The European Research Council – ERC – was founded by the European Commission. It offers funding programs for excellent researchers in Europe who pursue groundbreaking projects and innovative research ideas. The ERC grants are prestigious and aimed especially at supporting projects with a high scientific and social impact. These grants offer significant financial resources and allow the researchers who obtain the funding to pursue their research aims independently and at an internationally competitive level.
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ERC Starting Grants
For promising researchers who would like to establish their first independent research group. A prerequisite is 2 to 7 years postdoctoral experience.
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With the project kineticSHAPES, Dr. Carlos L. Bassani, research associate at the Professorship for Modeling of Self-Organization Processes, hopes to develop simulation techniques that will improve our understanding of the shape of nanocrystals. These tiny crystals can adopt the shape of cubes, spheres, pyramids, plates, and other defined forms. The shape of nanocrystals is decisive for their surface, reactivity, optical characteristics, mechanical strength and their self-organizing behavior. This in turn can lead to the creation of new technologies such as photocatalysis for the green energy transition or new types of treatment for cancer.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
“Our daily life at work is an important factor for our social wellbeing,” says Prof. Dr. Adrian Meier, Professorship for Communication Science at FAU. “This is why it’s worrying that loneliness among employees has risen worldwide.” One in five feels lonely most of the time, with the numbers rising, and this holds many risks for staff members, organizations and companies. How are the most recent changes to the world of work, such as hybrid working and hybrid interactions, affecting social wellbeing? Are they contributing to the “loneliness epidemic” or could they be part of the solution? These are the questions Prof. Adrian Meier is now investigating in his HYIHY project funded by the ERC.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
“Until now, we have had to immobilize the organism in order to get good images,” Jana Hutter explains. “My aim is to adjust our imaging procedure to the moving body.” The professor of Smart Imaging and Data Profiling at FAU conducts research into pathology-oriented modeling and the physical foundations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In her ERC-funded project EARTHWORM, she focuses on diseases of the intestines and the womb, for instance Crohn’s disease and adenomyosis.
With his ERC-funded project HyperScaleEM, Philipp Pelz is developing methods for high-volume atomic 3D imaging using electron microscopes. His research covers three different areas. First, very light elements, such as hydrogen and oxygen, which are barely detectable using more traditional methods. Second, alloys that are difficult to characterize due to the fact that the included elements have a similar contrast and are therefore difficult to tell apart. "And third, nano and quantum electronics,” explains Pelz. “Here, structures are so small that the three dimensional positions and bonds between the individual atoms play a major role. I hope to make this visible.”
“I am passionate about catalysis. Demand is growing for more sustainable processes that either do not yet exist or that do not work well enough to be used in a technical setting. Catalysis is a tool that can help make such processes possible,” says Tanja Franken. When she refers to sustainable processes, the professor is thinking predominantly of processes aimed at saving CO2. These require catalysts that are custom made to suit these procedures, and that is exactly what the researcher plans to develop in her project.
A large number of people suffer from partial or complete muscular paralysis for which there is no cure. Although neural interfaces have the potential to restore motor function with the use of assistance systems, even the most up-to-date invasive neural implants only allow patients very limited control of the movement of their paralyzed limbs because the transfer of information from the brain to the assistance systems is too imprecise. With the ERC Starting Grant, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Professor of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing at FAU, hopes to develop interfaces that are better at transferring the desired movement to the prosthetic limb.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Prof. Dr. Silvia Budday researches the behavior of extremely soft materials under mechanical influences. These materials include hydrogels, but also human brain tissue. This is because mechanics influence the way cells function and thus also affect our health. The aim of the MAGERY project funded by the ERC Starting Grant is to prevent damage to brain cells caused by mechanical stresses, for example during brain surgery.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Neurodegenerative diseases and neurological dysfunction such as depression, Parkinson’s disease or dementia are affecting ever-growing sections of our society. Innovative approaches in neuroscience are required to treat these conditions effectively. Up to now, neuromodulation has usually been based on permanently implanted macroscopic hardware, which raises many safety concerns, is often not sufficiently precise and does not allow access to deeper regions of the brain. This is where the ERC Starting Grant project called BRAINMASTER led by Prof. Dr. Danijela Gregurec comes in: Her goal is to develop an innovative bimodal, wireless and minimally-invasive system for neuromodulation that will facilitate precisely positioned and timed treatment of neurological diseases.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Prof. Dr. Anna Nelles, who conducts research at FAU in her role as professor of experimental astroparticle physics and also works as a researcher at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY in Zeuthen (host institution for the ERC grant), is setting up a network of radio antennas in Greenland in order to detect extremely energetic neutrinos from space. Neutrinos are volatile elementary particles that can be stopped by almost nothing. They can pass unhindered through walls, planets and entire galaxies and thus reach us from the farthest corners of the cosmos and from the center of extreme processes such as supernova explosions of stars or from the dust disks around black holes.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
A non-invasive alternative for colonoscopy is multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT), a molecularly-sensitive ultrasound. This optical imaging method uses laser light to generate vibrations in the body that are detected using highly-sensitive detectors and are then put together to generate an image. In his ERC-funded project, PD Dr. Dr. Ferdinand Knieling researches how MSOT can be further developed and used for the early localization of inflammatory processes in the intestines. In conjunction with his team, he discovered that dyes given orally to patients enable dynamic visualization of the entire gastric tract. The advantage of this molecular sensitive approach is that these types of contrast agents are not absorbed by the body and are passed largely unchanged by the body.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Stefan Uderhardt was recognised for his outstanding contribution to science to date and for his particularly innovative research project. He now hopes to use the funding to investigate the ‘Internet of connective tissue’ in our body, with the aim of finding out how the body launches targeted immune reactions against threats. In his project named ‘Network Synergies in Stromal Tissue Homeostasis and Prevention of Inflammatory Disease’, Stefan Uderhardt suggests a revolutionary concept revolving around an ‘Internet of tissue’ which communicates the place, time and extent of the damage to the macrophages.
Braun wants to use the ERC Starting Grant to investigate the effects of digitalization in the healthcare sector on people in more detail. “Part of the technologies that are emerging are something known as digital twins”, says ethics specialist Braun. These digital twins are simulations of certain bodily functions, for example of organs, that are generated using artificial intelligence. They can make predictions in real time about health risks and the progression of diseases and provide individual feedback and warnings. The digital twin could also be used for tests to determine if and which methods of treatment could be promising for a specific patient. It could also be used for training and testing purposes for surgery.
Dr. Johannes Fürst wants to significantly improve forecasting models for the development of glaciers worldwide in his project FRAGILE. He intends to use systematic modelling techniques to exploit vast quantities of satellite data, which have not been widely used to date, including satellite images from the past 20 to 30 years. The vast data available now includes fortnightly coverage of each glacier on our planet, including measurements of its current speed and surface. This information will be incorporated gradually and systematically into the new forecasting model.
In his PUSH-IT project, Dr. Dominik Munz aims to develop new reaction concepts that will create the reactions needed in the production of medications or for energy conversion and storage. The intended ‘dream’ reactions should be made possible through charge separation, which can be understood as pushing electrons into chemical bonds.
The aim of Dr. Benoit Merle’s project is to develop nanoindentation as a new tool for experiments with a high strain rate – through simultaneous advances in hardware and experimental methods. The new process will be able to characterize millions of times higher strain rates than previous methods – at a scale that is millions of times smaller.
Veit Rothhammer beschäftigt sich mit der Rolle von Astrozyten bei Autoimmunerkrankungen des Gehirns und des Rückenmarks wie Multiple Sklerose. Astrozyten beeinflussen schwer therapierbare Phasen der Multiplen Sklerose maßgeblich. Durch ein besseres Verständnis ihrer Funktion soll es gelingen, neue Therapieansätze für die Krankheit zu entwickeln, um die starken Schäden an Gehirn und Rückenmark zu behandeln.
Weitere Informationen in der Pressemitteilung der TU München
The immune system of those suffering from an autoimmune disease can no longer differentiate between the body’s own tissue and external threats and triggers an inflammatory response to defend itself, initially in one organ such as the colon or the skin. In time, the inflammation spreads from the area initially affected to other areas of the body and the disease becomes more serious. With his working group, Dr Andreas Ramming is investigating molecular mechanisms that trigger the spread of these autoimmune diseases to other parts of the body. During the last few years, Ramming and his team have been collecting data and have discovered the first molecular signatures that seem to foster this serious reaction. The team of physicians now want to investigate further to find out more about the processes behind it and to understand which cells are involved.
Weitere Informationen finden Sie in der Pressemitteilung zur Preisvergabe.
Steel has been used as a material for thousands of years, but it will continue to play an important role in the future. Hydrogen is set to become an important energy source and steel tanks will be required for storing it, which underlines the significance of research into advancing the development of this material. Peter Felfer has accepted the challenge. However, hydrogen is really the arch-enemy of steel. When penetrated by hydrogen, steel quickly becomes fragile and brittle. Peter Felfer is researching the mechanisms behind this process.
Two-dimensional materials have become the focus of research in the field of materials science due to their physical properties and potential applications. Gonzalo Abellán Saez is conducting research into the elements phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth. These materials boast a wide range of properties, allowing them to be used in a large number of applications. These new 2D materials are extremely suitable for use in optoelectronics, energy storage and catalysis, but could also be used to manufacture batteries or solar cells. They could also prove useful for the development of new lasers, screens and data carriers.
Stefan Sandfeld’s aim is to find a ‘language’ for dislocation microstructures. This term refers to the defects responsible for mechanical, optical, and electronic properties in metals or semiconductors. This language should enable researchers to compare and analyse various methods and data. Stefan Sandfeld received the ERC Grant at TU Freiberg.
Weitere Informationen in der Cordis Datenbank zum Projekt von Stefan Sandfeld
Martin Eckstein’s research involves investigating how properties such as magnetism or superconductivity can be manipulated in extremely short periods of time using solid state structures with the aid of ultrafast spectroscopy. For example, this also involves switching between various states with varying properties, which could one day lead to new and fast communication technology. Martin Eckstein was awarded the ERC Grant at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter.
Pressemitteilung des Max-Planck-Instituts für Struktur und Dynamik der Materie
Björn Braunschweig investigates foams from A to Z. He investigates all levels of the hierarchy, from the minute to the gigantic, examining the molecular structure at the interface, the foam bubbles themselves along with their walls and lamellae, and finally the foam which is visible to the eye. Björn Braunschweig studies the molecular structure of interfaces. With the knowledge about all scales in the foam formation process, he hopes to control and improve the properties of a foam in a targeted way.
Modern electronic devices not only have to be increasingly powerful, they also have to be increasingly small. Molecular electronics makes it possible for incredibly small components or sensors to be made from functional molecules. Sabine Maier investigates how the configuration of molecules and the way in which they interact with one another can be controlled. She hopes to create unimaginably thin carpets of single molecules that are extremely stable and that conduct electricity.
Andreas Bräuer investigates mixture heterogenity in high-pressure processes and its influence on product characteristics. As microscopes are not suitable tools for his analysis, he must use optical measuring techniques instead. These techniques make it possible to extract information about the state of the mixture at a specific place and time at both the molecular and macroscopic levels. Andreas Bräuer has developed such instruments himself in recent years.
Each and every day our immune systems have the difficult task of distinguishing between harmful micro-organisms and the body’s own cells. The human immune system carries out a kind of co-ordinated waste separation process using specialised phagocytes. It causes the immune response against pathogens and supports the maintenance of immunological tolerance towards the body itself. Gerhard Krönke aims to develop new methods of examining co-ordinated phagocytosis and the subsequent processing of pathogens and the body’s own dead cells. These findings will allow new treatments for infectious and autoimmune diseases to be developed.
Physicist Ana-Suncana Smith examines the way biomembranes function in living cells. Biomembranes are responsible for the selective transport of molecules or the transmission of signals between cells. Many drugs can only work if the biomembrane in the cell plays its part properly. Ana-Suncana Smith aims to determine the (bio)physical principles in cells and develop a theory that she will then test initially with biomimetic membranes, i.e. synthetic membranes that mimic nature, as simplified model systems. In the second test stage, living cells will be used.
The aim of Jana Zaumseil’s research is to improve the brightness and energy efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes. She uses so-called plasmonic nanoantennas, which are tiny particles of gold measuring only around 10 to 100 nanometres in diameter. In the same way that radio antennas amplify radio waves, these nanoantennas should amplify the light waves generated by the light-emitting diodes, thus making them illuminate more brightly. Organic light-emitting diodes can be used in the screens of smartphones and computers or in optical communication circuits.
More information is available in the press release about the award.
Mathematician Aldo Pratelli deals with geometric and functional inequalities, above all with isoperimetric and Sobolev inequalities. There are several unsolved problems in this field, which Aldo Pratelli would like to solve using various methods such as geometric constructions and symmetrisation.
Projektbeschreibung auf der Forschungsplattform der EU CORDIS
Jens Titze investigates the connection between deposits of sodium in the skin and the onset of high blood pressure. He was able to demonstrate that the immune system and the lymphatic vessel system are involved in regulating blood pressure in addition to the brain, blood vessels and kidneys. He and his team discovered that sodium can be stored in the skin. To detect this hidden salt, the body sends phagocytes into the skin where immune cells transport the salt out of the tissue. If this cleaning process is disrupted, the salt collects in the skin resulting in high blood pressure.
Florian Marquardt and his team carry out research into nanomechanical systems that are smaller than the width of a human hair. These systems are driven only by the pressure of light and their vibrations simultaneously retroact on the light field. The researcher hopes to record mechanical movements in the nanometre scale as precisely as possible. With this work, Marquardt hopes to open up new applications in signal and information processing, for example in optomechanical circuits or in biophysics.
As an immunologist, David Vöhringer researches immune factors that are responsible for the development of allergies. IgE antibodies that detect substances that are actually harmless and trigger an immune response as a result play a decisive role in this respect. David Vöhringer investigates these IgE antibodies, their lifespan and how they are formed. He received the ERC Grant at LMU Munich.
Above all, Katerina E. Aifantis is interested in materials in the nanometre scale and in nanomechanics in particular. Her research is carried out in the transition between the micro and nanometre scale and investigates microstructures, electrochemical capabilities and the biocompatibility of nanomaterials. She received the ERC Grant at the University of Thessaloniki.
Projektbeschreibung auf der Forschungsplattform der EU CORDIS
ERC Consolidator Grants
ERC Consolidator Grants are awarded to promising young researchers at the start of their independent careers.
More information on Consolidator Grants
Quantum computers promise to be significantly faster and more efficient than conventional computers in some areas of application. However, their processors still make mistakes. Prof. Dr. Christopher Eichler from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) is developing quantum processors that can detect and correct these mistakes more efficiently. The successful implementation of such methods is considered a key prerequisite for helping the technology achieve its breakthrough.
Weitere Informationen finden Sie in der Pressemitteilung zur Grant-Verleihung.
Neurons, the nerve cells in our brain, are extremely long-living and are virtually never replaced by new cells. It is therefore crucial that they retain their function and their cell type as robustly as possible. “Understanding the basic mechanisms for the durability and continued existence of neurons is the key to preventing and treating age-related neurological diseases,” explains Prof. Dr. Tomohisa Toda, professor of neural epigenetics at FAU.
Materials have a tough job: they must endure environmental challenges like heat, cold, and moisture, withstand mechanical forces, and, during manufacturing, each step must be carefully checked to ensure everything works as it should—for example, making sure composite materials are securely bonded together. Inspection processes aimed at screening materials are expensive and complex. That’s one reason why components are often replaced as a precaution, or entire products are simply thrown away instead of being recycled—even though they might still have plenty of life left in them.
Karl Mandel, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at FAU and Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg hopes to change that. He wants materials to be able to tell their story. “Materials and components should be made able to perceive, record and inform us of environmental stimuli, across the whole of their life cycle,” he explains.
With their machine learning project, Professor Kainz and his team hope to train computer programs to recognize healthy tissue structures. Artificial intelligence would then be able to pre-sort the images obtained during the diagnosis process into “probably healthy” or “possibly sick”. It goes without saying that the final decision is taken by the medical experts. With the support of the machines, however, medical staff would gain valuable time that they could then use to investigate any images deviating from the norm more thoroughly. As a knock-on effect, more patients could be treated, and patients would not have to wait so long to find out whether the images indicated that there was a problem with their health.
Prof. Dr. Aline Bozec hopes that her project will provide insights into local bone metabolism, in particular how osteocyte death is regulated at a molecular level. Osteocytes are long-living cells within the bone matrix and are by far the most common cells in bones. With her project, she aims to characterise the connections between osteocyte death and the molecular connection between osteocyte death and the stimulation of bone-destroying cells in conjunction with local bone diseases such as fractures, osteonecrosis and arthritis.
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Krönke would like to use his grant to research the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis and hopefully discover new means of treatment. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common inflammatory autoimmune diseases in the world. Although there is no cure for the disease (yet), treatments are available to relieve the painful symptoms and slow progression. Prof. Krönke plans to use to develop and combine various new molecular analysis methods such as single cell sequencing and 3D imaging methods.
Prof. Dr. Henry Dube is an unusual engineer: he builds molecular machines. The challenge he faces is that if you shrink technology down to molecular size, you are left with the question of how to process information at the molecular level and operate the technology. An approach from photochemistry has proven valuable. If you shine light on a molecule it moves from state A to state B, thereby working as a ‘photoswitch’. Prof. Dube is working to build photoswitches which can be moved to not just two but a number of different positions, giving them a higher information density. This would allow molecular machines to work much more precisely and let them be used for much more complex tasks. For example, materials could be given different properties or robotics systems could execute very precise gripping movements.
Prof. Dr. Maria Rentetzi is a physicist and a historian. This is reflected clearly in her research: she focuses on the common ground between science and technology, the history of science, the history of diplomacy, political science and international relations. She researches topics such as how responsibility for defining radiation protection measures moved away from scientific organisations to diplomatic organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the effects this ‘science diplomacy’ had.
How and why do things break? This is one question Erik Bitzek investigates in his research. Cracks form in materials when they are subject to loads. The early stages of crack formation are investigated using various materials. The purpose of this research is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the microscopic processes at the crack tip. By using this as a basis, materials scientists are able to develop and further improve new materials that are resistant to failure.
Fuel cells can be used to generate electricity from hydrogen and air. Chemist Bastian Etzold is researching into improved catalysts for such fuel cells. He coats the catalysts with ionic fluids, and has achieved a significant increase in performance as a result. Bastian Etzold received the ERC Grant at TU Darmstadt.
Cost-effective and sustainable materials can be used in solar cells thanks to nanostructuring. However, modern technology is much less efficient than silicon cells. A possible reason for this may be the disorderly geometry of the nanostructures used. This is the starting point for Julien Bachmann’s project. He wants to design the nanoscale geometry of the material interfaces to study their properties. The greater the surface between two semiconductors, the more light is absorbed and more electricity is generated. However, the larger this surface is, the less electricity is generated. Taking this contradiction into account, Bachmann’s goal is to find the perfect geometry required to achieve the best possible properties.
Mathematician Martin Burger, project leader in the Cells in Motion (CiM) Cluster of Excellence at WWU received around one million euros of funding for five years. With his team, he develops mathematical methods for image processing and for solving inverse problems. The latter involves drawing conclusions for the cause of an observed effect using mathematical models.One example of this is computer tomography, where an image of the inside of the body is generated by the attenuation of x-rays. The funded project is examining how to combine data and observed processes in biomedical imaging.
Physicist Peter Hommelhoff investigates the interaction between laser light and matter by focusing extremely short laser pulses on the ends of very sharp metal needle points. This releases electrons from the point of the needle which are measured by Hommelhoff and his team. They observe how many electrons are emitted using how much energy. The sharp point can also serve as a sensor that Peter Hommelhoff uses to measure optical fields. This fundamental research could result in new light-controlled and extremely fast transistors that could combine the laser pulses already used in glass fibres with electronics.
ERC Advanced Grants
The ERC awards Advanced Grants to excellent experienced researchers who have made significant achievements in the last ten years.
More information on Advanced Grants
Prof. Dr. Maria Chekhova, Professor of Optics at FAU and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, has succeeded in generating quantum light particles in ultra-thin materials. Because these materials are only a few hundred nanometers thick, different physical rules apply to them - for example, different types of quantum light can be generated simultaneously with a single one of these light sources. In the new project, Maria Chekhova now wants to exploit the full potential of these flat, multifunctional sources and generate not only pairs of light particles in experiments, but also much more complex quantum light states that have never been observed before. She also aims to convert entangled photons into other quantum forms or light frequencies.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Prof. Dr. Sjoerd Harder, Head of the Chair of Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry at FAU, and his team will investigate main group metals such as calcium, magnesium and aluminum in the zero-valent oxidation state in their project. Harder wants to take a particularly close look at one field of application in the second part of the project: catalysis. Contrary to all expectations, zero-valent main group metals are surprisingly good catalysts. This means that they are able to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed in the process, even under the mildest possible conditions, i.e. at relatively low temperatures, normal pressure and low energy input.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Among the topics Enrique Zuazua deals with are partial differential equations, control theory and numerics. The main inspiration behind his project “Control for Deep and Federated Learning (CoDeFeL)” that has now received the ERC Grant are the challenges that can arise when using applications in digital medicine. Machine learning heralds a new era in applied mathematics, leading to innovative and powerful new methods. This raises fundamental mathematical questions, however. Enrique Zuazua intends tackling this challenge from the perspective of other, more intensely researched areas of applied mathematics, namely from the interface between control theory and machine learning.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Which combinations of materials are compatible? How secure are joins? When do components fracture or tear? Paul Steinmann has been investigating topics such as these for over 20 years. Steinmann intends to use the ERC grant to perform more detailed research into the fracture mechanics of soft materials such as rubber and tissue. Whereas hard materials can be analyzed using conventional fracture mechanics, the mechanics of soft materials is harder to predict, which makes it difficult to calculate the fracture initiation and the spread of cracks. In his research project, Steinmann intends to test new modeling approaches and algorithms that allow the spread of cracks in soft materials to be tracked numerically.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Mit der EU-Förderung von 3 Millionen Euro soll die Forschung zur Additiven Fertigung von Hochleistungsbauteilen mittels hochenergetischer Elektronenstrahlen vorangetrieben werden. Die Additive Fertigung (AF), bekannter unter der Bezeichnung 3D-Druck, wird zunehmend zur Schlüsseltechnologie der Industrie. Üblicherweise kommt bei der AF ein computergesteuerter Laserstrahl zum Einsatz, der aus flüssigen Kunststoffen oder Metallpulvern Schicht für Schicht dreidimensionale Werkstücke aufbaut – zumeist durch Härtungs- oder Schmelzprozesse.
Many people associate the giant ring at CERN in Switzerland with particle accelerators. Prof. Dr. Peter Hommelhoff’s project, however, aims to develop minute particle accelerators using photon chips. It is hoped that this will open up brand new possibilities for imaging methods or medical radiation therapies. In addition, the particle accelerator designed by Hommelhoff’s team could also be used for material analysis and fundamental research into quantum mechanics.
More information is available in the press release about the award.
Peter Wasserscheid’s research focuses on liquid metal catalysis in order to release hydrogen from organic molecules. These reaction accelerators or catalysts employ liquid drops of metal attached to porous carriers that are brought into contact with the reactants. The active sites of the reaction accelerators are single metal atoms that emerge from a ‘lake’ of gallium and disappear back into the liquid after their job is done. The unique dynamics of the liquid surface of the catalyst open up new perspectives for metal catalysis. What’s interesting, for example, is that individual atoms of metal surrounded by gallium have very unusual properties, which could enable expensive precious metals to be replaced by more cost-effective metals.
Chemist Andreas Hirsch researches new materials, assembles them from molecular building blocks and then investigates their properties. He is opening up new applications in the field of electrical energy storage and solar cells. One example of this is black phosphorus whose two dimensional structures possess excellent electrical properties. This could be particularly useful for the development of new batteries, making them more powerful than the lithium-ion batteries currently used in laptops or smartphones, but also electric vehicles.
As an expert in the field of surface research, one of Hans-Peter Steinrück’s main interests is ionic fluids. Thanks to their physical and chemical properties, they can be changed in a huge variety of ways, allowing them to be adapted especially for catalysis in specific chemical and industrial-scale processes, for example. Hans-Peter Steinrück examines their surfaces and interfaces in order to apply anti-corrosion coatings to valuable materials, for example.
As a professor of applied analysis, Zuazua aims to combine theory and practice. His research focuses on topics such as control theory and the control of partial differential equations. He hopes to design numerical tools and software to solve important problems in this area. Industrial and interdisciplinary applications for these solutions can be found, for example, in aviation, resource management or biomedicine.
Patrik Schmuki’s research focuses on materials and structures in the nanoscale. For example, he works on special catalysts that cost-effectively produce valuable hydrogen from water or chemical waste of hydrocarbons using sunlight. The advantage of photocatalysts is that light and water are converted directly into hydrogen. During this process, it is important to reduce any losses that occur at the interfaces between the catalyst and the water or chemical substances. Patrik Schmuki investigates the materials and their structures at a range of a few nanometres.
Gerd Leuch’s research begins where light in the form of a photon is absorbed by an atom. He investigates ways of increasing the efficiency of this absorption. In addition to the goal of making interactions between light and matter more efficient, Gerd Leuch’s research is relevant for fundamental research. Greater efficiency in this area is essential for quantum computing and quantum communication.
Paul Steinmann’s research focuses on magnetosensitive elastomers. These elastomers are intelligent materials that are made of a rubbery carrier mass and are enriched with magnetic particles. Even a weak magnetic field is sufficient to shape these materials quickly and in a targeted manner. Practical applications include, for example, control and automation systems where elastomers convert electrical signals into movement.
Theatre has gained in significance worldwide in many areas of life during the last few decades, for example in crises and conflicts, social projects, corporate communication, trauma therapy and in political campaigns. This applied everyday and purpose-oriented form of theatre and its forms of expression and presentation are the focus of Matthias Warstat’s research.
Vahid Sandoghar’s goal is to detect single ions in one crystal with the help of light. It’s already possible to detect and produce images of atoms, molecules or semiconductor quantum dots. Attempts to do the same with ions in crystals have not been successful until now because the particles only emit small amounts of light. Ions in solid state structures are useful for a series of technical applications. Researchers are hoping to gain new insights into the properties of these individual particles by gaining access to them. In addition, ions could be the key to a new system for quantum optical measurements – the basis for quantum information processing. Vahid Sandoghdar received the ERC Grant at ETH Zürich.
Peter Wasserscheid conducts research on reaction accelerators or catalysts, substances that increase the speed of a chemical reaction. The aim is to modify catalysts using a thin layer of liquid salt in such a way that less waste is produced or that allows the catalysts to be used for a longer period of time without losing their effectiveness. Peter Wasserscheid is focussing on dehydration reactions in which organic molecules release hydrogen.
Among the topics the mathematician Enrique Zuazua deals with are partial differential equations, control theory and numerics. His research focuses in particular on the systematic analysis of wave propagation. This is a topic with a number of applications in such wide-ranging areas as irrigation, aviation, magnetism, design, acoustics and optics.
Andreas Hirsch investigates graphene, a nanomaterial made of a single layer of atoms. The atoms form an ultra-thin layer where the atoms are joined in a honeycomb structure. Graphene is therefore a two-dimensional crystal. Andreas Hirsch hopes to supplement the current methods of generation with a scalable chemical process. In addition, he is investigating the modification and derivatisation of the material produced. Producing soluble graphene is a key step in manufacturing transparent and conductive polymers or printable electronics.
ERC Synergy Grants
ERC Synergy Grants are awarded to teams of between two and four promising researchers. Synergy Grants are aimed both at excellent young researchers and at established, active researchers who have already achieved outstanding research results.
More information on Synergy Grants
A unique collection of papyrus scrolls fell victim to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. They were rediscovered in the 18th century, but the carbonized scrolls are badly charred, fused together, and remain largely illegible. An international project involving FAU now hopes to change that by combining and refining cutting-edge technology to reconstruct the records. They also intend to use AI algorithms.
Further information can be found in the press release announcing the award of the grant.
Astrology, alchemy, geomancy, magic and a wide range of other prognosis practices are classed as occult sciences, and are an essential aspect of the global history of science and technology. The aim of Dr. Petra Schmidl’s project is to investigate Islamic and Eastern Christian sources with this aspect in mind for the first time. The researchers’ work will cover an extremely large geographical area – stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to India – and a wide range of languages. The sources are written in Greek, Syrian, Arabic, Persian and Turkish.
In the project, “Directed Evolution of Metastable Electrocatalyst Interfaces for Energy Conversion”, DEMI for short, researchers from Germany, Denmark and Switzerland are systematically looking for electrocatalysts for manufacturing hydrogen. The project team is following an evolutionary strategy. They calculate and simulate promising material combinations, make small adjustments to them and check whether these have a positive or negative effect. Working systematically like this, the researchers hope to track down new, improved materials. A “material library” should allow researchers to create thousands of compounds at the same time, expose them to extreme electrochemical conditions and thereby identify the “survivors” very quickly.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Kristian Franze conducts research into the growth of nerve cells. He does not focus primarily on the biochemical processes but rather on the mechanical forces that influence their growth. In earlier studies, Franze discovered that the rigidity of the surrounding brain tissue plays a considerable role in guiding growing nerve cells in the right direction. The UNFOLD project, which the physicist and veterinarian Franze is involved in together with Spanish, Belgian and French researchers, aims to intensify this work and has been awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for its research. The consortium focuses predominantly on cortical folding. It is known that mammals with higher cognitive functions have a highly folded cortex, and that anomalies are associated with various disabilities.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Wenn die Knochen im Alter leichter brechen, steckt dahinter oft Osteoporose. Allerdings ist immer noch nicht ausreichend verstanden, wie die Krankheit entsteht und abläuft. Um dem Abhilfe zu schaffen und raschere Therapieerfolge zu ermöglichen, entwickelt ein interdisziplinäres Team von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern der FAU um Prof. Dr. Andreas Maier und Prof. Dr. Georg Schett sowie des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Materialien und Energie in Berlin (HZB) ein neues bildgebendes Verfahren. Damit soll erstmals Röntgenmikroskopie am lebenden Menschen ermöglicht werden.
Weitere Informationen in der Pressemitteilung zur Grant-Verleihung
When bones break more easily in old age, osteoporosis is often to blame. However, the cause of the disease and how it develops is not yet sufficiently understood. An interdisciplinary team of scientists at FAU led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Maier and Prof. Dr. Georg Schett and the Helmholtz Zentrum für Materialien und Energie in Berlin (HZB) is now developing a new imaging process to solve this problem and facilitate successful treatment more quickly. The aim of the new process is to enable x-ray microscopy to be carried out on living subjects.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
ERC Proof of Concept
Unlike ERC main grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy grants), ERC Proof of Concept grants are not intended for projects focusing on fundamental research. Rather, this line of funding is aimed at researchers who have already received an ERC grant and who now wish to explore the economic and societal potential of their findings.
Further information about Proof of Concept Grants
Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthritis (SpA) pose a considerable challenge to the healthcare system. Treatment often requires lifelong management, as typical treatments only have a limited effectiveness. The latest research from Professor Ramming’s team has shown promising approaches for surmounting these obstacles.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Following the remit of the “PlayAgain” project, the working group led by Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio hopes to develop a neural interface that can strengthen or re-establish connections between the brain and the lower arm muscles from the paralyzed hand.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
In his earlier research, Professor Bachmann was able to show the impact the surface structure of semiconductors has on the efficiency of solar cells at the smallest level. With a high-resolution 3D printer that is accurate down to 0.000001 millimeters, he now hopes to systematically test which surface structure makes the semiconductor most efficient. This optimization process is necessary if sustainable materials are to be used in the area of renewable energies.
More information is available in the press release about the grant.
Funding
Funding from the European Research Council (ERC) was provided for these projects as part of the European Union’s “Horizon 2020” program and the EU’s seventh Framework Program (FP7-2007-2013).
The points of view and opinions expressed in the projects are exclusively those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view or opinions of the European Union or the Executive Agency of the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.
