ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

Atmospheric aerosol particles are a major player in the earth system: they impact the climate by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, as well as regulating the properties of clouds. On regional scales aerosol particles are among the main pollutants deteriorating air quality. Capturing the impact of aerosols is one of the main challenges in understanding the driving forces behind changing climate and air quality. Atmospheric aerosol numbers are governed by the ultrafine (< 100 nm in diameter) particles. Most of these particles have been formed from atmospheric vapours, and their fate and impacts are governed by the mass transport processes between the gas and particulate phases. These transport processes are currently poorly understood. Correct representation of the aerosol growth/shrinkage by condensation/evaporation of atmospheric vapours is thus a prerequisite for capturing the evolution and impacts of aerosols. I propose to start a research group that will address the major current unknowns in atmospheric ultrafine particle growth and evaporation. First, we will develop a unified theoretical framework to describe the mass accommodation processes at aerosol surfaces, aiming to resolve the current ambiguity with respect to the uptake of atmospheric vapours by aerosols. Second, we will study the condensational properties of selected organic compounds and their mixtures. Organic compounds are known to contribute significantly to atmospheric aerosol growth, but the properties that govern their condensation, such as saturation vapour pressures and activities, are largely unknown. Third, we aim to resolve the gas and particulate phase processes that govern the growth of realistic atmospheric aerosol. Fourth, we will parameterize ultrafine aerosol growth, implement the parameterizations to chemical transport models, and quantify the impact of these condensation and evaporation processes on global and regional aerosol budgets.

1 498 099 €

Start date: 2011-09-01, End date: 2016-08-31

Current control applications necessitate the treatment of systems with multiple interconnected components, rather than the traditional single component paradigm that has been studied extensively. The individual subsystems may need to fulfil different and possibly conflicting specifications in a real-time manner. At the same time, they may need to fulfill coupled constraints that are defined as relations between their states. Towards this end, the need for methods for decentralized control at the continuous level and planning at the task level becomes apparent. We aim here towards unification of these two complementary approaches. Existing solutions rely on a top down centralized approach. We instead consider here a decentralized, bottom-up solution to the problem. The approach relies on three layers of interaction. In the first layer, agents aim at coordinating in order to fulfil their coupled constraints with limited communication exchange of their state information and design of appropriate feedback controllers; in the second layer, agents coordinate in order to mutually satisfy their discrete tasks through exchange of the corresponding plans in the form of automata; in the third and most challenging layer, the communication exchange for coordination now includes both continuous state and discrete plan/abstraction information. The results will be demonstrated in a scenario involving multiple (possibly human) users and multiple robots. The unification will yield a completely decentralized system, in which the bottom up approach to define tasks, the consideration of coupled constraints and their combination towards distributed hybrid control and planning in a coordinated fashion require for new ways of thinking and approaches to analysis and constitute the proposal a beyond the SoA and groundbreaking approach to the fields of control and computer science.

1 498 729 €

Start date: 2015-03-01, End date: 2020-02-29

Smell and taste are the least studied of all senses. Very little is known about chemosensory information processing beyond the level of receptor neurons. Every morning we enjoy our coffee thanks to our brains ability to combine and process multiple sensory modalities. Meanwhile, we can still review a document on our desk by adjusting the weights of numerous sensory inputs that constantly bombard our brains. Yet, the smell of our coffee may remind us that pleasant weekend breakfast through associative learning and memory. In the proposed project we will explore the function and the architecture of neural circuits that are involved in olfactory and gustatory information processing, namely habenula and brainstem. Moreover we will investigate the fundamental principles underlying multimodal sensory integration and the neural basis of behavior in these highly conserved brain areas. To achieve these goals we will take an innovative approach by combining two-photon calcium imaging, optogenetics and electrophysiology with the expanding genetic toolbox of a small vertebrate, the zebrafish. This pioneering approach will enable us to design new types of experiments that were unthinkable only a few years ago. Using this unique combination of methods, we will monitor and perturb the activity of functionally distinct elements of habenular and brainstem circuits, in vivo. The habenula and brainstem are important in mediating stress/anxiety and eating habits respectively. Therefore, understanding the neural computations in these brain regions is important for comprehending the neural mechanisms underlying psychological conditions related to anxiety and eating disorders. We anticipate that our results will go beyond chemical senses and contribute new insights to the understanding of how brain circuits work and interact with the sensory world to shape neural activity and behavioral outputs of animals.

1 499 471 €

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

Devices in wireless networks are no longer used only for communicating binary information, but also for navigation and to sense their surroundings. We are currently approaching fundamental limitations in terms of communication throughput, position information availability and accuracy, and decision making based on sensory data. The goal of this proposal is to understand how the cooperative nature of future wireless networks can be leveraged to perform timekeeping, positioning, communication, and decision making, so as to obtain orders of magnitude performance improvements compared to current architectures. Our research will have implications in many fields and will comprise fundamental theoretical contributions as well as a cooperative wireless testbed. The fundamental contributions will lead to a deep understanding of cooperative wireless networks and will enable new pervasive applications which currently cannot be supported. The testbed will be used to validate the research, and will serve as a kernel for other researchers worldwide to advance knowledge on cooperative networks. Our work will build on and consolidate knowledge currently dispersed in different scientific disciplines and communities (such as communication theory, sensor networks, distributed estimation and detection, environmental monitoring, control theory, positioning and timekeeping, distributed optimization). It will give a new thrust to research within those communities and forge relations between them.

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30

Spectrum is a key and scarce resource in wireless communication networks, and it remains tightly controlled by regulation authorities. Most of the frequency bands are exclusively allocated to a single system licensed to use it everywhere and for long periods of time. This rigid spectrum management model inevitably leads to significant inefficiencies in spectrum use. The explosion of demand for broadband wireless services also calls for more flexible models where much larger spectrum parts could be dynamically shared among users in a fluid manner. In such models, Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) techniques will play a major role. These techniques make it possible for radio devices to become frequency-agile, i.e. able to rapidly and dynamically access bands of a wide spectrum part. The success and spread of dynamic spectrum access strongly rely on the ability for many frequency-agile devices (or systems) to coexist peacefully and efficiently. With multiple interacting devices, the research agenda shifts from spectrum access problems to spectrum sharing problems, which raises original and challenging questions. There may be limited or no communication between the different devices or systems sharing spectrum. We further expect systems to be heterogeneous in their transmission capabilities, but also in the type of service they support. In that context, the design of spectrum access strategies resulting in an efficient and fair spectrum resource use constitutes a challenging puzzle. The broad objective of the proposed research is to develop original analytical and simulation tools to tackle dynamic spectrum sharing issues. The project leverages and marries techniques from distributed optimization and machine learning to design decentralized, efficient, and fair spectrum sharing algorithms. We believe that such algorithms are critical for the birth and rapid expansion of DSA technologies and hence for the development of future wireless broadband systems.

1 197 040 €

Start date: 2012-11-01, End date: 2017-10-31

Molecular biology strives for the prediction of function, based on the genetic code. Within neuroscience, this is reflected in the intense study of the molecular basis for ligand recognition by neurotransmitter receptors. Consequently, structural and functional studies have rendered a profoundly high-resolution view of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), the archetypal excitatory receptor in the brain. But even this view is obsolete: we don’t know why some receptors recognize glutamate yet others recognize other ligands; and we have been unable to functionally test the underlying chemical interactions. In other words, our view differs substantially from nature’s own view of ligand recognition. I plan to lead a workgroup attacking this problem on three fronts. First, bioinformatic identification and electrophysiological characterization of a broad and representative sample of iGluRs from across the spectrum of life will unveil the diversity of ligand recognition in iGluRs. Second, phylogenetic analyses combined with functional experiments will reveal the molecular changes that nature employed in arriving at existing means of ligand recognition in iGluRs. Finally, chemical-scale mutagenesis will be employed to overcome previous technical limitations and dissect the precise chemical interactions that determine the specific recognition of certain ligands. With my experience in combining phylogenetics and functional experiments and in the use of chemical-scale mutagenesis, the objectives are within reach. Together, they form a unique approach that will expose nature’s own view of ligand recognition in iGluRs, revealing the molecular blueprint for protein function in the nervous system.

1 500 000 €

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

The 29th of May 2006 several gas and mud eruption sites suddenly appeared along a fault in the NE of Java, Indonesia. Within weeks several villages were submerged by boiling mud. The most prominent eruption site was named Lusi. To date Lusi is still active and has forced 50.000 people to be evacuated and an area of more than 7 km2 is covered by mud. The social impact of the eruption and its spectacular dimensions still attract the attention of international media. Since 2006 I have completed four expeditions to Indonesia and initiated quantitative and experimental studies leading to the publication of two papers focussing on the plumbing system and the mechanisms of the Lusi eruption. However still many unanswered questions remain. What lies beneath Lusi? Is Lusi a mud volcano or part of a larger hydrothermal system? What are the mechanisms triggering the eruption? How long will the eruption last? LUSI LAB is an ambitious project that aims to answer these questions and to perform a multidisciplinary study using Lusi as a unique natural laboratory. Due to its relatively easy accessibility, the geological setting, and the vast scale, the Lusi eruption represents an unprecedented opportunity to study and learn from an ongoing active eruptive system. The results will be crucial for understanding focused fluid flow systems in other sedimentary basins world-wide, and to unravel issues related to geohazards and palaeoclimate aspects. The project will use multisensory sampling devices within the active feeder channel and a remote-controlled raft and flying device to access and sample the crater and the erupted gases. UV-gas camera imaging to measure the rate and composition of the erupted gases will be coupled with a network of seismometers to evaluate the impact that seismicity, local faulting and the neighbouring Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex have on the long-lasting Lusi activity. This information will provide robust constraints to model the pulsating Lusi behaviour.

1 422 420 €

Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31

The importance of mixed-phase clouds (i.e. clouds in which liquid and ice may co-exist) for weather and climate has become increasingly evident in recent years. We now know that a majority of the precipitation reaching Earth’s surface originates from mixed-phase clouds, and the way cloud phase changes under global warming has emerged as a critically important climate feedback. Atmospheric aerosols may also have affected climate via mixed-phase clouds, but the magnitude and even sign of this effect is currently unknown. Satellite observations have recently revealed that cloud phase is misrepresented in global climate models (GCMs), suggesting systematic GCM biases in precipitation formation and cloud-climate feedbacks. Such biases give us reason to doubt GCM projections of the climate response to CO2 increases, or to changing atmospheric aerosol loadings. This proposal seeks to address the above issues, through a multi-angle and multi-tool approach: (i) By conducting field measurements of cloud phase at mid- and high latitudes, we seek to identify the small-scale structure of mixed-phase clouds. (ii) Large-eddy simulations will then be employed to identify the underlying physics responsible for the observed structures, and the field measurements will provide case studies for regional cloud-resolving modelling in order to test and revise state-of-the-art cloud microphysics parameterizations. (iii) GCMs, with revised microphysics parameterizations, will be confronted with cloud phase constraints available from space. (iv) Finally, the same GCMs will be used to re-evaluate the climate impact of mixed-phase clouds in terms of their contribution to climate forcings and feedbacks. Through this synergistic combination of tools for a multi-scale study of mixed-phase clouds, the proposed research has the potential to bring the field of climate science forward, from improved process-level understanding at small scales, to better climate change predictions on the global scale.

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2018-03-01, End date: 2023-02-28

Optical nanoscopy has given a glimpse of the impact it may have on medical care in the future. Slow imaging speed and the complexity of the current nanoscope limits its use for living cells. The imaging speed is limited by the bulk optics that is used in present nanoscopy. In this project, I propose a paradigm-shift in the field of advanced microscopy by developing optical nanoscopy based on a photonic integrated circuit. The project will take advantage of nanotechnology to fabricate an advance waveguide-chip, while fast telecom optical devices will provide switching of light to the chip, enhancing the speed of imaging. This unconventional route will change the field of optical microscopy, as a simple chip-based system can be added to a normal microscope. In this project, I will build a waveguide-based structured-illumination microscope (W-SIM) to acquire fast images (25 Hz or better) from a living cell with an optical resolution of 50-100 nm. I will use W-SIM to discover the dynamics (opening and closing) of fenestrations (100 nm) present in the membrane of a living liver sinusoidal scavenger endothelial cell. It is believed among the Hepatology community that these fenestrations open and close dynamically, however there is no scientific evidence to support this hypothesis because of the lack of suitable tools. The successful imaging of fenestration kinetics in a live cell during this project will provide new fundamental knowledge and benefit human health with improved diagnoses and drug discovery for liver. Chip-based nanoscopy is a new research field, inherently making this a high-risk project, but the possible gains are also high. The W-SIM will be the first of its kind, which may open a new era of simple, integrated nanoscopy. The proposed multiple-disciplinary project requires a near-unique expertise in the field of laser physics, integrated optics, advanced microscopy and cell-biology that I have acquired at leading research centers on three continents.

1 490 976 €

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

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) mediates cognitive motor functions including motor planning and action understanding. The latter process is thought to occur via ‘mirror’ neurons, which fire both when an animal performs an action and when it observes a cohort performing the same action. The extraordinary tuning properties of PPC cells require the convergence of sensory and motor inputs from several areas, but the function of these inputs is ill-defined since it is not yet feasible in humans or primates to reversibly inhibit targeted anatomical projections. I propose to overcome this by studying PPC in rodents, and will apply optogenetic tools and multi-tetrode recordings to characterize the function of selected cortical inputs to PPC. Similar to motor planning functions for hand or eye movements in primates, the rodent PPC encodes upcoming locomotor movements, and a growing literature suggests that rodents have a mirror system. I thus propose two related research programmes focusing on action planning and the mirror mechanism. The first project will determine if behavioral coding in PPC changes between a foraging task, in which behavior is spontaneous, and during navigational planning in a working memory-based T-maze. I will then determine if silencing fronto-parietal anatomical connections at different phases of the T-maze tasks disrupts motor planning and decision making functions in PPC. Next, I will record from PPC while rats observe cohorts performing the T-maze task to determine if the rat PPC contains mirror neurons. If I find mirror cells in rats, I will optically silence visual and frontal inputs to PPC to determine if they confer mirror selectivity to PPC. These experiments will reveal the anatomical circuitry underlying action planning and the mirror system in a way which cannot be achieved in primate models, and will open the door for studying mirror cells in rodent models of human mental disorders, including autism and Fragile-X syndrome.

1 500 000 €

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

Motor behaviour requires the meaningful integration of a multitude of sensory information. The basal ganglia are essential for such sensory-motor processing and underlie motor planning, performance, and learning. The striatum is the input layer of the basal ganglia, acting as a “hub” that receives synaptic inputs from different brain regions, interacting primarily with the GABAergic striatal microcircuit. Sensory excitatory inputs to striatum arise from the thalamus and neocortex, targeting striatal projection neurons and interneurons. Previous work in basal ganglia focused mainly on their role in motor and reward related functions, but the functional role of striatum in sensory processing is largely unknown. In this study I will elucidate the principles of sensory processing performed at the striatal microcircuit. In particular, I aim to answer these fundamental questions: - How do striatal neurons integrate sensory input? How is sensory input from different sensory modalities integrated in the striatum? How are ipsi- and contralateral inputs integrated? - What are the respective roles of cortical and thalamic sensory inputs in striatal function? - How is the intra-striatal microcircuitry organized to support sensory integration? To address these questions I will use a combination of electrophysiological, optical, and anatomical methods, including: - In vivo whole-cell recordings from striatal neurons during visual and tactile stimulation. - Multi-neuron whole-cell recordings in corticostriatal and thalamostriatal slices. - Optical manipulation of identified neuronal subpopulations in slice and in vivo. The proposed study will provide a new understanding of sensory processing at the level of basal ganglia and may provide insights regarding basal ganglia dysfunction.

1 494 445 €

Start date: 2012-02-01, End date: 2017-01-31

The blood-brain barrier is a sophisticated biological barrier comprising several different cell types, structured in a well-defined order with the task to strictly control the passage of molecules - such as drugs against neurodegenerative diseases - from the blood into the brain. To reduce the ethical and economic costs of drug development, which in EU today uses ~10 million experimental animals every year, we must develop in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier with high in vivo correlation, as these are completely missing today. SONGBIRD aims to achieve this with the scientific approach to - Develop advanced microfabrication methods to handle biologically derived materials - Structure the materials into heterogeneous 3D multi-layer suspended cell culture scaffolds - Incorporate blood-brain barrier cells with precise control on location and order - Integrated the 3D scaffolds into a microfluidic network as a miniaturised screening platform The vision is to develop and validate versatile microfabrication methods to mechanically structure and physically handle soft biological materials to unlock the use of next generation animal-free barrier-on-chip models that can be used to speed up drug development, serve as screening platforms for nanotoxicology and help medical researchers to gain mechanistic insight in drug delivery. During SONGBIRD, I will focus on the blood-brain barrier due to its urgent relevance for drug development for the ageing population but the final processing tool-box will be suitable for realising in vitro models of any biological barrier in the future. SONGBIRD is proposed to run for 60 months and will include researchers with expertise in microsystem engineering (PI), hydrogel synthesis and drug delivery. The expected output is a validated 3D barrier-on-chip model as well as a microfabrication toolbox for biological materials enabling transformation from 2D to 3D cell cultures in several other life science research areas.

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31