ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The objective of this proposal is to determine the unknown criteria for convective cross-flow in bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels (bijels). Based on this, we will answer the question: Can continuously operated interfacial catalysis be realized in bijel cross-flow reactors? Demonstrating this potential will introduce a broadly applicable chemical technology, replacing wasteful chemical processes that require organic solvents. We will achieve our objective in three steps: (a) Control over bijel structure and properties. Bijels will be formed with a selection of functional inorganic colloidal particles. Nanoparticle surface modifications will be developed and extensively characterized. General principles for the parameters determining bijel structures and properties will be established based on confocal and electron microscopy characterization. These principles will enable unprecedented control over bijel formation and will allow for designing desired properties. (b) Convective flow in bijels. The mechanical strength of bijels will be tailored and measured. With mechanically robust bijels, the influence of size and organization of oil/water channels on convective mass transfer in bijels will be investigated. To this end, a bijel mass transfer apparatus fabricated by 3d-printing of bijel fibers and soft photolithography will be introduced. In conjunction with the following objective, the analysis of convective flows in bijels will facilitate a thorough description of their structure/function relationships. (c) Biphasic chemical reactions in STrIPS bijel cross-flow reactors. First, continuous extraction in bijels will be realized. Next, conditions to carry out continuously-operated, phase transfer catalysis of well-known model reactions in bijels will be determined. Both processes will be characterized in-situ and in 3-dimensions by confocal microscopy of fluorescent phase transfer reactions in transparent bijels.

1 905 000 €

Start date: 2019-06-01, End date: 2024-05-31

The rise of atmospheric O2 ~2,500 million years ago is one of the most profound transitions in Earth's history. Yet, despite its central role in shaping Earth's surface environment, the cause for the rise of O2 remains poorly understood. Tight coupling between the O2 cycle and the biogeochemical cycles of redox-active elements, such as C, Fe and S, implies radical changes in these cycles before, during and after the rise of O2. These changes, too, are incompletely understood, but have left valuable information encoded in the geological record. This information has been qualitatively interpreted, leaving many aspects of the rise of O2, including its causes and constraints on ocean chemistry before and after it, topics of ongoing research and debate. Here, I outline a research program to address this fundamental question in geochemical Earth systems evolution. The inherently interdisciplinary program uniquely integrates laboratory experiments, numerical models, geological observations, and geochemical analyses. Laboratory experiments and geological observations will constrain unknown parameters of the early biogeochemical cycles, and, in combination with field studies, will validate and refine the use of paleoenvironmental proxies. The insight gained will be used to develop detailed models of the coupled biogeochemical cycles, which will themselves be used to quantitatively understand the events surrounding the rise of O2, and to illuminate the dynamics of elemental cycles in the early oceans. This program is expected to yield novel, quantitative insight into these important events in Earth history and to have a major impact on our understanding of early ocean chemistry and the rise of O2. An ERC Starting Grant will enable me to use the excellent experimental and computational facilities at my disposal, to access the outstanding human resource at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and to address one of the major open questions in modern geochemistry.

1 472 690 €

Start date: 2013-09-01, End date: 2018-08-31

This proposal wishes to fundamentally improve our understanding of the role of tropical freshwater ecosystems in carbon (C) cycling on the catchment scale. It uses an unprecedented combination of state-of-the-art proxies such as stable isotope, 14C and biomarker signatures to characterize organic matter, radiogenic isotope signatures to determine particle residence times, as well as field measurements of relevant biogeochemical processes. We focus on tropical systems since there is a striking lack of data on such systems, even though riverine C transport is thought to be disproportionately high in tropical areas. Furthermore, the presence of landscape-scale contrasts in vegetation (in particular, C3 vs. C4 plants) are an important asset in the use of stable isotopes as natural tracers of C cycling processes on this scale. Freshwater ecosystems are an important component in the global C cycle, and the primary link between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Recent estimates indicate that ~2 Pg C y-1 (Pg=Petagram) enter freshwater systems, i.e., about twice the estimated global terrestrial C sink. More than half of this is thought to be remineralized before it reaches the coastal zone, and for the Amazon basin this has even been suggested to be ~90% of the lateral C inputs. The question how general these patterns are is a matter of debate, and assessing the mechanisms determining the degree of processing versus transport of organic carbon in lakes and river systems is critical to further constrain their role in the global C cycle. This proposal provides an interdisciplinary approach to describe and quantify catchment-scale C transport and cycling in tropical river basins. Besides conceptual and methodological advances, and a significant expansion of our dataset on C processes in such systems, new data gathered in this project are likely to provide exciting and novel hypotheses on the functioning of freshwater systems and their linkage to the terrestrial C budget.

1 745 262 €

Start date: 2009-10-01, End date: 2014-09-30

The onset of the systematic consumption of marine resources is thought to mark a turning point for the hominin lineage. To date, this onset cannot be traced, since classic isotope markers are not preserved beyond 50 - 100 ky. Aquatic food products are essential in human nutrition as the main source of polyunsaturated fatty acids in hunter-gatherer diets. The exploitation of marine resources is also thought to have reduced human mobility and enhanced social and technological complexification. Systematic aquatic food consumption could well have been a distinctive feature of Homo sapiens species among his fellow hominins, and has been linked to the astonishing leap in human intelligence and conscience. Yet, this hypothesis is challenged by the existence of mollusk and marine mammal bone remains at Neanderthal archeological sites. Recent work demonstrated the sensitivity of Zn isotope composition in bioapatite, the mineral part of bones and teeth, to dietary Zn. By combining classic (C and C/N isotope analyses) and innovative techniques (compound specific C/N and bulk Zn isotope analyses), I will develop a suite of sensitive tracers for shellfish, fish and marine mammal consumption. Shellfish consumption will be investigated by comparing various South American and European prehistoric populations from the Atlantic coast associated to shell-midden and fish-mounds. Marine mammal consumption will be traced using an Inuit population of Arctic Canada and the Wairau Bar population of New Zealand. C/N/Zn isotope compositions of various aquatic products will also be assessed, as well as isotope fractionation during intestinal absorption. I will then use the fully calibrated isotope tools to detect and characterize the onset of marine food exploitation in human history, which will answer the question of its specificity to our species. Neanderthal, early modern humans and possibly other hominin remains from coastal and inland sites will be compared in that purpose.

1 361 991 €

Start date: 2019-03-01, End date: 2024-02-29

We propose to establish a research group that will unveil the combinatorial nature of the second uncountable cardinal. This includes its Ramsey-theoretic, order-theoretic, graph-theoretic and topological features. Among others, we will be directly addressing fundamental problems due to Erdos, Rado, Galvin, and Shelah. While some of these problems are old and well-known, an unexpected series of breakthroughs from the last three years suggest that now is a promising point in time to carry out such a project. Indeed, through a short period, four previously unattainable problems concerning the second uncountable cardinal were successfully tackled: Aspero on a club-guessing problem of Shelah, Krueger on the club-isomorphism problem for Aronszajn trees, Neeman on the isomorphism problem for dense sets of reals, and the PI on the Souslin problem. Each of these results was obtained through the development of a completely new technical framework, and these frameworks could now pave the way for the solution of some major open questions. A goal of the highest risk in this project is the discovery of a consistent (possibly, parameterized) forcing axiom that will (preferably, simultaneously) provide structure theorems for stationary sets, linearly ordered sets, trees, graphs, and partition relations, as well as the refutation of various forms of club-guessing principles, all at the level of the second uncountable cardinal. In comparison, at the level of the first uncountable cardinal, a forcing axiom due to Foreman, Magidor and Shelah achieves exactly that. To approach our goals, the proposed project is divided into four core areas: Uncountable trees, Ramsey theory on ordinals, Club-guessing principles, and Forcing Axioms. There is a rich bilateral interaction between any pair of the four different cores, but the proposed division will allow an efficient allocation of manpower, and will increase the chances of parallel success.

1 362 500 €

Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30

Water is the first molecule to come into contact with biomaterials in biological systems and thus essential to the processes of biodegradation, biocompatibility and biofouling. Despite this fact, little is currently known about how biomaterials interact with water. This knowledge is crucial for the development and optimisation of novel functional biomaterials for human health (e.g. biosensing devices, erodible biomaterials, drug release carriers, wound dressings). BioWater will develop near and mid infrared chemical imaging (NIR-MIR-CI) techniques to investigate the fundamental interaction between biomaterials and water in order to understand the key processes of biodegradation, biocompatibility and biofouling. This ambitious yet achievable project will focus on two major categories of biomaterials relevant to human health: extracellular collagens and synthetic biopolymers. Initially, interactions between these biomaterials and water will be investigated; subsequently interactions with more complicated matrices (e.g. protein solutions and cellular systems) will be studied. CI data will be correlated with standard surface characterization, biocompatibility and biodegradation measurements. Molecular dynamic simulations will complement this work to identify the most probable molecular structures of water at different biomaterial interfaces. Advanced understanding of the role of water in biocompatibility, biofouling and biodegradation processes will facilitate the optimization of biomaterials tailored to specific cellular environments with a broad range of therapeutic applications (e.g. drug eluting stents, tissue engineering, wound healing). The new NIR-MIR-CI/chemometric methodologies developed in BioWater will allow for the rapid characterization and monitoring of novel biomaterials at pre-clinical stages, improving process control by overcoming the laborious and time consuming large-scale sampling methods currently required in biomaterials development.

1 487 682 €

Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31

A wide variety of materials including coatings and adhesives, emerging materials for nanotechnology products, as well as everyday food products are processed or delivered as suspensions. The flow properties of such suspensions must be finely adjusted according to the demands of the respective processing techniques, even for the feel of cosmetics and the perception of food products is highly influenced by their rheological properties. The recently developed capillary suspensions concept has the potential to revolutionize product formulations and material design. When a small amount (less than 1%) of a second immiscible liquid is added to the continuous phase of a suspension, the rheological properties of the mixture are dramatically altered from a fluid-like to a gel-like state or from a weak to a strong gel and the strength can be tuned in a wide range covering orders of magnitude. Capillary suspensions can be used to create smart, tunable fluids, stabilize mixtures that would otherwise phase separate, significantly reduce the amount organic or polymeric additives, and the strong particle network can be used as a precursor for the manufacturing of cost-efficient porous ceramics and foams with unprecedented properties. This project will investigate the influence of factors determining capillary suspension formation, the strength of these admixtures as a function of these aspects, and how capillary suspensions depend on external forces. Only such a fundamental understanding of the network formation in capillary suspensions on both the micro- and macroscopic scale will allow for the design of sophisticated new materials. The main objectives of this proposal are to quantify and predict the strength of these admixtures and then use this information to design a variety of new materials in very different application areas including, e.g., porous materials, water-based coatings, ultra low fat foods, and conductive films.

1 489 618 €

Start date: 2013-08-01, End date: 2018-07-31

"The urgent need to develop inexpensive and ubiquitous solar energy conversion cannot be overstated. Solution processed organic semiconductors can enable this goal as they support drastically less expensive fabrication techniques compared to traditional semiconductors. Molecular organic semiconductors (MOSs) offer many advantages to their more-common pi-conjugated polymer counterparts, however a clear and fundamental challenge to enable the goal of high performance solution-processable molecular organic semiconductor devices is to develop the ability to control the crystal packing, crystalline domain size, and mixing ability (for multicomponent blends) in the thin-film device geometry. The CEMOS project will accomplish this by pioneering innovative methods of “bottom-up” crystal engineering for organic semiconductors. We will employ specifically tailored molecules designed to leverage both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of molecular organic semiconductor systems to direct and control crystalline packing, promote crystallite nucleation, compatibilize disparate phases, and plasticize inelastic materials. We will demonstrate that our new classes of materials can enable the tuning of the charge carrier transport and morphology in MOS thin films, and we will evaluate their performance in actual thin-film transistor (TFT) and organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Our highly interdisciplinary approach, combining material synthesis and device fabrication/evaluation, will not only lead to improvements in the performance and stability of OPVs and TFTs but will also give deep insights into how the crystalline packing—independent from the molecular structure—affects the optoelectronic properties. The success of CEMOS will rapidly advance the performance of MOS devices by enabling reproducible and tuneable performance comparable to traditional semiconductors—but at radically lower processing costs."

1 477 472 €

Start date: 2014-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31

Every 30 seconds a person suffers an osteoporosis-related bone fracture in the EU, resulting in significant morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs estimated at €36billion annually. Current therapeutics target bone resorbing osteoclasts, but these are associated with severe side effects. Osteoporosis arises when mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) fail to produce sufficient numbers of bone forming osteoblasts. A key regulator of MSC behaviour is physical loading, yet the mechanisms by which MSCs sense and respond to changes in their mechanical environment are virtually unknown. Primary cilia are nearly ubiquitous ‘antennae-like’ cellular organelles that have very recently emerged as extracellular mechano/chemo-sensors and thus, are strong candidates to play a role in regulating MSC responses in bone. Therefore, the objective of this research program is to determine the role of the primary cilium and associated molecular components in the osteogenic differentiation and recruitment of human MSCs in loading-induced bone adaptation. This will be achieved through ground-breaking in vitro and in vivo techniques developed by the applicant. The knowledge generated in this proposal will represent a profound advance in our understanding of stem cell mechanobiology. In particular, the identification of the cilium and associated molecules as central to stem cell behaviour will lead to the direct manipulation of MSCs via novel cilia-targeted therapeutics that mimic the regenerative influence of loading at a molecular level. These novel therapeutics would therefore target bone formation, providing an alternative path to treatment, resulting in an improved supply of bone forming cells, preventing osteoporosis. Furthermore, these novel therapeutics will be incorporated into biomaterials, generating bioactive osteoinductive scaffolds. These advances will not only improve quality of life for the patient but will significantly reduce the financial burden of bone loss diseases in the EU.

1 455 068 €

Start date: 2013-11-01, End date: 2018-10-31

Few geophysical phenomena are as spectacular as tropical cyclones, with their eye surrounded by sharp cloudy eyewalls. There are other types of spatially organised convection (convection refers to overturning of air within which clouds are embedded), in fact organised convection is ubiquitous in the tropics. But it is still poorly understood and poorly represented in convective parameterisations of global climate models, despite its strong societal and climatic impact. It is associated with extreme weather, and with dramatic changes of the large scales, including drying of the atmosphere and increased outgoing longwave radiation to space. The latter can have dramatic consequences on tropical energetics, and hence on global climate. Thus, convective organisation could be a key missing ingredient in current estimates of climate sensitivity from climate models. CLUSTER will lead to improved fundamental understanding of convective organisation to help guide and improve convective parameterisations. It is closely related to the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) grand challenge: Clouds, circulation and climate sensitivity. Grand challenges identify areas of emphasis in the coming decade, targeting specific barriers preventing progress in critical areas of climate science. Until recently, progress on this topic was hindered by high numerical cost and lack of fundamental understanding. Advances in computer power combined with new discoveries based on idealised frameworks, theory and observational findings, make this the ideal time to determine the fundamental processes governing convective organisation in nature. Using a synergy of theory, high-resolution cloud-resolving simulations, and in-situ and satellite observations, CLUSTER will specifically target two feedbacks recently identified as being essential to convective aggregation, and assess their impact on tropical cyclones, large-scale properties including precipitation extremes, and energetics of the tropics.

1 078 021 €

Start date: 2019-06-01, End date: 2024-05-31

Regenerative medicine aims to regenerate damaged tissues by developing functional cell, tissue, and organ substitutes to repair, replace or enhance biological function in damaged tissues. The focus of this research programme is to develop bone graft substitute biomaterials and laboratory-engineered bone tissue for implantation in damaged sites. At a simplistic level, biological tissues consist of cells, signalling mechanisms and extracellular matrix. Regenerative medicine/tissue engineering technologies are based on this biological triad and involve the successful interaction between three components: the scaffold that holds the cells together to create the tissues physical form, the cells that create the tissue, and the biological signalling mechanisms (such as growth factors or bioreactors) that direct the cells to express the desired tissue phenotype. The research proposed in this project includes specific projects in all three areas. The programme will be centred on the collagen-based biomaterials developed in the applicant s laboratory and will incorporate cutting edge stem cell technologies, growth factor delivery, gene therapy and bioreactor technology which will translate to in vivo tissue repair. This translational research programme will be divided into four specific themes: (i) development of novel osteoinductive and angiogenic smart scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration, (ii) scaffold and stem cell therapies for bone tissue regeneration, (iii) bone tissue engineering using a flow perfusion bioreactor and (iv) in vivo bone repair using engineered bone and smart scaffolds.

1 999 530 €

Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2015-09-30

The core-mantle interface is the central cog in the Earth's titanic heat engine. As the boundary between the two major convecting parts of the Earth system (the solid silicate mantle and the liquid iron outer core) the properties of this region have a profound influence on the thermochemical and dynamic evolution of the entire planet, including tectonic phenomena at the surface. Evidence from seismology shows that D" (the lowermost few hundred kilometres of the mantle) is strongly heterogeneous in temperature, chemistry, structure and dynamics; this may dominate the long term evolution of the Earth's magnetic field and the morphology of mantle convection and chemical stratification, for example. Mapping and characterising this heterogeneity requires a detailed knowledge of the properties of the constituents and dynamics of D"; this is achievable by resolving its seismic anisotropy. The observation of anisotropy in the shallow lithosphere was an important piece of evidence for the theory of plate tectonics; now such a breakthrough is possible for the analogous deep boundary. We are at a critical juncture where developments in modelling strain in the mantle, petrofabrics and seismic wave propagation can be combined to produce a new generation of integrated models of D", embodying more complete information than any currently available. I propose a groundbreaking project to build such multidisciplinary models and to produce the first complete image of lowermost mantle anisotropy using the best available global, high resolution seismic dataset. The comparison of the models with these data is the key to making a fundamental improvement in our understanding of the thermodynamics and composition of the core-mantle interface, and illuminating its role in the wider Earth system.

1 639 615 €

Start date: 2009-09-01, End date: 2015-08-31

A contact structure on an odd dimensional manifold in a maximally non integrable hyperplane field. It is the odd dimensional counterpart of a symplectic structure. Contact and symplectic topology is a recent and very active area that studies intrinsic questions about existence, (non) uniqueness and rigidity of contact and symplectic structures. It is intimately related to many other important disciplines, such as dynamical systems, singularity theory, knot theory, Morse theory, complex analysis, ... Legendrian submanifolds are a distinguished class of submanifolds in a contact manifold, which are tangent to the contact distribution. These manifolds are of a particular interest in contact topology. Important classes of Legendrian submanifolds can be described using generating families, and this description can be used to define Legendrian invariants via Morse theory. Other the other hand, Legendrian contact homology is an invariant for Legendrian submanifolds, based on holomorphic curves. The goal of this research proposal is to study the relationship between these two approaches. More precisely, we plan to show that the generating family homology and the linearized Legendrian contact homology can be defined for the same class of Legendrian submanifolds, and are isomorphic. This correspondence should be established using a parametrized version of symplectic homology, being developed by the Principal Investigator in collaboration with Oancea. Such a result would give an entirely new type of information about holomorphic curves invariants. Moreover, it can be used to obtain more general structural results on linearized Legendrian contact homology, to extend recent results on existence of Reeb chords, and to gain a much better understanding of the geography of Legendrian submanifolds.

710 000 €

Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2014-10-31

With this proposal, I seek to develop the gas separating membranes of the future. The overall aim is to produce composite membranes comprising engineered Metal Organic Framework (MOF) particles and polymers in the form of Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMMs). By applying these new membranes, energetically more efficient separations will be possible. Despite the superior performance of membranes only based on crystalline materials like zeolites or MOFs, polymeric membranes rule the commercial scene thanks to their easy processing, high reproducibility and mechanical strength. However, the existing polymeric membrane materials are not optimal: improvements in permeability are always at the expense of selectivity and vice versa, while plasticization threatens their application at high pressures. This research aims at utilizing the best of both fields by combining the high selectivity of MOFs with the easy processing of polymers in the form of Mixed Matrix Membranes. The main barrier to achieve this goal is the optimization of the MOF-polymer interaction and mass transport through the composite. This is very challenging because chemical compatibility, particle morphology and filler dispersion play a key role. Innovatively the project will be the first systematic study into this multi-scale phenomenon with investigations at all relevant interactions, including MOF particle tuning targeting the application in MMMs. A thorough study on the synthesis of the selected MOF structures and on the performance of the composites will allow engineering MOFs at the molecular and particle levels, resulting in higher selectivity and faster transport. The use of flexible MOF structures will not only allow a better membrane processing but will also reduce polymer plasticization. This research will deliver a new generation of mixed matrix membranes, outperforming the state of the art polymeric membranes.

1 467 510 €

Start date: 2013-09-01, End date: 2018-08-31

Fluid flows through soft porous media are ubiquitous across nature and industry, from methane bubbles rising through lakebed and seabed sediments to nutrient transport in living cells and tissues to the manufacturing of paper products and many composites. Despite their ubiquity, flow and transport in these systems remain at the frontier of our ability to measure and model. A defining feature of soft porous media is that they can experience deformations that transform the pore structure. This has profound implications for the transport and mixing of solutes and the simultaneous flow of multiple fluid phases, both of which are strongly coupled to the pore structure. The goal of this project is to shed new light on flow and transport in soft porous media by studying a series of three canonical flow problems (tracer transport, miscible viscous fingering, and two-phase flow) across soft adaptations of three classical model systems (a soft-walled Hele Shaw cell, a quasi-2D packing of soft beads, and a cylindrical 3D “core” of soft beads). These flow problems and model systems have been thoroughly studied in the context of stiff porous media, allowing us to leverage decades of previous work and focus exclusively on the new behaviour introduced by “softness”. We will collect an extensive set of new, high-resolution experimental observations in each of these model systems, and we will reconcile these observations with mathematical models based on the traditional approach of upscaled constitutive functions. By updating this traditional approach to account for deformation, we will provide a new, pragmatic class of continuum models that capture the leading-order features of flow and transport in soft porous media. Our results will jumpstart the field of flow and transport in soft porous media, breaking open a vast new realm of research questions and applications around understanding, predicting, and controlling these complex systems.

1 482 862 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

In our project we address several fundamental questions regarding ergodic-theoretical properties of actions of large groups. The problems that we plan to tackle are not only of central importance in the abstract theory of dynamical systems, but they also lead to solutions of a number of open questions in Diophantine geometry such as the Batyrev--Manin and Peyre conjectures on the asymptotics and the distribution of rational points on algebraic varieties, a generalisation of the Oppenheim conjecture on distribution of values of polynomial functions, a generalisation of Khinchin and Dirichlet theorems on Diophantine approximation in the setting of homogeneous varieties, and estimates on the number of integral points (with almost prime coordinates satisfying polynomial and congruence equations. The proposed research is expected to imply profound connections between diverse areas of mathematics simultaneously enriching each of them. For instance, we expect to establish a precise relation between the generalised Ramanujan conjecture in the theory of automorphic forms and the order of Diophantine approximation on algebraic varieties. We also plan to use our results on counting lattice points to derive estimates on multiplicities of automorphic representations and prove results in direction of Sarnak's density hypothesis. We investigate the problem of distribution of orbits, raised by Arnold and Krylov in sixties, the problem of multiple recurrence, pioneered by Furstenberg in seventies, and the problem of rigidity of group actions, formulated by Zimmer in eighties. We plan to compute the asymptotic distribution of orbits for actions on general homogeneous spaces, to establish multiple recurrence for large classes of actions of nonamenable groups, to prove isomorphism and factor rigidity of homogeneous actions and rigidity of actions under perturbations.

630 000 €

Start date: 2010-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31

Combinatorics forms a challenging and fundamental part of pure mathematics, but is in the happy position of being relatively accessible to a wider audience. One of its most exciting and rapidly developing branches is Extremal Combinatorics, which has a wide range of direct applications both to other areas of mathematics and other academic disciplines. Thus it makes its influence felt indirectly when the theoretical power it brings to these disciplines is in turn used for more practical applications. The proposed project addresses a range of important problems at the frontier of Extremal Combinatorics, principally those motivated by a question of Turan, an open problem that mathematicians have battled with for over sixty years, which has led to many developments in the theory of graphs and hypergraphs. Recently there has been a lot of progress in this area, so it is an exciting topic for future research. The PI has identified some key intermediate goals to pursue for this first objective, and also for a second objective involving various ways to extend the scope of this area, including a rainbow variant that has impressive potential applications in additive number theory. A third area being studied is the theory of set systems with restricted intersections, which has a rich history in combinatorics, and has also found applications to computer science, particular in the theories of complexity and communication. It is also closely connected to the concepts of trace and VC-dimension, which play a central role in many areas of statistics, discrete and computational geometry and learning theory. The PI will co-ordinate a research team of two postdocs and one doctoral student with clearly defined goals that will bring this project to fruition over a five-year period.

780 000 €

Start date: 2010-01-01, End date: 2015-12-31

The subject of this proposal lies at the crossroads of analysis, additive combinatorics, number theory and fractal geometry exploring equidistribution phenomena for random walks on groups and group actions and regularity properties of self-similar, self-affine and Furstenberg boundary measures and other kinds of stationary measures. Many of the problems I will study in this project are deeply linked with problems in number theory, such as bounds for the separation between algebraic numbers, Lehmer's conjecture and irreducibility of polynomials. The central aim of the project is to gain insight into and eventually resolve problems in several main directions including the following. I will address the main challenges that remain in our understanding of the spectral gap of averaging operators on finite groups and Lie groups and I will study the applications of such estimates. I will build on the dramatic recent progress on a problem of Erdos from 1939 regarding Bernoulli convolutions. I will also investigate other families of fractal measures. I will examine the arithmetic properties (such as irreducibility and their Galois groups) of generic polynomials with bounded coefficients and in other related families of polynomials. While these lines of research may seem unrelated, both the problems and the methods I propose to study them are deeply connected.

1 334 109 €

Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30

One of the oldest and most important questions in PDE theory is that of regularity. A classical example is Hilbert's XIXth problem (1900), solved by De Giorgi and Nash in 1956. During the second half of the XXth century, the regularity theory for elliptic and parabolic PDE's experienced a huge development, and many fundamental questions were answered by Caffarelli, Nirenberg, Krylov, Evans, Nadirashvili, Friedman, and many others. Still, there are problems of crucial importance that remain open. The aim of this project is to go significantly beyond the state of the art in some of the most important open questions in this context. In particular, three key objectives of the project are the following. First, to introduce new techniques to obtain fine description of singularities in nonlinear elliptic PDE's. Aside from its intrinsic interest, a good regularity theory for singular points is likely to provide insightful applications in other contexts. A second aim of the project is to establish generic regularity results for free boundaries and other PDE problems. The development of methods which would allow one to prove generic regularity results may be viewed as one of the greatest challenges not only for free boundary problems, but for PDE problems in general. Finally, the third main objective is to achieve a complete regularity theory for nonlinear elliptic PDE's that does not rely on monotonicity formulas. These three objectives, while seemingly different, are in fact deeply interrelated.

1 335 250 €

Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31

The proposal is to look for, and investigate, new ergodic theoretic types of behavior for dynamical systems which act on non compact spaces. These could include transience and non-trivial ways of escape to infinity, critical phenomena similar to phase transitions, and new types of measure rigidity. There are potential applications to smooth ergodic theory (non-uniform hyperbolicity), algebraic ergodic theory (actions on homogeneous spaces), and probability theory (weakly dependent stochastic processes).

539 479 €

Start date: 2009-10-01, End date: 2014-09-30

"The aim of this project of 5 years is to create a research group on geometric control methods in PDEs with the arrival of the PI at the CNRS Laboratoire CMAP (Centre de Mathematiques Appliquees) of the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris (in January 09). With the ERC-Starting Grant, the PI plans to hire 4 post-doc fellows, 2 PhD students and also to organize advanced research schools and workshops. One of the main purpose of this project is to facilitate the collaboration with my research group which is quite spread across France and Italy. The PI plans to develop a research group studying certain PDEs for which geometric control techniques open new horizons. More precisely the PI plans to exploit the relation between the sub-Riemannian distance and the properties of the kernel of the corresponding hypoelliptic heat equation and to study controllability properties of the Schroedinger equation. In the last years the PI has developed a net of high level international collaborations and, together with his collaborators and PhD students, has obtained many important results via a mixed combination of geometric methods in control (Hamiltonian methods, Lie group techniques, conjugate point theory, singularity theory etc.) and noncommutative Fourier analysis. This has allowed to solve open problems in the field, e.g., the definition of an intrinsic hypoelliptic Laplacian, the explicit construction of the hypoelliptic heat kernel for the most important 3D Lie groups, and the proof of the controllability of the bilinear Schroedinger equation with discrete spectrum, under some ""generic"" assumptions. Many more related questions are still open and the scope of this project is to tackle them. All subjects studied in this project have real applications: the problem of controllability of the Schroedinger equation has direct applications in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; the problem of nonisotropic diffusion has applications in models of human vision."

785 000 €

Start date: 2010-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30

GeopolyConc will provide the necessary scientific basis for the prediction of the long-term durability performance of alkali-activated ‘geopolymer’ concretes. These materials can be synthesised from industrial by-products and widely-available natural resources, and provide the opportunity for a highly significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the global construction materials industry, as it expands to meet the infrastructure needs of 21st century society. Experimental and modelling approaches will be coupled to provide major advances in the state of the art in the science and engineering of geopolymer concretes. The key scientific focus areas will be: (a) the development of the first ever rigorous mathematical description of the factors influencing the transport properties of alkali-activated concretes, and (b) ground-breaking work in understanding and controlling the factors which lead to the onset of corrosion of steel reinforcing embedded in alkali-activated concretes. This project will generate confidence in geopolymer concrete durability, which is essential to the application of these materials in reducing EU and global CO2 emissions. The GeopolyConc project will also be integrated with leading multinational collaborative test programmes coordinated through a RILEM Technical Committee (TC DTA) which is chaired by the PI, providing a route to direct international utilisation of the project outcomes.

1 495 458 €

Start date: 2013-09-01, End date: 2018-08-31

Delay of laminar-turbulent flow transition on aircraft wings can potentially reduce aerodynamic drag by up to 15%, reducing emissions and fuel consumption considerably. The main cause of laminar-turbulent transition on commonly used swept wings is the development of crossflow (CF) instabilities. Despite their importance, our fundamental understanding of CF instabilities is limited due to inability of current measurement techniques to capture their complex and multi-scale spatio-temporal features. This severely limits our ability to delay CF transition, which is further impeded by the lack of simple, robust and efficient control concepts. In this proposal I will achieve unprecedented spatio-temporal measurements of CF instabilities and develop a novel active flow control system that can successfully delay transition on swept wings. To achieve these goals, I bring forth a unique combination of cutting-edge technologies, such as tomographic particle image velocimetry, advanced plasma-based actuators and linear/non-linear stability and control theory. Spatio-temporal volumetric velocity measurements of CF instabilities will be achieved at three important stages of their life, namely inception, growth and breakdown, providing breakthrough insights into the underlying physics of swept wing transition and turbulence production. The results will be used to postulate and validate linear and non-linear stability and control theory models and provide top benchmarks for high-fidelity CFD. The unprecedented wealth of information, enabled through these advances, will be used to design and demonstrate the first synergetic plasma-based laminar flow control system. This system will feature minimum-thickness plasma actuators, able to suppress the growth of CF instabilities and achieve and sustain considerable transition delay at high Reynolds numbers. These advances will finally enable robust and efficient laminar flow on future air transport.

1 499 460 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

"Over the past years, carbon nanomaterial such as graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the interest of scientists, because some of their properties are unlike any other engineering material. Individual graphene sheets and CNTs have shown a Youngs Modulus of 1 TPa and a tensile strength of 100 GPa, hereby exceeding steel at only a fraction of its weight. Further, they offer high currents carrying capacities of 10^9 A/cm², and thermal conductivities up to 3500 W/mK, exceeding diamond. Importantly, these off-the-chart properties are only valid for high quality individualized nanotubes or sheets. However, most engineering applications require the assembly of tens to millions of these nanoparticles into one device. Unfortunately, the mechanical and electronic figures of merit of such assembled materials typically drop by at least an order of magnitude in comparison to the constituent nanoparticles. In this ERC project, we aim at the development of new techniques to create structured assemblies of carbon nanoparticles. Herein we emphasize the importance of controlling hierarchical arrangement at different length scales in order to engineer the properties of the final device. The project will follow a methodical approach, bringing together different fields of expertise ranging from macro- and microscale manufacturing, to nanoscale material synthesis and mesoscale chemical surface modification. For instance, we will pursue combined top-down microfabrication and bottom-up self-assembly, accompanied with surface modification through hydrothermal processing. This research will impact scientific understanding of how nanotubes and nanosheets interact, and will create new hierarchical assembly techniques for nanomaterials. Further, this ERC project pursues applications with high societal impact, including energy storage and water filtration. Finally, HIENA will tie relations with EU’s rich CNT industry to disseminate its technologic achievements."

1 496 379 €

Start date: 2014-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31

H is an element that plays an important role in the production and efficient usage of energy as it significantly influences the way we produce and consume energy: In high-strength materials, the usability and service life is limited by H induced failure. These materials are key in transport systems, wind power and H storage. Despite the enormous economic significance, little is known fundamentally about the underlying damage mechanisms, which are inherently playing out on the atomic scale. The PI’s team will use atom probe tomography, an atomic scale 3D microscopy method to systematically analyse the location and pathways of H in the microstructure and shed light on damage mechanisms in Fe and Ni based materials. This will include vacancies/clusters (0D), dislocations (1D), interfaces (2D) and second phased (3D). The approach will be combined with micro-mechanics to investigate the involvement of H in fracture behaviour. We will measure the amount of H at dislocations required for enhanced plasticity, in the plastic wake of a crack and at the crack tip. In production materials, we will determine the amount of H at identified traps after processing as well as penetration pathways into the material. Finally, we will clarify the contribution of H to a important problem for wind power generation: white-etching cracks. These experiments are now made possible in a commercial atom probe by using 2H (D) charging combined with cryo specimen transfers to avoid H loss. In the project, the team will go a step further and build an atom probe with ultra-low H background to enable the direct detection of 1H, enabling analysis without tracers. The resulting knowledge will greatly enhance our knowledge on the fundamentals of H in metals at the atomic scale. This will lead to increased predictability of failures, the rational design of H resistant high strength materials and protection measures and with it great cost savings especially in renewable energy generation and electromobility.

1 497 959 €

Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2023-11-30

Creating tunable surfaces that are able to undergo reversible transitions between superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic behaviour is a challenging and vital issue due to their potential use in applications involving self cleaning, very low flow resistance and liquid handling without moving mechanical parts. Superhydrophobic surfaces arising from micro-scale roughened hydrophobic materials spontaneously exhibit transitions to become superhydrophilic when their material wetting properties are suitably modified by external stimuli. The reverse transition, however, requires external actuation/ perturbation which can be strong as to deteriorate the liquids handled and therefore limit the use such techniques in applications. Here we plan to combine continuum and mesoscale computational analysis of wetting phenomena in solid surfaces to create designer roughness that will minimize, or even eliminate, the strength of the actuation required to achieve full- to non-wetting reversibility. The modelling will be done in a continuous dialogue with surface fabrication and wetting tests. Wetting experiments will be performed along with novel microactuation techniques for liquid interfaces.

1 131 840 €

Start date: 2010-02-01, End date: 2015-09-30

The formation of ice particles in the Earth s atmosphere strongly affects the properties of clouds and their impact on climate. However, our basic understanding of ice nucleation and crystallisation is still in its infancy. Despite the importance of ice formation in determining the properties of clouds, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was unable to assess the impact of atmospheric ice formation in their most recent report, because our basic knowledge is insufficient. In this proposal plans are described to establish a laboratory dedicated to improving our fundamental understanding of ice nucleation and crystallisation. It is proposed to develop a series of laboratory experiments designed to quantify atmospherically relevant processes at a fundamental level. In work package 1 the role of glassy solids and ultra-viscous liquids in cloud formation will be investigated; in work package 2 the rate at which various mineral dusts nucleate ice in the immersion mode will be quantified; the phase of ice that deposits onto frozen solution droplets or heterogeneous ice nuclei will be determined in work package 3; and in work package 4 the laboratory data from work packages 1-3 will be used to constrain ice nucleation in numerical clouds models in order to assess radiative forcings. The instrumentation and modelling experience gained in this five year project will provide a lasting legacy and open doors to new research areas in the future. As an international hub of atmospheric and climate science, the University of Leeds is a unique and ideal institute in which to bridge the gap between fundamental studies and the cloud/climate modelling community.

1 664 190 €

Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2015-04-30

"The goal of this project is to develop new techniques combining tools from dynamical systems, analysis and differential geometry to study the existence and properties of invariant manifolds arising from solutions to differential equations. These structures are relevant in the study of the qualitative properties of ODE and PDE and appear very naturally in important questions of mathematical physics. This proposal can be divided in three blocks: the study of periodic orbits and related dynamical structures of vector fields which are solutions to the Euler, Navier-Stokes or Magnetohydrodynamics equations (in the spirit of what is called topological fluid mechanics); the analysis of critical points and level sets of functions which are solutions to some elliptic or parabolic problems (e.g. eigenfunctions of the Laplacian or Green's functions); a very novel approach based on the nodal sets of a PDE to study the limit cycles of planar vector fields. With the introduction by the Principal Investigator, in collaboration with A. Enciso, of totally new techniques to prove the existence of solutions with prescribed invariant sets for a wide range of PDE, it is now possible to approach these apparently unrelated problems using the same strategy: the construction of local solutions with robust invariant sets and the subsequent uniform approximation by global solutions. Our recent proof of a well known conjecture in topological fluid mechanics, which was popularized by the works of Arnold and Moffatt in the 1960's, illustrates the power of this method. In this project, I intend to delve into and extend the pioneering techniques that we have developed to go significantly beyond the state of the art in some long-standing open problems on invariant manifolds posed by Ulam, Arnold and Yau, among others. This project will allow me to establish an internationally recognized research group in this area at the Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (ICMAT) in Madrid."

1 260 042 €

Start date: 2014-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31

Meteorites are privileged witnesses of solar system accretion processes and early planetary evolution. Short-lived radioactive chronometers are particularly adapted in dating and understanding these early differentiation processes. This proposal is dedicated to two main questions: (1) what is the initial composition of the solar system and terrestrial planets?; (2) having refined these parameters, how and when silicate bodies differentiated? Among short-lived chronometers, the system 146Sm-142Nd is particularly adapted to solve these questions. While it is generally assumed that the global bulk composition of Earth and other terrestrial planets is chondritic for refractory elements such as Sm and Nd, it has recently been shown that the 142Nd/144Nd values display a systematic and reproducible bias between all the chondrites and the average composition of the Earth, and also possibly of other planets. Several hypotheses have been proposed: (i) there is an enriched reservoir hidden deep in Earth, with a composition balancing the currently observed terrestrial composition in order to get a global chondritic composition for the Earth. (ii) The Earth and other terrestrial planets are non-chondritic for their composition in refractory elements. (iii) Nucleosynthetic anomalies have modified the isotopic composition measured in chondrites. (iv) The starting parameters of the 146Sm-142Nd system are not well defined. However, this last point has never been carefully evaluated. The main scientific strategy of this proposal is based on reinvestigating with the best precision ever achieved the starting parameters of the 146Sm-142Nd systematic using the oldest objects of the solar system: Ca-Al inclusions and chondrules. The final goal of the present proposal is to determine if Earth and other planets are chondritic or not, and to understand the implications of their refined starting composition on their geological evolution in terms of early planetary differentiation.

1 485 299 €

Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28

The aim of the proposed research is to study the homotopy theory of algebraic varieties and other algebraically defined geometric objects, especially over fields other than the complex numbers. A noticeable emphasis will be put on fundamental groups and on K(pi, 1) spaces, which serve as building blocks for more complicated objects. The most important source of both motivation and methodology is my recent discovery of the K(pi, 1) property of affine schemes in positive characteristic and its relation to wild ramification phenomena. The central goal is the study of etale homotopy types in positive characteristic, where we hope to use the aforementioned discovery to yield new results beyond the affine case and a better understanding of the fundamental group of affine schemes. The latter goal is closely tied to Grothendieck's anabelian geometry program, which we would like to extend beyond its usual scope of hyperbolic curves. There are two bridges going out of this central point. The first is the analogy between wild ramification and irregular singularities of algebraic integrable connections, which prompts us to translate our results to the latter setting, and to define a wild homotopy type whose fundamental group encodes the category of connections. The second bridge is the theory of perfectoid spaces, allowing one to pass between characteristic p and p-adic geometry, which we plan to use to shed some new light on the homotopy theory of adic spaces. At the same time, we address the related question: when is the universal cover of a p-adic variety a perfectoid space? We expect a connection between this question and the Shafarevich conjecture and varieties with large fundamental group. The last part of the project deals with varieties over the field of formal Laurent series over C, where we want to construct a Betti homotopy realization using logarithmic geometry. The need for such a construction is motivated by certain questions in mirror symmetry.

1 007 500 €

Start date: 2019-06-01, End date: 2024-05-31

The project is concerned with Borel and measurable combinatorics, sparse graph limits, approximation of algebraic structures and applications to metric geometry and measured group theory. Our research will result in major advances in these areas, and will create new research directions in combinatorics, analysis and commutative algebra. The main research objectives are as follows. 1) Study equidecompositions of sets and solve the Borel version of the Ruziewicz problem. 2) Give a new characterisation of amenable groups in terms of measurable Lovasz Local Lemma. 3) Study rank approximations of infinite groups and commutative algebras.

1 139 333 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

LINCE will develop light-sensitive devices based on organic semiconductors (OS) for optical regulation of living cells functions. The possibility to control the activity of biological systems is a timeless mission for neuroscientists, since it allows both to understand specific functions and to manage dysfunctions. Optical modulation provides, respect to traditional electrical methods, unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution, lower invasiveness, and higher selectivity. However, the vast majority of animal cells does not bear specific sensitivity to light. Search for new materials capable to optically regulate cell activity is thus an extremely hot topic. OS are ideal candidates, since they are inherently sensitive to visible light and highly biocompatible, sustain both ionic and electronic conduction, can be functionalized with biomolecules and drugs. Recently, it was reported that polymer-mediated optical excitation efficiently modulates the neuronal electrical activity. LINCE will significantly broaden the application of OS to address key, open issues of high biological relevance, in both neuroscience and regenerative medicine. In particular, it will develop new devices for: (i) regulation of astrocytes functions, active in many fundamental processes of the central nervous system and in pathological disorders; (ii) control of stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration; (iii) control of animal behavior, to first assess device biocompatibility and efficacy in vivo. LINCE tools will be sensitive to visible and NIR light, flexible, biocompatible, and easily integrated with any standard physiology set-up. They will combine electrical, chemical and thermal stimuli, offering high spatio-temporal resolution, reversibility, specificity and yield. The combination of all these features is not achievable by current technologies. Overall, LINCE will provide neuroscientists and medical doctors with an unprecedented tool-box for in vitro and in vivo investigations.

1 866 250 €

Start date: 2019-03-01, End date: 2024-02-29

This project is devoted to the analysis of large quantum systems. It is divided in two parts: Part A focuses on the transport properties of interacting lattice models, while Part B concerns the derivation of effective evolution equations for many-body quantum systems. The common theme is the concept of emergent effective theory: simplified models capturing the macroscopic behavior of complex systems. Different systems might share the same effective theory, a phenomenon called universality. A central goal of mathematical physics is to validate these approximations, and to understand the emergence of universality from first principles. Part A: Transport in interacting condensed matter systems. I will study charge and spin transport in 2d systems, such as graphene and topological insulators. These materials attracted enormous interest, because of their remarkable conduction properties. Neglecting many-body interactions, some of these properties can be explained mathematically. In real samples, however, electrons do interact. In order to deal with such complex systems, physicists often rely on uncontrolled expansions, numerical methods, or formal mappings in exactly solvable models. The goal is to rigorously understand the effect of many-body interactions, and to explain the emergence of universality. Part B: Effective dynamics of interacting fermionic systems. I will work on the derivation of effective theories for interacting fermions, in suitable scaling regimes. In the last 18 years, there has been great progress on the rigorous validity of celebrated effective models, e.g. Hartree and Gross-Pitaevskii theory. A lot is known for interacting bosons, for the dynamics and for the equilibrium low energy properties. Much less is known for fermions. The goal is fill the gap by proving the validity of some well-known fermionic effective theories, such as Hartree-Fock and BCS theory in the mean-field scaling, and the quantum Boltzmann equation in the kinetic scaling.

982 625 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

The key challenge in regenerative medicine is to re-establish a physiological tissue organization as this is conditional for proper tissue functionality. In the cardiovascular field, tissue engineering of blood vessels and heart valves requires the development of a tri-laminar structure. Previous attempts to establish this organization have been mainly trial-and-error based. Therefore, to force breakthroughs and accelerate clinical translation, computational modeling is critical to understand and predict the process of neo-tissue regeneration starting from non-living biodegradable materials (i.e. scaffolds). The main drivers of regeneration are (1) hemodynamic loads that trigger mechanically-driven tissue growth and remodeling, and (2) signaling interactions between cells that control the emergence of global tissue organization (e.g. layering of vessels and valves). While the first aspect currently receives vast attention, the modeling of cell signaling in the context of tissue engineering remains an unexplored area. In this project, I aim to obtain a mechanistic understanding of how a critical pathway in the cardiovascular system, i.e. the Notch signaling pathway, drives the emergence of global tissue organization while interacting with mechanical cues. I will adopt a unique, multi-disciplinary approach, where quantitative in vitro experiments will be performed to inform novel multi-scale computational models of Notch signaling and its consequences on regeneration. I will leverage these models to understand and predict in vivo regeneration of engineered cardiovascular tissues starting from various initial conditions. If successful, this project will have a tremendous impact on the development of rational guidelines for ensuring functional tissue regeneration, which represents a breakthrough towards creating cardiovascular replacements that are superior to current treatment options. Moreover, it enables me to start my own independent research group in this field.

1 498 526 €

Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31

Earthquakes are responsible for more than half of the human losses due to natural disasters. Masonry structures have been proven the most vulnerable both in the developing and in the developed world. Even though Masonry is one of the oldest building materials, our understanding of its behavior at the level of the structure (system level) is limited. Therefore, there is a need for extended shake table testing. But shake table tests are expensive and full-scale system-level testing of large buildings is only possible in a handful of shake tables in the globe – and at a huge cost. We propose to take advantage of research developments in 3D printing and develop a method to perform system-level testing at a small scale using 3D printers and a geotechnical centrifuge (to preserve similitude). The key is to print materials with behavior controllable and similar to masonry. MiniMasonry testing proposes to control the properties of masonry via controlling the geometry of a 3D printed “meta”-mortar. The method will be developed via typical static masonry tests performed on the 3D printed parts. It will be further validated via comparing shaking table tests (in a centrifuge) of miniature structures to existing results of full-scale tests. The cost of the dynamic tests is expected to be so low, that multiple tests can be performed, so that existing numerical methods can be validated in the statistical sense. As a case study, the method will be applied to explore the behavior of a low-cost seismic isolation method that has been proposed for masonry structures in developing countries. With the rapid evolution of 3D printing, it will be possible to scale-up the methods developed in MiniMasonryTesting, so that other Civil Engineering materials can be tested faster and cheaper than now. This is a game changer in structural testing, as it will enable researchers to test structures that up to now it was impossible or very expensive to test at a system level.

1 999 477 €

Start date: 2019-04-01, End date: 2024-03-31

Type-2 (T2) Diabetes is associated with a 3-fold increase in bone fracture risk, despite the fact that bone volume is not reduced. This implies that T2 diabetes impairs bone quality, whereby the intrinsic material properties of the bone matrix are altered. However, current diagnostic techniques are unable to predict fracture probability in T2 diabetes as they are based on measures of bone quantity. While it is believed that non-enzymatic cross-linking of organic proteins (also known as AGE accumulation) in the bone matrix is responsible for bone fragility in T2 diabetes, there is a distinct lack of understanding how altered protein configurations impair whole-bone biomechanics. In this project, the applicant will embark on frontier research that will develop a state-of-the-art multiscale computational framework that couples behaviour from the molecular to whole-bone level, providing a basis to interrogate and elucidate the physical mechanisms that are responsible for diabetic bone fragility. A multiscale experimental framework will, for the first time, establish relationships between AGE crosslink-density and whole-bone fragility in animal and human T2 diabetic bone tissue. Together, this data will inform a probabilistic mutli-level model of hip fracture, which will be used to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between hip fracture probability, bone quantity and bone quality. The research programme will also establish a novel strategy for clinical fracture risk assessment that employs existing protocols to measure bone quantity, in combination with a surrogate measure of bone quality. The surrogate measure of bone quality proposed is a systemic measure of AGE content, which is clinically-obtainable through a blood sample and therefore widely-applicable. Overall, the project will provide a ground-breaking advance in our understanding of bone fragility, with remarkable potential to innovate novel solutions for clinical assessment of T2 diabetic bone disease.

1 499 659 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

Providing a sustainable supply of energy to the world s population will become a major societal problem for the 21st century. Thermoelectric materials, whose combination of thermal, electrical, and semiconducting properties, allows them to convert waste heat into electricity, are expected to play an increasingly important role in meeting the energy challenge of the future. Recent work on the theory of thermoelectric devices has led to the expectation that their performance could be enhanced if the diameter of the wires could be reduced to a point where quantum confinement effects increase charge-carrier mobility (thereby increasing the Seebeck coefficient) and reduce thermal conductivity. The predicted net effect of reducing diameters to the order of tens of nanometres would be to increase its efficiency or ZT index by a factor of 3. The objective of this five year proposal is to investigate and optimise the fabrication parameters influencing ZT in order to achieve a power conversion efficiency of >20%. For that, low dimensional nanowires arrays of state of art n and p-type materials will be prepared by cost-effective mass-production electrochemical methods. In order to obtained devices with a ZT >2 for application in energy scavenging and as cooler/heating devices, three approaches will be followed: a) determination of the best materials for each temperature range (n and p type) optimizing composition, microstructure, shapes (core/shell, nanowire surface texture, heterostructures), interfaces and orientations, b) advanced characterization, device development and modeling will be used iteratively during nanostructures and materials optimization, and c) nano-engineering less conventional thermoelectric like cage compounds by electrodeposition methods. This proposal aims to generate a cutting edge project in the thermoelectric field and, if successful, a more efficient way to harness precious, but nowadays wasted energy.

1 228 000 €

Start date: 2010-03-01, End date: 2016-02-29

This project is devoted to the mathematical and numerical analysis in statistical physics with a special interest to applications in Plasma Physics and nanotechnology with Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). We propose to achieve numerical simulations in plasma physics by fully deterministic methods. Using super-computers, a non stationary collisional plasma can be modelled taking into account Coulombian interactions and self-consistent electromagnetic fields to study different regimes and instabilities. These methods are based on high order and conservative finite volume schemes for the transport and fast multi-grid methods for the treatment of collisions. The first application is the simulation of fast ignition or Inertial Confinement Fusion, which is an important issue in plasma physics. Here, the main difficulty concerns the modelling of collisions of relativistic particles and the development of new algorithms for their treatment. Another part is devoted to the derivation of moments models which require less computational effort but keep the main properties of the initial models. The second application concerns micro and nanotechnologies, which are expected to play a very important role in the development of MEMS. Since the scale of micro flows is often comparable with the molecular mean free path, it is necessary to adopt the point of view of kinetic theory. Then applications of kinetic theory methods to micro flows are becoming very important and an accurate approximation of the Boltzmann equation is a key issue. Even nowadays a deterministic numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation still represents a challenge for scientific computing. Recently, a new class of algorithms based on spectral techniques in the velocity space has been been developed for the trend to equilibrium. The next important step is to treat applications for MEMS in nanotechnology for which the main difficulty is to treat complex geometries and moving boundary problems.

490 000 €

Start date: 2010-01-01, End date: 2014-12-31

CO2 exerts a major control on Earth’s environment, including ocean acidity and global climate. Human carbon emissions have elevated CO2 levels to above 400 ppm, substantially higher than at any time in the 800,000 year ice core record. If we want to understand how Earth’s environment and climate will respond to a high CO2 world, we need to look deeper into the geological past. This project provides a novel way to reconstruct ocean pH and atmospheric CO2 levels over the last 100 Myr. This will allow us to fathom the fundamental mechanisms governing Earth’s environmental evolution, and improve predictions of environmental response to CO2 change in the future. Atmospheric CO2 and ocean pH are closely coupled, because CO2 is acidic and is readily exchanged between the ocean and atmosphere. If ocean pH is known, we can place strong constraints on atmospheric CO2. Thanks to recent developments in geochemistry, it is possible to reconstruct changes in ocean pH using the boron isotope composition (d11B) of fossil shells. The well-studied systematics of this method and its underlying thermodynamic framework provide confidence in its application to the geological record. However calculation of pH from carbonate d11B requires knowledge of the boron isotope composition of past seawater d11Bsw. Here I propose novel strategies and techniques with new or underutilized archives (evaporites, shallow carbonates, and infaunal foraminifera) to constrain this crucial parameter. With d11BSW constrained, new d11B records from benthic foraminifera will provide a 100 Myr record of ocean pH. This benchmark reconstruction will be used to test key hypotheses on major environmental change in the geological record, and to constrain atmospheric CO2 using a state-of-the-art biogeochemical model. These paired data and modelling outcomes will provide a major step forward in our understanding of the fundamental processes regulating Earth’s climate and long-term habitability.

1 996 784 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

Evolution of marine algae over the last 60 million years has resulted in a fundamental change in the efficiency of biological carbon pump and shift from communities dominated by calcifying algae (like coccolithophorids) to siliceous diatoms and major size class changes among these groups. The inferred shift in atmospheric CO2 over this time period has been suggested as an important selective pressure on some of these responses, including diatom adaptation to lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations via use of the C4 photosynthetic pathway, and trends towards smaller coccolithophorid cell sizes in response to greater C limitation. If current trends continue, future changes in atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic activities are likely to reach levels last seen in the Eocene by the end of the next century; such changes will also be accompanied by ocean acidification and changes in stratification. Evidence suggests that modern calcifying algae and diatoms may employ a range of carbon acquisition strategies (such as active carbon concentrating mechanisms) according to the pH and carbon speciation of the seawater in which they live. However calcifying populations from 60 million years ago apparently had a single or less diverse array of carbon acquisition strategies. In this project we thus seek to 1) to identify and calibrate novel fossil indicators for adaptation and evolution in carbon acquisition strategies in eukaryotic algae in response to past changes in the carbon cycle and atmospheric CO2, and 2) apply these indicators to establish the nature and timing of changes in carbon acquisition strategies by algae over the past 60 million years.

1 774 875 €

Start date: 2009-12-01, End date: 2015-11-30

The Earth’s oceans absorb about 11 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year, about 25% of all anthropogenic CO2. The oceans are huge reservoirs of CO2, and a better understanding on how the oceans absorb CO2 is critical for predicting climate change. The sea-surface microlayer (SML), the aqueous boundary layer between the ocean and atmosphere, plays an important role in the exchange of gases between the ocean and atmosphere. The effects of the SML on air-sea gas exchange have been widely ignored by past and current research efforts due to uncertainties to what extent the SML covers the oceans. However, we recently reported the ubiquitous coverage of the oceans with SML, which pushes the SML into a new and wider context that is relevant to many ocean and climate sciences. I propose experiments at multiple scales, i.e. in laboratory tanks, wind wave tunnel, mesocosm and during a long-term field study. I propose a systematic field study measuring air-sea CO2 fluxes and mapping chemical, biological and physical properties of the SML. With the experiments on smaller scales, such measurements will allow for the first time (i) to define new parameters controlling gas fluxes, (ii) to quantify short-time and seasonal variability, (iii) to define global proxies for the effects of the SML, and (iv) to develop and apply a new parameterization for the correction of global CO2 flux data. For the first time, biogeochemical processes relevant to carbon cycling are investigated on the ocean’s surface at an interfacial level. Furthermore, I aim to reconstruct the natural composition of the SML in a wind-wave tunnel to study its ability to modify the ocean’s surface at well-defined wind regimes. The results from the proposed studies can form the basis for an improvement of current assessments of CO2 fluxes, and oceanic uptake rates. A better understanding in the oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 is critical in predicting climate trends and establishing policies.

1 485 797 €

Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31

"The solution of Tarski's problems on the first-order theory of free groups has uncovered deep connections between Model Theory, Geometry and Group Theory and served as a nexus and motivation for many classical results in Geometric Group Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. Just as the Tarski problems connected the theory of free groups with the geometry of trees, our goal is to point at a new direction in Group Theory and develop appropriate generalisations of the techniques and results whose nature is based on the geometry of higher dimensional counterparts of trees and interplays with the theory of partially commutative groups, notably the theory of groups acting on real cubings. We then shall apply these tools to approach fundamental questions in the model theory of partially commutative groups: classify finitely generated groups elementarily equivalent to a given partially commutative group and prove decidability and stability of their first-order theory."

1 021 217 €

Start date: 2014-09-01, End date: 2019-08-31

"In this project, I will explore the unique combination of two fascinating research themes: electrospinning and plasma technology. Electrospun nanofibrous matrices (so-called mats) are an exciting class of materials with a wide range of possible applications. Nevertheless, the development and functionalization of these electrospun materials remain very challenging tasks. Atmospheric pressure plasma technology will be utilized by my research group to create advanced biodegradable electrospun mats with unprecedented functionality and performance. To realise such a major breakthrough, plasma technology will be implemented in different steps of the manufacturing process: pre-electrospinning and post-electrospinning. My group will focus on four cornerstone research lines, which have been carefully chosen so that all critical issues one could encounter in creating advanced biodegradable electrospun mats are tackled. Research cornerstone A aims to develop biodegradable electrospun mats with appropriate bulk properties, while in research cornerstone B pre-electrospinning polymer solutions will be exposed to non-thermal atmospheric plasmas. This will be realized by probing unexplored concepts such as discharges created inside polymer solutions. In a third cornerstone C, an in-depth study of the interactions between an atmospheric pressure plasma and an electrospun mat will be carried out. Finally, the last cornerstone D will focus on plasma-assisted surface modification of biodegradable electrospun mats for tissue engineering purposes. Realization of these four cornerstones would result in a major breakthrough in their specific field which makes this proposal inherently a relatively high risk/very high gain proposal. I therefore strongly believe that this research program will open a whole new window of opportunities for electrospun materials with a large impact on science and society."

1 391 100 €

Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31

How do earthquakes begin? Answering this question is essential to understand fault mechanics but also to determine our ability to forecast large earthquakes. Although it is well established that some events are preceded by foreshocks, contrasting views have been proposed on the nucleation of earthquakes. Do these foreshocks belong to a cascade of random failures leading to the mainshock? Are they triggered by an aseismic nucleation phase in which the fault slips slowly before accelerating to a dynamic, catastrophic rupture? Will we ever be able to monitor and predict the slow onset of earthquakes or are we doomed to observe random, unpredictable cascades of events? We are currently missing a robust tool for quantitative estimation of the proportion of seismic versus aseismic slip during the rupture initiation, cluttering our attempts at understanding what physical mechanisms control the relationship between foreshocks and the onset of large earthquakes. The current explosion of available near-fault ground-motion observations is an unprecedented opportunity to capture the genesis of earthquakes along active faults. I will develop an entirely new method based a novel data assimilation procedure that will produce probabilistic time-dependent slip models assimilating geodetic, seismic and tsunami datasets. While slow and rapid fault processes are usually studied independently, this unified approach will address the relative contribution of seismic and aseismic deformation. The first step is the development of a novel probabilistic data assimilation method providing reliable uncertainty estimates and combining multiple data types. The second step is a validation of the method and an application to investigate the onset of recent megathrust earthquakes in Chile and Japan. The third step is the extensive, global use of the algorithm to the continuous monitoring of time-dependent slip along active faults providing an automated detector of the nucleation of earthquakes.

1 499 545 €

Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31

This proposal deals with the development of quantitative tools in stochastic homogenization, and their applications to materials science. Three main challenges will be addressed. First, a complete quantitative theory of stochastic homogenization of linear elliptic equations will be developed starting from results I recently obtained on the subject combining tools originally introduced for statistical physics, such as spectral gap and logarithmic Sobolev inequalities, with elliptic regularity theory. The ultimate goal is to prove a central limit theorem for solutions to elliptic PDEs with random coefficients. The second challenge consists in developing an adaptive multiscale numerical method for diffusion in inhomogeneous media. Many powerful numerical methods were introduced in the last few years, and analyzed in the case of periodic coefficients. Relying on my recent results on quantitative stochastic homogenization, I have made a sharp numerical analysis of these methods, and introduced more efficient variants, so that the three academic examples of periodic, quasi-periodic, and random stationary diffusion coefficients can be dealt with efficiently. The emphasis of this challenge is put on the adaptivity with respect to the local structure of the diffusion coefficients, in order to deal with more complex examples of interest to practitioners. The last and larger objective is to make a rigorous connection between the continuum theory of nonlinear elastic materials and polymer-chain physics through stochastic homogenization of nonlinear problems and random graphs. Analytic and numerical preliminary results show the potential of this approach. I plan to derive explicit constitutive laws for rubber from polymer chain properties, using the insight of the first two challenges. This requires a good understanding of polymer physics in addition to qualitative and quantitative stochastic homogenization.

1 043 172 €

Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-08-31

Current chemotherapeutic agents are potent enough to kill cancer cells. Nonetheless, failure of chemotherapies for many cancers (e.g. breast and pancreatic cancers and various sarcomas) is primarily because these agents cannot reach cancer cells in amounts sufficient to cause complete cure. The abnormal microenvironment of these tumors drastically reduces perfusion and results in insufficient delivery of therapeutic agents. Tumor structural abnormalities is in large part an effect of mechanical stresses developed within the tumor due to unchecked cancer cell proliferation that strains the tumor microenvironment. Alleviation of these stresses has the potential to normalize the tumor, enhance delivery of drugs and improve treatment efficacy. Here, I propose to test the hypothesis that re-engineering the tumor microenvironment with stress-alleviating drugs has the potential to enhance chemotherapy. To explore this hypothesis, I will make use of a mixture of cutting-edge computational and experimental techniques. I will develop sophisticated models for the biomechanical response of tumors to analyze how stresses are generated and transmitted during tumor progression. Subsequently, I will perform animal studies to validate model predictions and indentify the drug that more effectively alleviates stress levels, normalizes the tumor microenvironment and improves chemotherapy. Successful completion of this research will reveal the mechanisms for stress generation and storage in tumors and will lead to new strategies for the use of chemotherapy.

1 440 360 €

Start date: 2014-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31

Global sea-level rise is one of our greatest environmental challenges and is predicted to continue for hundreds of years, even if global greenhouse-gas emissions are stopped immediately. However, the range, rates and responses to sea-level rise beyond 2100 are poorly understood. Current models that project sea-level rise centuries into the future have large uncertainties because the recent observations upon which they are based, encompass too limited a range of climate variability. Therefore, it is crucial to turn to the geological record where there are large-scale changes in climate. Global temperatures during the Last Interglacial were ~1oC warmer than pre-industrial values and 3-5oC warmer at the poles (a pattern similar to that predicted in the coming centuries), and global sea level was 6-9 m higher, far above that experienced in human memory. Through the RISeR project, I will lead a step-change advance in our understanding of the magnitude, rates and drivers of sea-level change during the Last Interglacial, to inform both global and regional sea-level projections beyond 2100. Specifically I will: 1. Develop new palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of Last Interglacial sea-level change from northwest Europe; 2. Provide the first ever chronological constraints on the timing, and therefore rates, of relative sea-level change that occurred in northwest Europe during the Last Interglacial; 3. Use state-of-the-art numerical modelling to distinguish the relative contributions of the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets to global sea-level rise during the Last Interglacial; 4. Provide estimates of the land areas and exposed populations in northwest Europe at risk of inundation by long-term (2100+) sea-level rise, providing high-end scenarios critical for coastal-risk management practice. These ambitious objectives will result in a state-of-the-art integrated study of the most appropriate analogue for a critical global environmental challenge; future sea-level rise.

1 997 681 €

Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31

The lithosphere is the thin outer shell of the Earth that supports the weight of mountains, plate tectonic forces, and stores the elastic energy that is released during earthquakes. The strength of the lithosphere directly controls the formation of tectonic plates and the generation and propagation of devastating earthquakes. The strongest part of the lithosphere is where the deformation processes in rocks transition from brittle fracture to plastic flow. This transition controls the strength of tectonic plate interfaces, the coupling between mantle flow and surface tectonics, as well as the complex fault slip patterns recently highlighted by geophysical records (e.g., tremors and slow slip). Despite its fundamental importance, the transitional behaviour remains very poorly understood. In this regime, we still do not know how rock deformation processes and properties evolve with depth and, critically, time. We also do not know exactly where the transition occurs in nature, if and how it may move over time, and what are the prevailing conditions there. The aim of this project is to provide unprecedented quantitative constrains on the key material properties and processes associated with deformation and fluid flow at the brittle-plastic transition, and arrive at a clear understanding of the prevailing conditions and the dynamics of fault slip at the transition. I propose to conduct laboratory rock deformation experiments at the high pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the transitional regime, and achieve unprecedented quantitative physical measurements by developing state-of-the-art in-situ instrumentation, taking advantage of the latest sensor technologies. I will focus on quantifying the effects of time and fluids, which are currently unexplored. The ultimate outcome of the project is to detect the transition in nature by understanding its geophysical signature, and constrain the strength of faults and plate boundaries throughout the seismic cycle.

1 499 990 €

Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31

Cancer and bacterial infections are projected to kill 18 million people worldwide annually by 2050. Fast and reliable diagnostics are essential for early and targeted treatments. Microfluidics is at the heart of the miniaturisation of diagnostics, enabling novel portable and low-cost point-of-care devices. Inertial particle microfluidics (IPMF) is a novel and competitive method with applications in cancer cell and bacteria separation. Yet, the physics behind IPMF is not well understood, making progress slow and costly. Novel design rules are in urgent need to avoid trial-and-error experiments. I will numerically investigate the underlying physical mechanisms and develop the first predictive toolkit for engineering applications of IPMF. In particular, I will address five ambitious challenges in SIRIUS: 1. Develop an accurate numerical model for IPMF. 2. Understand the impact of particle softness. 3. Investigate the effect of finite particle concentration. 4. Improve the currently low separation efficiency of small particles. 5. Develop a toolkit to enable simulation-driven design. These objectives are feasible through novel numerical approaches based on the lattice-Boltzmann method and state-of-the-art high-performance computing. SIRIUS will pursue an innovative simulation campaign, validated with existing experimental data, to generate both physical insight and scaling laws for simulation-driven design. For the first time, SIRIUS will produce robust numerical methods for IPMF. My pioneering research will uncover the physics behind particle separation and culminate in a design toolkit for IPMF engineers. SIRIUS will fill a critical gap and open up an entirely new research field: “Simulations for inertial particle microfluidics”. Results of SIRIUS will be published as open-source codes, open-access articles, and open data. This will ultimately enable faster, less costly and more innovative research in the field of microfluidics for diagnostics.

1 499 290 €

Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31