ERC Consolidator Grants awarded to three Basic Sciences professors
The European Research Council’s (ERC) Consolidator Grants are given annually to researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of research experience after completion of their PhD, as well as “a scientific track record showing scientific talent and an excellent research proposal”.
The Consolidator Grants, which generally provide funding for five years, are part of the ERC’s commitment to support “the highest quality research in Europe with competition-based financing”, with the ultimate aim “to establish and solidify European research as cutting-edge research.”
This year, three Professors from EPFL’s School of Basic Sciences have been awarded ERC Consolidator Grants: Clémence Corminboeuf, Christoph Galland, and Suliana Manley.
Professor Clémence Corminboeuf directs the Laboratory of Computational Molecular Design at EPFL. Her research focuses on the development of electronic structure methods as well as conceptual tools targeted for applications in the fields of organic electronics and catalysis.
Corminboeuf’s awarded project is titled PushQChem: Pushing Quantum Chemistry by Advancing Photoswitchable Catalysis. “Our objective is to exploit the chemistry of inspiring, yet complex, molecular systems that push quantum chemistry out of its comfort zone through innovations, including the use of quantum machine learning.”
Professor Christophe Galland directs the Laboratory of Quantum Nano-Optics at EPFL. His research focuses on developing new optical techniques and nanostructures to measure and control the dynamics of internal vibrations in crystals and molecules, with a focus on revealing phenomena that can only be described by quantum mechanics.
Galland’s awarded project is titled QTONE Quantum Plasmomechanics with THz Phonons and Molecular Nano-junctions. “In this project, we aim at creating highly non-classical states of vibrating atoms inside molecular and nano-systems. Ultimately, we want to use both light and electricity to drive and probe the vibrations of a single molecule.”
Professor Suliana Manley directs the Laboratory of Experimental Biophysics at EPFL. In her research, she combines super-resolution fluorescence imaging techniques with live cell imaging and single molecule tracking to determine how the dynamics of protein assembly are coordinated.
Manley’s awarded project is titled Piko: Revealing the adaptive internal organization and dynamics of bacteria and mitochondria. “This project will take my group’s research in new and exciting directions. We will develop smarter super-resolution microscopy that will allow our instruments to adapt to the samples they image, and use that feature to reveal the physical principles governing the tiny interiors of bacteria and mitochondria.”