Research & Art

ERC Starting Grant funding

The European Research Council (ERC) funding is awarded to leading researchers for pioneering work at the frontiers of science. ERC Starting Grants are designed to support talented early-career scientist (2-7 years since completion of PhD) who has already produced excellent supervised work, is ready to work independently and shows potential to be a research leader.

Matilda Backholm

Project: "Direct measurements of collective swimming forces at the mesoscale"
Duration: 2024 - 2028

Matilda Backholm aims to understand the complex movement of brine shrimp - a gateway to physics on an unfamiliar scale.

Person profile Matilda Backholm

News: Tiny organisms, big discoveries: How swarming shrimp could influence a new wave of ‘mesorobotics’

Parinya Chalermsook

Project: "New Algorithmic Techniques through the Lens of Combinatorics"
Duration: 2018 - 2023

Person profile Parinya Chalermsook Web page

Junhe Lian

Project: "Hierarchical gradient metals by additive manufacturing"
Duration: 2023 - 2028

Person profile Junhe Lian

Eveliina Peltola

Project: "Interplay of structures in conformal and universal random geometry"
Duration: 2023 - 2027

Eveliina Peltola's Starting Grant project uses symmetries to build links between random phenomena. The goal is to create connections between different areas of mathematics and bring new tools to the research of random geometry and mathematical physics models.

Person profile Eveliina Peltola

News: Major EU-funded mathematics research project unveils the meaning of similarity – and helps fill gaps in physics theories

Andrea Sand

Project: "Comprehensive multiscale modelling of atomistic and electronic structure of radiation-induced defects in semiconductors"
Duration: 2023 -2028

The aim of this five-year research is to improve the prediction of radiation damage in semiconductors. The new method could increase the lifetime of equipment and promote the introduction of new materials in various electronic components.

Person profile Andrea Sand News: Research project develops method for predicting radiation damage in semiconductors

Jaakko Timonen

Project: "Interacting with Active Particles"
Duration: 2019 -2023

This five-year research project Interacting with Active Particles will design a new kind of magnetic tweezers with which to control and study the interaction of moving active particles. The tweezers could be used in microbiological research, for example, to separate and differentiate between various types of cells.

The new extensive research projects led by Professor Jaakko Timonen seek a breakthrough in controlling microscopic active particles with magnetic tweezers. The research focuses on particles that move in different ways: bacteria, microalgae, and synthetic active particles.

The aim is to develop a new type of magnetic tweezers to manipulate rapidly moving active particles in real-time and also to study the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the particles.

Person profile Jaakko Timonen News: New multi-million euro projects design magnetic tweezers to explore interaction and swarming dynamics of moving particles Watch the Youtube video

Jaana Vapaavuori

Project: "Autonomously adapting and communicating modular textiles"
Duration: 2021 - 2025

Jaana Vapaavuori carries out pioneering research with functional fibres. The study aims to develop smart materials that react to changes in their environment, exploring how soft materials change colours or move in response to changes in light or temperature. These fibres will be built into modular multifunctional textiles using traditional techniques, which enable more complex networks when compared to widely used knitting and weaving techniques.

News: EU grants for smart materials and next generation LEDs

Person profile Jaana Vapaavuor