ERC Advanced Grants 2022: seven winning projects linked to Université Paris-Saclay

The ERC Advanced Grant funding is one of the most prestigious and competitive EU funding schemes, providing researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. Laureates can be awarded up €2.5 million for a period of 5 years.

The seven winning projects linked to Université Paris-Saclay this year cover the fields of physical science, chemistry, sciences of the universe and engineering (six projects), life sciences – including ecology and environmental sciences (one project), and humanities and social sciences (one project). 
 

The winning projects are:

• Nicolas Burq, Professor at Université Paris-Saclay at the Orsay Mathematics Laboratory (LMO – Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS), was awarded a grant for his project GEOEDP - Geometry, Control and Genericity for Partial Differential Equations

Many models are described by wave or more generally dispersive equations (Schrödinger) propagating in heterogeneous (and often bounded) media. The mathematical understanding of the behaviour of these waves remains partial, in particular in the presence of inhomogeneities, boundary effects, etc... A first point in the project is to expand the understanding of the influence of the geometry (inhomogeneities of the media, boundaries) on the behaviour of solutions to dispersive waves and exhibit some pathological behaviours. When these behaviours appear to be unstable, a logical question is whether they are actually rare. The second point of the project is precisely to go further in this direction. After identifying these pathological behaviours, is it possible to show that for “most" initial data, or “most" geometries, they do not happen?

• Delphine Marris-Morini, Professor at Université Paris-Saclay, at the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (C2N – Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Université Paris Cité), was awarded a grant for her project, ELECTROPHOT - Electro-optic frequency comb generation in the mid-infrared

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a nearly universal way to identify chemical and biological substances and to perform non-invasive diagnostics. More specifically, the 6-15 μm wavelength range can be exploited to detect small traces of environmentally hazardous and toxic substances for a variety of applications including defense, security and industrial monitoring. While current optical systems in the mid-IR range are based on bulky assemblies of discrete devices, a challenging task is to make mid-IR spectroscopy accessible in remote areas, driving the development of compact and cost-effective solutions to replace table-top systems. The ELECTROPHOT project, which is carried out in collaboration with Politecnico Di Milano, aims to explore new avenues for high resolution spectroscopic systems based on dual-comb spectroscopy by developing innovative frequency comb sources. The C2N technological facility will be heavily involved in the project (Renatech network).

• Abdelhafid Bendahmane, INRAE research director at the Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2 - Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Université d’Évry), was awarded a grant for his project, NectarGland - Improving flower attractiveness for pollinators: Study of developmental, morphological and chemical cues in relation to bee foraging

The decline in pollinator populations poses a threat to our food supply. Bees are the most important insect pollinators in agriculture, but we still do not understand exactly how cultivated plants attract and reward them. The NectarGland project aims to improve our understanding of nectary development and nectar secretion in relation to insect pollinator foraging, as these have a direct impact on fruit yield, stability and bee food resources. NectarGland is a multidisciplinary project aimed at creating a genetic toolbox that can help make cultivated flowers and plants more attractive to pollinators as a food resource.

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• Anne Davaille  CNRS research director at the Fluids, Automation and Thermal Systems Laboratory (FAST- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS), was awarded a grant for her project, SOFT-PLANET - Convection and transfers in a textured partially-molten planet from the magma ocean stage to present-day solid-state convection 
  More information available (in French) here
• Laurent Vivien, CNRS research director at the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (C2N – Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Université Paris Cité), was awarded a grant for his project, CRYPTONIT - Crystalline Oxides Platform for Hybrid Silicon Photonics 
  More information available (in French) here
• Stanislas Dehaene, Inserm research director at the Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit (UNICOG – Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, CEA, CNRS), was awarded a grant for his project, MathBrain - Brain mechanisms underlying mathematics and its acquisition
  More information available (in French) here
• Anaelle Maury, researcher at the Astrophysics Division – Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Modelisation Paris-Saclay (DAP/AIM - Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Université Paris Cité), was awarded a grant for her project, PEBBLES - Exploring the pristine conditions for transforming interstellar dust into planetesimals 
  More information available (in French) here