ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

Optical bioimaging is limited by visible light penetration depth and stability of fluorescent dyes over extended periods of time. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers the possibility to overcome these drawbacks, through SERS-encoded nanoparticle tags, which can be excited with near-IR light (within the biological transparency window), providing high intensity, stable, multiplexed signals. SERS can also be used to monitor relevant bioanalytes within cells and tissues, during the development of diseases, such as tumours. In 4DBIOSERS we shall combine both capabilities of SERS, to go well beyond the current state of the art, by building three-dimensional scaffolds that support tissue (tumour) growth within a controlled environment, so that not only the fate of each (SERS-labelled) cell within the tumour can be monitored in real time (thus adding a fourth dimension to SERS bioimaging), but also recording the release of tumour metabolites and other indicators of cellular activity. Although 4DBIOSERS can be applied to a variety of diseases, we shall focus on cancer, melanoma and breast cancer in particular, as these are readily accessible by optical methods. We aim at acquiring a better understanding of tumour growth and dynamics, while avoiding animal experimentation. 3D printing will be used to generate hybrid scaffolds where tumour and healthy cells will be co-incubated to simulate a more realistic environment, thus going well beyond the potential of 2D cell cultures. Each cell type will be encoded with ultra-bright SERS tags, so that real-time monitoring can be achieved by confocal SERS microscopy. Tumour development will be correlated with simultaneous detection of various cancer biomarkers, during standard conditions and upon addition of selected drugs. The scope of 4DBIOSERS is multidisciplinary, as it involves the design of high-end nanocomposites, development of 3D cell culture models and optimization of emerging SERS tomography methods.

2 410 771 €

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

The aim of the present proposal is to establish a research team developing and exploiting innovative techniques to study conformal field theories (CFT) analytically. Our approach does not rely on a Lagrangian description but on symmetries and consistency conditions. As such it applies to any CFT, offering a unified framework to study generic CFTs analytically. The initial implementation of this program has already led to striking new results and insights for both Lagrangian and non-Lagrangian CFTs. The overarching aims of my team will be: To develop an analytic bootstrap program for CFTs in general dimensions; to complement these techniques with more traditional methods and develop a systematic machinery to obtain analytic results for generic CFTs; and to use these results to gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories. The proposal will bring together researchers from different areas. The objectives in brief are: 1) Develop an alternative to Feynman diagram computations for Lagrangian CFTs. 2) Develop a machinery to compute loops for QFT on AdS, with and without gravity. 3) Develop an analytic approach to non-perturbative N=4 SYM and other CFTs. 4) Determine the space of all CFTs. 5) Gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories. The outputs of this proposal will include a new way of doing perturbative computations based on symmetries; a constructive derivation of the AdS/CFT duality; new analytic techniques to attack strongly coupled systems and invaluable new lessons about the space of CFTs and QFTs. Success in this research will lead to a completely new, unified way to view and solve CFTs, with a huge impact on several branches of physics and mathematics.

2 171 483 €

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

The role of the African continent in the global carbon cycle, and therefore in climate change, is increasingly recognised. Despite the increasingly acknowledged importance of Africa in the global carbon cycle and its high vulnerability to climate change there is still a lack of studies on the carbon cycle in representative African ecosystems (in particular tropical forests), and on the effects of climate on ecosystem-atmosphere exchange. In the present proposal we want to focus on these spoecifc objectives : 1. Understand the role of African tropical rainforest on the GHG balance of the atmosphere and revise their role on the global methane and N2O emissions. 2. Determine the carbon source/sink strength of African tropical rainforest in the pre-industrial versus the XXth century by temporal reconstruction of biomass growth with biogeochemical markers 3. Understand and quantify carbon and GHG fluxes variability across African tropical forests (west east equatorial belt) 4.Analyse the impact of forest degradation and deforestation on carbon and other GHG emissions

2 406 950 €

Start date: 2010-04-01, End date: 2014-12-31

This interdisciplinary proposal has the objective to greatly enhance our understanding of fundamental biomineralization processes involved in the formation of calcium carbonates by marine organisms, such as corals, foraminifera and bivalves, in order to better understand vital effects. This is essential to the application of these carbonates as proxies for global (paleo-) environmental change. The core of the proposal is an experimental capability that I have pioneered during 2008: Dynamic stable isotopic labeling during formation of carbonate skeletons, tests, and shells, combined with NanoSIMS imaging. The NanoSIMS ion microprobe is a state-of-the-art analytical technology that allows precise elemental and isotopic imaging with a spatial resolution of ~100 nanometers. NanoSIMS imaging of the isotopic label(s) in the resulting biocarbonates and in associated cell-structures will be used to uncover cellular-level transport processes, timescales of formation of different biocarbonate components, as well as trace-elemental and isotopic fractionations. This will uncover the origin of vital effects. With this proposal, I establish a new scientific frontier and guarantee European leadership. The technical and scientific developments resulting from this work are broadly applicable and will radically change scientific ideas about marine carbonate biomineralization and compositional vital effects.

2 182 000 €

Start date: 2010-07-01, End date: 2015-06-30

Despite that C–H functionalization represents a paradigm shift from the standard logic of organic synthesis, the selective activation of non-functionalized alkanes has puzzled chemists for centuries and is always referred to one of the remaining major challenges in chemical sciences. Alkanes are inert compounds representing the major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Converting these cheap and widely available hydrocarbon feedstocks into added-value intermediates would tremendously affect the field of chemistry. For long saturated hydrocarbons, one must distinguish between non-equivalent but chemically very similar alkane substrate C−H bonds, and for functionalization at the terminus position, one must favor activation of the stronger, primary C−H bonds at the expense of weaker and numerous secondary C-H bonds. The goal of this work is to develop a general principle in organic synthesis for the preparation of a wide variety of more complex molecular architectures from saturated hydrocarbons. In our approach, the alkane will first be transformed into an alkene that will subsequently be engaged in a metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration sequence. The first step of the sequence, ideally represented by the removal of two hydrogen atoms, will be performed by the use of a mutated strain of Rhodococcus. The position and geometry of the formed double bond has no effect on the second step of the reaction as the metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration will isomerize the double bond along the carbon skeleton to selectively produce the primary organometallic species. Trapping the resulting organometallic derivatives with a large variety of electrophiles will provide the desired functionalized alkane. This work will lead to the invention of new, selective and efficient processes for the utilization of simple hydrocarbons and valorize the synthetic potential of raw hydrocarbon feedstock for the environmentally benign production of new compounds and new materials.

2 499 375 €

Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31

The application's unifying theme is cognition. Any decision reflects the information that comes to the decision-maker's awareness at the moment of making the decision. In turn, this information is the stochastic outcome of a sequence of more or less conscious choices and of awareness manipulation by third parties. The three parts of this application all are concerned with two factors of limited awareness (cognitive costs and motivated beliefs) and with the application of imperfect cognition to economics. The various projects can be subsumed into three themes, each with different subprojects: 1. Self-serving beliefs, laws, norms and taboos (expressive function of the law, taboos, dignity and contracts). 2. Cognition, markets, and contracts (mechanism design under costly cognition, directing attention in markets and politics). 3. Cognition and individual decision-making (foundations of some non-standard preferences). The methodology for this research will be that of formal economic modeling and welfare analysis, enriched with important insights from psychology and sociology. It will also include experimental (laboratory) investigations. The output will first take the form of a series of articles in economics journals, as well as, for the research described in Part 1, a book to disseminate the research to broader, multidisciplinary and non-specialized audiences.

1 910 400 €

Start date: 2010-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31

The fundamental objective of the research described in this proposal is to lay the foundations for understanding how structural complexity can give rise to materials properties inaccessible to structurally-simple states. The long-term vision is a paradigm shift in the way we as chemists design materials—the “Complexity Revolution”—where we move to thinking beyond the unit cell and harness unconventional order to generate emergent states with entirely novel behaviour. The key methodologies of the project are (i) exploitation of the rich structural information accessible using 3D-PDF / diffuse scattering techniques, (ii) exploration of the phase behaviour of unconventional ordered states using computational methods, and (iii) experimental/computational studies of a broad range of materials in which complexity arises from a large variety of different phenemona. In this way, the project will establish how we might controllably introduce complexity into materials by varying chemical composition and synthesis, how we might then characterise these complex states, and how we might exploit this complexity when designing next-generation materials with unprecedented electronic, catalytic, photonic, information storage, dielectric, topological, and magnetic properties.

3 362 635 €

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

The magnitude and impacts of many aspects of projected climate change due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are expected to be greater for larger global mean surface temperature change. Although climate models have hugely improved, knowledge has grown and confidence increased, the climate feedback parameter, which determines the amount of global warming that results at equilibrium for a given radiative forcing (the heating due to greenhouse gases and other agents) is still very uncertain; for example, the range of equilibrium warming for a CO2 concentration of twice the pre-industrial level is 1.5-4.5 K, the same as estimated 25 years ago. It is widely assumed that we can evaluate the climate feedback parameter from the observed past or from an idealised model experiment with increased CO2, then use it to estimate global warming for future scenarios. However, research has revealed that, as well as being uncertain, the climate feedback parameter is not constant; it depends on the nature and magnitude of the forcing agent, it changes over time under constant forcing, it does not apply equally to spontaneous unforced climate variability, and it is not the same in the historical record and projections. The hypothesis of this project is that these reflect inadequacies of the global energy balance framework, which relates radiative forcing, climate feedback and ocean heat uptake to transient climate change. The objectives are therefore to develop a new framework for describing the variations of the coupled atmosphere--ocean climate system, by taking into account the relationships between the geographical patterns of change and its time-development in analyses of simulated and observed climate change, and to apply this framework to the analysis of historical climate change, in order to set refined constraints on the processes, pattern and magnitude of future CO2-forced climate change.

2 127 711 €

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

Crustal magmatism is periodic on a very wide range of timescales from pulses of continental crustal growth, through formation of granite batholiths, to eruptions from individual volcanic centres. The cause of this periodicity is not understood. I aim to address this long-standing geological problem through a combination of experiments, petrological methods and numerical models via a novel proposal that periodicity arises because of the highly non-linear ( critical ) behaviour of magma crystallinity with temperature in a series of linked crustal magma reservoirs. The ultimate objective is to answer five fundamental questions: " Why is crustal magmatism episodic? " How are large batholiths formed of rather similar magmas over long periods of time? " How do large bodies of eruptible magma develop that can lead to huge, caldera-forming eruptions? " What controls the chemistry of crustal magmas? Why are some compositions over-represented relative to others? " What is the thermal structure beneath volcanic arcs and how does it evolve with time? The project will address these questions through case studies of three contrasted active volcanoes: Nevado de Toluca, Mexico; Soufriere St Vincent, Lesser Antilles; and Mount Pinatubo, Philippines. For each volcano I will use experimental petrology to constrain the phase relations of the most recently erupted magma as a function of pressure, temperature, volatile content and oxygen fugacity in the shallow, sub-volcanic storage region. I will also carry out high-pressure phase equilibria on coeval Mg-rich basaltic rocks from each area with the aim of constraining the lower crustal conditions under which the shallow magmas were generated and use diffusion chronometry to constrain the frequency of magmatic pulses in the sub-volcanic reservoirs. The project will result in a quantum leap forwards in how experimental and observational petrology can be used to understand magmatic behaviour beneath hazardous volcanoes

2 959 518 €

Start date: 2010-04-01, End date: 2015-03-31

Archaea are increasingly recognized as globally abundant organisms that mediate important processes controlling greenhouse gases and nutrients. Our latest work, published in PNAS and Nature, suggests that Archaea dominate the biomass in the subseafloor. Their unique ability to cope with extreme energy starvation appears to be a selecting factor. Marine sediments are of crucial importance to the redox balance and climate of our planet but the regulating role of the deep biosphere remains one of the great puzzles in biogeochemistry. The unique and diverse sedimentary Archaea with no cultured representatives, so-called benthic archaea, are key to understanding this system. Their presumed ability to degrade complex recalcitrant organic residues highlights their relevance for the carbon cycle and as potential targets for biotechnology. I propose to study the role of benthic archaea in the carbon cycle and in the deep biosphere and to explore their life strategies. This task requires an interdisciplinary frontier research approach at the scale of an ERC grant, involving biogeochemistry, earth sciences, and microbiology. Central to my research strategy is the information contained in structural and isotopic properties of membrane lipids from benthic archaea, an area of research spearheaded by my lab. In-depth geochemical examination of their habitat will elucidate processes they mediate. Metagenomic analysis will provide a phylogenetic framework and further insights on metabolism. At the Archaeenzentrum in Regensburg, we will grow model Archaea under a set of environmental conditions and examine the impact on cellular lipid distributions in order to develop the full potential of lipids as proxies for studying nearly inaccessible microbial life. Attempts to enrich benthic archaea from sediments will complement this approach. This frontier research will constrain the role of benthic archaea in the Earth system and examine the fundamental properties of life at minimum energy.

2 908 590 €

Start date: 2010-04-01, End date: 2015-03-31

The main objective of this proposal is to design and implement a novel scheme for efficient, deterministic, lossless photon-photon interactions, and to exploit it to achieve logical processing and quantum measurements on optical light beams. For that purpose, we will create, study and exploit a new transparent medium, based on the transient excitation of Rydberg polaritons, where the optical non-linearities are so large that they can act at the single photon level. These techniques will be applied to perform quantum measurements and manipulations of light beams. This will include the deterministic generation of single photons and optical Schrödinger's cat states, the implementation of quantum non-demolition (QND) measurements for the photon number and the parity operators, and the demonstration of controlled-phase and controlled-not quantum gates. These operations will be implemented in the optical domain, where they can be combined with efficient propagation in free space or in optical fibers, and with high efficiency detectors already available, in order to open an avenue towards a fully deterministic quantum engineering of light.

2 496 000 €

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

We plan to construct a theoretical bridge between classical dynamic allocation models used in Operations Research/Management Science, and between the modern theory of mechanism design. Our theoretical results will generate insights for the construction of applied pricing schemes and testable implications about the pattern of observed prices. The Economics literature has focused on information and incentive issues in static models, whereas the Operations Research/Management Science literature has looked at dynamic models that were often lacking strategic/ informational aspects. There is an increased recent interest in combining these bodies of knowledge, spurred by studies of yield management, and of decentralized platforms for interaction/ communication among agents. A general mechanism design analysis starts with the characterization of all dynamically implementable allocation policies. Variational arguments can be used then to characterize optimal policies. The research will focus on models with multidimensional incomplete information, such as: 1) Add incomplete information to the dynamic & stochastic knapsack problem; 2) Allow for strategic purchase time in dynamic pricing models; 3)Allow for competing mechanism designers. The ensuing control problems are often not standard and require special tools. An additional attack line will be devoted to models that combine design with learning about the environment. The information revealed by an agent affects then both the value of the current allocation, and the option value of future allocations. We plan to: 1) Derive the properties of learning processes that allow efficient, dynamic implementation; 2) Characterize second-best mechanism in cases where adaptive learning and efficiency are not compatible with each other.

1 123 200 €

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

The advent of the Internet and the increased power of modern day computing have dramatically changed the economic landscape. Billions of dollars worth of goods are being auctioned among geographically dispersed buyers; online brokerages are used to find jobs, trade stocks, make travel arrangements, etc. The architecture of these online (trading) platforms is typically rooted in their pre-Internet counterparts, and advances in the theory of market design combined with increased computing capabilities prompt a careful re-evaluation. This proposal concerns the creation of novel, more flexible institutions using an approach that combines theory, laboratory experiments, and practical policy. The first project enhances our understanding of newly designed package auctions by developing equilibrium models of competitive bidding and measuring the efficacy of alternative formats in controlled experiments. The next project studies novel market forms that allow for all-or-nothing trades to alleviate inefficiencies and enhance dynamic stability when complementarities exist. The third project concerns the design of market regulation and procurement contests to create better incentives for research and development. The fourth project addresses information aggregation properties of alternative voting institutions, suggesting improvements for referenda and jury/committee voting. The Internet has also dramatically altered the nature of social interactions. Emerging institutions such as online social networking tools, rating systems, and web-community Q&A services reduce social distances and catalyze opportunities for social learning. The final project focuses on social learning in a variety of settings and on the impact of social networks on behavior. Combined these projects generate insights that apply to a broad array of social and economic environments and that will guide practitioners to the use of better designed institutions.

1 797 525 €

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

Economics provides decision-makers with powerful tools to analyse a wide range of issues. The methodological unity of the discipline and its quest for a general understanding of market as well as non-market interactions have given the discipline great influence on policy. A core component of economics is its assumption that individuals act as if they each had some goal function that they seek to maximise, under the constraints they face and the information they have. Despite significant advances in behavioural economics, there still is no consensus as to whether and why certain preferences are more likely than others. Further progress could be made if the factors that shape human motivation in the first place were understood. The aim of this project is to produce novel insights about such factors, by establishing evolutionary foundations of human motivation.The project's scope is ambitious. First, it will study two large classes of interactions: strategic interactions, and interactions within the realm of the family. Second, to obtain both depth and breadth of insights, it will consist of four different, but inter-related, components (three theoretical and one empirical), the ultimate goal being to significantly enhance our overall understanding of the factors that shape human motivation. The methodology is ground-breaking in that it is strongly interdisciplinary. Parts of the body of knowledge built by biologists and evolutionary anthropologists in the past decades will be combined with state-of-the-art economics to produce insights that cannot be obtained within any single discipline. Focus will nonetheless be on addressing issues of importance for economists.The proposed research builds on extensive work done by the PI in the past decade. It will benefit from the years that the PI has invested in understanding the biology and the evolutionary anthropology literatures, and in contributing towards building an interdisciplinary research ecosystem in Toulouse, France

1 550 891 €

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

In this project I will study the generation, detection, and interaction with matter of Flying Toroids, a new type of light pulses never experimentally studied before. This represents an exciting opportunity to advance optics and electromagnetism in a radically new direction since Hertz, Marconi, Popov and Tesla developed technology for generating, detecting, and communicating with transverse electromagnetic waves. Conventional transverse electromagnetic waves propagate in free-space with the electric and magnetic field vectors perpendicular to the wave propagation direction, forming the famous triad. Theoretical analysis of recent years has shown that another, very different type of waves exists, which propagate at the speed of light, but only occur as short bursts of electromagnetic energy in the form of Flying Toroids. Flying Toroids are inseparable solutions of Maxwell equations with a unique, doughnut-like configuration of the electric and magnetic fields. Flying Toroids interact with matter in unique ways, drastically different from that of conventional electromagnetic pulses. In a broader context, the electrodynamics of Flying Toroids is an exciting emerging field of optical science linked to intriguing recent developments in physics such as toroidal dipoles and anapoles, and, due to their topology, to Majorana fermions and skyrmions. Building on my recent proof-of-principle demonstration of Flying Toroid generation through conversion of few-cycle conventional transverse light pulses in artificial photonic nanostructures, my goal for this project is to experimentally study and understand the fundamental properties of Flying Toroids and their interaction with matter at optical frequencies, and to assess their potential for developing new technologies. In my vision this project can lead to spectacular new opportunities for spectroscopic and light-enabled applications, and will impact on other branches of science, from astronomy to solid-state physics.

2 570 198 €

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

We outline an ambitious 5 year interdisplinary research programme that introduces a fundamentally new platform to the fabrication of nanoelectronic and liquid crystal devices, current areas of intense scientific and technological interest. The new approach involves the use of block copolymer micelles and block comicelles prepared by Crystallization-Driven Living Polymerization (CDLP) processes. This novel method allows unprecedented access to well-defined micelle architectures (with size control, narrow size distribution, and access to segmented structures that possess heterojunctions). Crosslinking will also be used to optimize micelle mechanical properties where necessary. The new platform offers very promising advantages over competitive methods for realising nanomaterials these include ambient temperature synthesis and solution processing, easy control of dimensions and aspect ratio, electronic properties, and semiconductor/semiconductor or semiconductor/dielectric junction fabrication. In addition, the use of hydrophilic coronas should, in principle, allow the self-assembly processes and subsequent manipulations to be performed in water.

1 658 544 €

Start date: 2010-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31

The observation that matter dominates over anti-matter in the Universe is one of the most critical open questions in physics. A natural explanation of this asymmetry postulates neutrinos as their own anti-particles, usually referred to as Majorana particles. The only practical way to establish the Majorana character of neutrinos is the experimental search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (NDBD). This decay violates lepton-number conservation and would establish new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The Germanium eXploration (GemX) project will focus on cutting-edge research towards a ton-scale NDBD decay experiment based on germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge, and thereby sustain a European leadership also in the next-generation worldwide experimental competition. With its superior energy resolution and lowest background, a one-ton 76Ge experiment has potentially the highest sensitivity for discovering NDBD decay amongst the next-generation experiments. A discovery would be groundbreaking in the fields of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The goal of GemX is to develop and evaluate novel HPGe detectors enriched in 76Ge, test their performance in LEGEND-200 and inform the design decisions of the future flagship 1000-kg experiment LEGEND-1000, which the PI leads as elected European spokesperson. GemX will (1) investigate new Ge detector designs with increased mass and improved pulse shape discrimination to enhance background reduction; (2) develop a crystal growth process from germanium material enriched in 76Ge for large high-purity Ge crystals with suitable net-impurity concentrations in Europe; (3) develop the production of large Ge detectors enriched in 76Ge with minimal activation by cosmic radiation and with full control of surface contaminations from alpha contaminations; (4) deploy, test and operate the novel detectors in the TUM underground liquid argon test stand and in LEGEND-200 at the LNGS, Italy.

3 355 460 €

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

We propose the development of modern wet chemical concepts for the mass production and chemical modification of graphene - a rapidly rising star on the horizon of materials science - opening the door for superior but still elusive applications such as transparent electrodes, field effect transistors, solar cells, gas sensors and polymer enforcement. Owing to its spectacular electronic properties graphene is expected to be the most promising candidate to replace classical Si-technology and no longer requires any further proof of its importance in terms of fundamental physics. However, fully exploiting the proposed applications requires the availability of processable graphene in large quantities, which generally has been considered to be an insurmountable challenge. This is where the GRAPHENOCHEM project sets in. Our laboratory has been pioneering and is at the forefront of carbon allotrope chemistry. After having investigated basic principles for the functionalization of the 0-dimensional fullerenes and the 1-dimensional carbon nanotubes, which lead to synthesis of numerous examples of derivatives with tailor made properties, we recently started successfully with the investigation of wet chemical approaches for the efficient production of graphene sheets using graphite as an inexpensive starting material. The strategy of GRAPHENOCHEM is to combine chemistry, nanotechnology and materials science to establish highly efficient protocols for the mass production of soluble graphene and the subsequent processing to a whole variety of thins films, composites and devices with outstanding properties. To our knowledge we are the first synthetic organic chemists facing this challenge. We propose to go through the following sequential key objectives, namely: Development of efficient protocols for the mass production of soluble single layer graphene, cloning of graphene, chemical functionalization and doping of graphene, and engineering of graphene based materials and devices.

1 436 400 €

Start date: 2010-02-01, End date: 2015-01-31

The proposal is to use our great synthetic control to examine the use of heterometallic cyclic coordination compounds (heterometallic rings, HRs) in two distinct application areas. One is of immediate impact: the use of the HRs as resist materials for lithography. This work has already been patented and is being developed as a means to fabricate devices that will be needed at the 7 nm node and smaller. The synthetic control also means we can make resists for extreme UV lithography (13 nm wavelength) which meet the tight specifications needed for industrial application. The second application is more long term, which is the proposal that such rings could be used as qubits in quantum information processing. Here we will build on recent work that has established a diamagnetic matrix in which complex polymetallic assembly could be incorporated. This gives us the opportunity of performing algorithms during the project and hence laying the ground-work for future developments.

2 477 003 €

Start date: 2018-09-01, End date: 2023-08-31

The project aims to take new thinking and concepts in organofluorine chemistry and apply this thinking to the design of novel performance molecules to explore properties and function in a predictable manner. The focus is on two areas. The first involves organic materials/polymers and the second focuses on selected topics in biochemical and medicinal chemistry. Both areas exploit the stereoelectronic influence of the C-F bond, and its interaction with nearby functional groups. In particular the polar nature of the C-F bond is now used as a design feature to manipulate molecular conformation across a range of case studies, judged to be of contemporary interest. One aspect of the programme will prepare a series of compounds containing multiple fluoromethylene groups. Care will be taken to prepare individual stereoisomers for comparitive studies. The aim is to develop new structural motifs for liquid crystals and polar polymers. The study e will extend to the design and synthesis of small, but highly polar, monomers for polymerisation. There is a particular focus on preparing a new generation of polar organic polymers, as potential piezo- and ferro- electric materials to meet the current challenge to prepare novel self-poling materials. The research programme emerges from an increaing recognition that the C-F bond responds to the stereo-electronic influence of neighbouring functional groups. Some functional appear frequently in biochemistry. The programme will utilise the stereogenic placement of the C-F bond in the design of neurotransmitter analogues, to influence and explore their binding conformation to receptors. The central methodology will involve advanced methods in organic synthesis, and in particular the construction of molecules with C-F at stereogenic centres. The programme will also involve advanced tecniques for conformational analysis (NMR, X-ray, computational), polymer analysis and biochemical assays.

1 418 575 €

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

The nature of the Dark Universe is an outstanding question in modern science, and is connected with our understanding of the reality at the most fundamental level. Despite the enormous success of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics, a number of shortcomings of the theory and the fact that it does not account for the Dark Matter and Energy, prompt theorists to propose possible hypothetical extensions. Some of these extensions predict the existence of very-light and very-weakly-coupled axions (or axion-like particles, ALPs). Recent theoretical and phenomenological work is sharpening the physics case of these particles. They are now considered as very motivated portals for physics beyond the SM, and in particular as very plausible Dark Matter candidates. In addition, some intriguing astrophysical observations might be interpreted as hints for their existence. The International Axion Observatory IAXO is one of the most ambitious proposals to find the axion. Its baseline configuration relies on the search for solar axions, but could also host relic axion detectors. IAXO will go well beyond current experiments' sensitivity and will probe a large fraction of the -still unexplored- parameter space of the axion and ALPs. The scope of the present proposal encompasses the realization of a first complete intermediate experimental stage, BabyIAXO, including prototypes of the IAXO magnet and detection systems. It will already provide relevant physics outcome in the time-frame of the current grant, while preparing the ground for, and extending the physics reach of, the full IAXO. In particular, BabyIAXO will already be able to test a number of axion and ALP models that are invoked by the aforementioned astrophysical hints and therefore already at this stage there is potential for discovery. The detection of a new fundamental pseudoscalar -potentially solving the DM problem- would lead to a breakthrough in Particle Physics, Cosmology and Astrophysics.

3 106 875 €

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

We propose to study the determinants of the accumulation of productive assets among poor households in developing countries with a special, but not exclusive focus, on human capital. We plan to study how preferences, beliefs, information, expectations and available resources affect investment decisions, how these investment decisions are transformed in assets and how these assets can affect the material well being of poor households. We will also study how the availability (or lack thereof) of credit and insurance markets affects the accumulation of productive assets of poor households. An important part of our research is the construction, validation and use of innovative measurement tools. We plan to construct and use quantitative measures of beliefs, expectations, attitudes and preferences. We will be able to embed these measures in surveys being collected for the evaluation of a variety of policies and government programs in developing countries. The use of data from the evaluation of development policies has the additional advantage of capturing variation in resources and incentives that is introduced in an exogenous and controlled fashion. This allows the empirical identification of rich and credible structural models. The specific projects that make our research agenda will focus on three types of determinants: (i) preferences, perceptions, information and expectations; (ii) technology (how various inputs- investments- are converted into assets); (iii) resources and markets to access them. Estimation of these models will allow us to go beyond the simple estimation of the impacts of given policies, and shed light on the mechanisms and causal path that from individual perceptions, beliefs and expectations lead to investment choices and, eventually, to outcomes.

1 636 185 €

Start date: 2010-07-01, End date: 2013-12-31

Single extreme weather events can be hazardous, but for certain socioeconomic sectors the seasonal aggregation of weather is particularly harmful. Extremes on timescales up to two weeks are typically related to specific weather systems, but no such link exists for extreme seasons. Therefore, they are very difficult to meteorologically understand, despite their utmost societal relevance. This project aims at filling this gap, providing a multi-faceted analysis of different types of extreme seasons in a changing climate. Very large ensembles of climate simulations serve to investigate the characteristics and dynamics of the, e.g., hottest and coldest, and wettest and driest, season in regions worldwide. The extreme season characteristics include their spatial scale and their extremeness given the entire distribution of seasonal values in this region. Their dynamics is related to the fundamental understanding of the sequence of weather events that makes a season extreme: is it a single, highly unusual weather event that renders a season the most extreme (e.g., an unprecedented heat wave) or rather an unusual frequency of well-known weather systems (e.g., a series of strongly precipitating cyclones). These paradigms, referred to as “something new” vs. “more of the same”, are particularly relevant when considering extreme seasons in a warming climate. This project will combine state-of-the-art climate modelling, a unique set of weather-system diagnostics informed by profound dynamical understanding, and novel impact assessment pathways to address three main hypotheses: 1) different types of extreme seasons differ in terms of their spatial scale and relation to weather systems; 2) for specific types of extreme seasons, future climate simulations indicate a marked increase of extremeness; and 3) for certain socioeconomic sectors, the consequences of the future modulation of extreme seasons is more severe than inferred from climate change trend considerations alone.

2 500 000 €

Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31

Cosmic magnetic fields, including those of planets, stars, and galaxies, are being generated by the homogenous dynamo effect in flowing electrically conducting fluids. Once produced, these fields may play an active role in cosmic structure formation by fostering angular momentum transport and mass accretion onto central objects, like protostars or black holes, by means of the magnetorotational instability (MRI). Complementary to the decades-long theoretical research into both effects, the last years have seen great progress in respective experimental investigations. The dynamo effect had been verified in three liquid sodium experiments in Riga, Karlsruhe and Cadarache. The helical and the azimuthal versions of the MRI, as well as the current-driven Tayler instability (TI), were demonstrated at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR). Here, I propose to make three further breakthroughs in this research field. First, I plan to demonstrate dynamo action based on a precession driven flow of liquid sodium in a cylindrical vessel. Besides thermal and compositional buoyancy, precession has been discussed as a complementary power source of the dynamos of the Earth, the ancient Moon, and other cosmic bodies. A second experiment will deal with magnetically triggered flow instabilities of astrophysical importance, with the main focus on attaining standard MRI, and various combinations of MRI and TI. Both experiments will be carried out at the DRESDYN facility at HZDR which has been conceived by me and which will enter into operation in 2019. In contrast to these well-advanced experimental concepts, my third liquid sodium experiment, which aims at showing the magnetic destabilization of rotating flows with radially increasing angular velocity, still requires more numerical simulations and design engineering. Given the comparatively less demanding technical parameters of this set-up, I expect first experimental results within the funding period, too.

2 493 250 €

Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31