetic recording through ultrafast magnetization reversal.
Summary
Light is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploriLight is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploring nature at the frontier of the human knowledge. The rapid development of laser technology allow us today to generate ultrashort pulses of coherent structured light: light fields with custom spatial and temporal properties, such as intensity, phase and angular momentum. The later one represents one of the most interesting light properties nowadays, as topological light beams carrying angular momentum interact with matter differently, introducing mechanical motion to micro and nano-structures, and affecting fundamental excitation rules. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) stands as a unique mechanism to provide coherent flashes of light with outstanding properties: its radiation spectrum expands from the vacuum ultraviolet to the soft x-rays; it can be synthesized in pulses as short as several attoseconds (10^-18 seconds): and it can be structured in its angular momentum properties. This proposal represents a timely opportunity to explore the ground-breaking opportunities offered by attosecond structured x-ray sources. It conveys computing light-matter interaction in extreme conditions, which requires an extraordinary effort in the elaboration of new theoretical tools to design, propose and guide future experiments at the frontier of ultrafast science. We shall pioneer the new scenario of angular momenta in structured ultrashort x-rays –the most complex coherent pulses to date–. It is not difficult to envision a new era in ultrafast nanotechnology that makes use of these x-ray sources. In particular we shall pioneer their application to nanoscience and ultrafast magnetism. We aim to establish the grounding principles of attomagnetism, taking advantage of the unique opportunity offered by structured light pulses to induce pure attosecond magnetic fields, which could set the precedents of high-rate magnetic recording through ultrafast magnetization reversal.
Max ERC Funding
1 425 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-03-01, End date: 2025-02-28
Project acronym BECAME
Project Bimetallic Catalysis for Diverse Methane Functionalization
Researcher (PI) MartIn FAnANaS-MASTRAL
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Country Spain
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE5, ERC-2019-COG
Summary One of the remaining primary challenges in modern chemistry is the development of clean, energy- and cost-efficient catalytic processes that can allow to convert simple and abundant chemical feedstocks into high value-added products. Given the vast reserves of methane from natural gas, available worldwide, the direct use of the simplest alkane as source of fuels and chemicals could have a great impact in our society. However, methane´s low intrinsic reactivity has rendered its use extremely difficult for purposes beyond aerobic combustion and the production of syngas. Despite some recent advances in the field, a general strategy for a diverse and versatile use of methane is elusive.
The overall aim of this proposal is the development of a new paradigm in catalysis which can provide new catalytic processes that allow direct methane functionalization by using it as a methylating reagent in a variety of C-C bond forming reactions.
The approach described in this proposal is based on a cooperative interaction between two transition metal complexes in which an early transition metal is responsible for the methane C-H activation and a late transition metal is the actual catalyst of the methylation process. The link between these two processes is a transmetalation step and will be used to transfer the mechanism of typical cross-coupling reactions to the field of methane functionalization.
New pathways for the direct use of methane in reactions such as allylic alkylation, conjugate addition, cross-coupling, C-H methylation and alkene hydromethylation will be developed based on this novel bimetallic catalytic strategy.
It is envisioned that the proposed research will lead to a new concept at the interface of catalytic cross coupling reactions and C-H activation. It will contribute to the fundamental understanding of these two reactions and will provide the basis for a new technology for energy efficient and environmentally friendly, thus sustainable, methane conversion.
Summary
One of the remaining primary challenges in modern chemistry is the development of clean, energy- and cost-efficient catalytic processes that can allow to convert simple and abundant chemical feedstocks into high value-added products. Given the vast reserves of methane from natural gas, available worldwide, the direct use of the simplest alkane as source of fuels and chemicals could have a great impact in our society. However, methane´s low intrinsic reactivity has rendered its use extremely difficult for purposes beyond aerobic combustion and the production of syngas. Despite some recent advances in the field, a general strategy for a diverse and versatile use of methane is elusive.
The overall aim of this proposal is the development of a new paradigm in catalysis which can provide new catalytic processes that allow direct methane functionalization by using it as a methylating reagent in a variety of C-C bond forming reactions.
The approach described in this proposal is based on a cooperative interaction between two transition metal complexes in which an early transition metal is responsible for the methane C-H activation and a late transition metal is the actual catalyst of the methylation process. The link between these two processes is a transmetalation step and will be used to transfer the mechanism of typical cross-coupling reactions to the field of methane functionalization.
New pathways for the direct use of methane in reactions such as allylic alkylation, conjugate addition, cross-coupling, C-H methylation and alkene hydromethylation will be developed based on this novel bimetallic catalytic strategy.
It is envisioned that the proposed research will lead to a new concept at the interface of catalytic cross coupling reactions and C-H activation. It will contribute to the fundamental understanding of these two reactions and will provide the basis for a new technology for energy efficient and environmentally friendly, thus sustainable, methane conversion.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 679 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-09-01, End date: 2025-08-31
Project acronym BEMOTHER
Project Becoming a mother: An integrative model of adaptations for motherhood during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Researcher (PI) Oscar VILARROYA
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA
Country Spain
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH4, ERC-2019-ADG
Summary Pregnancy involves biological adaptations that are necessary for the onset, maintenance and regulation of maternal behavior. We were the first group to find (1, 2) that pregnancy is associated with consistent, pronounced and long-lasting reductions in cerebral gray matter (GM) volume in areas of the social-cognition network. The aim of BEMOTHER is to develop an integrative model of the adaptations for motherhood that occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period by: i) establishing when the brain of pregnant women begins to change and how it evolves; ii) characterizing the dynamics of cognitive performance, theory-of-mind, maternal-infant bonding and psychiatric measures; iii) assessing the effect of environmental and/or psychological factors in the maternal adaptations, iv) identifying the metabolomics biomarkers associated with maternal adaptations, and v) integrating the previous findings within the Research Domain Criteria framework (RDoC) (3). We will use a prospective longitudinal design at 5 time points (1 pre-pregnancy session, 2 intra-pregnancy sessions and 2 postpartum sessions) during which neuroimaging, psychological, behavioral and metabolomics data will be acquired in 3 groups of women: a group of nulliparous women who will be undergoing a full-term pregnancy, another group of nulliparous women whose same-sex partners will undergo a full-term pregnancy, and a group of control nulliparous women. We will provide the longitudinal RDoC-based model at the end of the study, but we will also deliver intermediate longitudinal evaluations after the postpartum session, as well as cross-sectional analyses after the first intra-pregnancy session and the postpartum session. BEMOTHER is timely and innovative. It adopts the translational RDoC framework in order to provide a pioneering, comprehensive and dynamic characterization of the adaptations for motherhood, addressing the interaction among different functional domains at different levels of analysis.
Summary
Pregnancy involves biological adaptations that are necessary for the onset, maintenance and regulation of maternal behavior. We were the first group to find (1, 2) that pregnancy is associated with consistent, pronounced and long-lasting reductions in cerebral gray matter (GM) volume in areas of the social-cognition network. The aim of BEMOTHER is to develop an integrative model of the adaptations for motherhood that occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period by: i) establishing when the brain of pregnant women begins to change and how it evolves; ii) characterizing the dynamics of cognitive performance, theory-of-mind, maternal-infant bonding and psychiatric measures; iii) assessing the effect of environmental and/or psychological factors in the maternal adaptations, iv) identifying the metabolomics biomarkers associated with maternal adaptations, and v) integrating the previous findings within the Research Domain Criteria framework (RDoC) (3). We will use a prospective longitudinal design at 5 time points (1 pre-pregnancy session, 2 intra-pregnancy sessions and 2 postpartum sessions) during which neuroimaging, psychological, behavioral and metabolomics data will be acquired in 3 groups of women: a group of nulliparous women who will be undergoing a full-term pregnancy, another group of nulliparous women whose same-sex partners will undergo a full-term pregnancy, and a group of control nulliparous women. We will provide the longitudinal RDoC-based model at the end of the study, but we will also deliver intermediate longitudinal evaluations after the postpartum session, as well as cross-sectional analyses after the first intra-pregnancy session and the postpartum session. BEMOTHER is timely and innovative. It adopts the translational RDoC framework in order to provide a pioneering, comprehensive and dynamic characterization of the adaptations for motherhood, addressing the interaction among different functional domains at different levels of analysis.
Max ERC Funding
2 465 131 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-10-01, End date: 2025-09-30
Project acronym CAPA
Project Global existence and Computer-Assisted Proofs of singularities in incompressible fluids, with Applications
Researcher (PI) Javier GOMEZ-SERRANO
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE1, ERC-2019-STG
Summary The goal of this proposal is twofold: on the one hand to pursue methods and ideas developed in recent work in the search for either singularities or global existence in incompressible fluids with finite energy and on the
other transfer the techniques to solve long-standing open problems in spectral geometry. A key ingredient in its success is to have accurate numerics together with a deep understanding of the regularity theory. Therefore, the interdisciplinary nature of this project, which involves numerical computations, computer-assisted proofs, modern PDE methods and harmonic analysis, is an essential ingredient for the successful outcome.
This proposal is divided in three blocks, the first two involving global existence and/or singularities for: the incompressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations; the surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG), the generalized-SQG equations and related models; and a third one on applications to spectral geometry. There is a strong analogy between the SQG and the 3D Euler equations, and many results that hold for the former also hold for the latter.
A major theme is the interplay between rigorous computer calculations and traditional mathematics. Interval arithmetics are used as part of a proof whenever they are needed. As an evidence of its capabilities, I have pioneered techniques to show singularities in PDE related to fluid mechanics – even in low regularity settings –, developed a way to treat singular integrals, and solved eigenvalue problems using computer-assisted proofs. This is a completely novel approach that can be blended with more classical ones, resulting in very powerful theorems solving problems that can not be treated currently with pen and paper methods.
Summary
The goal of this proposal is twofold: on the one hand to pursue methods and ideas developed in recent work in the search for either singularities or global existence in incompressible fluids with finite energy and on the
other transfer the techniques to solve long-standing open problems in spectral geometry. A key ingredient in its success is to have accurate numerics together with a deep understanding of the regularity theory. Therefore, the interdisciplinary nature of this project, which involves numerical computations, computer-assisted proofs, modern PDE methods and harmonic analysis, is an essential ingredient for the successful outcome.
This proposal is divided in three blocks, the first two involving global existence and/or singularities for: the incompressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations; the surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG), the generalized-SQG equations and related models; and a third one on applications to spectral geometry. There is a strong analogy between the SQG and the 3D Euler equations, and many results that hold for the former also hold for the latter.
A major theme is the interplay between rigorous computer calculations and traditional mathematics. Interval arithmetics are used as part of a proof whenever they are needed. As an evidence of its capabilities, I have pioneered techniques to show singularities in PDE related to fluid mechanics – even in low regularity settings –, developed a way to treat singular integrals, and solved eigenvalue problems using computer-assisted proofs. This is a completely novel approach that can be blended with more classical ones, resulting in very powerful theorems solving problems that can not be treated currently with pen and paper methods.
Max ERC Funding
1 483 073 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-07-01, End date: 2025-06-30
Project acronym CARBYNE
Project New carbon reactivity rules for molecular editing
Researcher (PI) Marcos GARCIA SUERO
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA D'INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA
Country Spain
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE5, ERC-2019-COG
Summary The major goal of this application is to develop the catalytic generation of conceptually-novel carbyne equivalents and related species, and to study their reactivity towards organic matter. The catalytic activation of designed sources will reveal new reactivity rules at carbon that have been missing, not only in the design and discovery of new chemical reactions, but also in their use to build molecular complexity. Our approach will rely on novel activation modes that unlock elusive and useful tools for molecular editing.
Summary
The major goal of this application is to develop the catalytic generation of conceptually-novel carbyne equivalents and related species, and to study their reactivity towards organic matter. The catalytic activation of designed sources will reveal new reactivity rules at carbon that have been missing, not only in the design and discovery of new chemical reactions, but also in their use to build molecular complexity. Our approach will rely on novel activation modes that unlock elusive and useful tools for molecular editing.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-09-01, End date: 2025-08-31
