ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

Optimization problems are ubiquitous in computer science. Almost every problem involves the optimization of some objective function. However a major part of these problems cannot be solved to optimality. Therefore, algorithms that achieve provably good performance guarantees are of immense importance. Considerable progress has already been made, but great challenges remain: Some fundamental problems are not well understood. Moreover, for central problems arising in new applications, no solutions are known at all. The goal of APEG is to significantly advance the state of the art on algorithmic performance guarantees. Specifically, the project has two missions: First, it will develop new algorithmic techniques, breaking new ground in the areas of online algorithms, approximations algorithms and algorithmic game theory. Second, it will apply these techniques to solve fundamental problems that are central in these algorithmic disciplines. APEG will attack long-standing open problems, some of which have been unresolved for several decades. Furthermore, it will formulate and investigate new algorithmic problems that arise in modern applications. The research agenda encompasses a broad spectrum of classical and timely topics including (a) resource allocation in computer systems, (b) data structuring, (c) graph problems, with relations to Internet advertising, (d) complex networks and (e) massively parallel systems. In addition to basic optimization objectives, the project will also study the new performance metric of energy minimization in computer systems. Overall, APEG pursues cutting-edge algorithms research, focusing on both foundational problems and applications. Any progress promises to be a breakthrough or significant contribution.

2 404 250 €

Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30

The digital landscape is currently undergoing an evolution towards the Internet of Things. The IoT comes with a dramatically increased threat potential, as attacks can endanger human life and can lead to a massive loss of privacy of (European) citizens. A particular dangerous class of attacks manipulates the cryptographic algorithms in the underlying hardware. Backdoors in the cryptography of IoT devices can lead to system-wide loss of security. This proposal has the ambitious goal to comprehensively understand and counter low-level backdoor attacks. The required research consists of two major modules: 1) The development of an encompassing understanding of how hardware manipulations of cryptographic functions can actually be performed, and what the consequences are for the system security. Exploring attacks is fundamental for designing strong countermeasures, analogous to the role of cryptanalysis in cryptology. 2) The development of hardware countermeasures that provide systematic protection against malicious manipulations. In contrast to detection-based methods which dominate the literature, our approach will be pro-active. We will develop solutions for instances of important problems, including hardware reverse engineering and hardware hiding. Little is known about the limits of and optimum approaches to both problems in specific settings. Beyond prevention of hardware Trojans, the research will have applications in IP protection and will spark research in the theory of computer science community.

2 498 286 €

Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30

Tissue resident macrophages are essentially present in every organ of the body and perform critical functions in immunity, tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Recent evidence shows that resident macrophages can originate from embryonic progenitors and be maintained in tissues long term by local proliferation independently of monocytes. This self-renewal ability, however, appears to decline with age, with potentially major consequences for the response to infection, the resolution of inflammation and the ability for tissue regeneration. Understanding the decline of self-renewal in the aging macrophage may thus hold key elements for maintaining healthy tissue integrity. Drawing from analogies to stem cell self-renewal we want to decipher the molecular and cellular parameters of macrophage self-renewal and its decline with age. We want to understand the age-associated changes in gene expression and epigenetic identity of tissue macrophage populations with the ultimate goal to reverse age dependent decline in self-renewal and function. Results from my laboratory have identified transcription factors that control the access to a network of self-renewal genes that are also used in stem cells. Using several complementary genetic mouse models tapping into this network we want to investigate whether its activation in resident macrophage population in vivo can rejuvenate their self-renewal capacity and revert aging related changes. These approaches will be complemented by unbiased genome wide screens in vivo using latest generation CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to identify new signaling pathways guiding macrophage self-renewal and aging. Using innovate combinations of genetics and adoptive transfer protocols we will test whether this knowledge can be employed to reverse macrophage dependent loss of immune competence and failed tissue regeneration with age. Our results will lead to new general insight and potential novel cellular therapies for degenerative diseases.

2 499 994 €

Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31

Twenty years ago we were able to repair cars at home. Nowadays customer services repair coffee machines. By installing software updates. Soon you will no longer be able to repair your bike. Embedded software innovations boost our society; they help us tremendously in our daily life. But we do not understand what the software does, regardless of how well educated or smart we are. Proprietary embedded software has become an opaque layer between functionality and user. That layer is thick enough to possibly induce malicious or unintended behaviour. Proprietary embedded software locks us out of the products we own. We need a turn to open and hence customisable embedded software. However, a minor customisation might well have strong unexpected impact, for instance on the longevity of an embedded battery, or the safety of the battery charging process. We thus need means to detect, quantify and prevent such implications. The POWVER project lays the foundations. It provides quantitative verification technology for system-level correctness, safety, dependability, and performability. In this endeavour, POWVER takes up a hard scientific challenge, a challenge where discrete and continuous, real-time, stochastic as well as data- and user-dependent aspects are all deeply intertwined: embedded software for electric power management. Electric power is intricate to handle by software, is safety-critical, but vital for mobile devices and their longevity. Since ever more tools, gadgets, and vehicles run on batteries and use power harvesting, power management is a pivot of the future. POWVER will demonstrate that quantitative verification of open embedded software is feasible, and can ensure safe and dependable operation of safety-critical devices. A proof of concept will target the field of electric mobility, set up as a blueprint for other battery-powered appliances. As such, POWVER is the nucleus for a radical change in the way embedded software quality is assured in general.

2 425 000 €

Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31