Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellows @UniGe

Scientific Area SOC - Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

MEDMAD - Mediterranean Mass Mobilities and Displacements in the Age of Steam (1869-1914)

The technological revolution enabled cheap mass transportation of people by steamships within the Mediterranean basin. The passengers were migrants – aiming to work in Europe or reach hub ports for transoceanic migration – refugees, deportees, pilgrims, or enslaved people. The MSCA-funded MedMaD project will study mass mobility in the broader Mediterranean, including the Black Sea and the Red Sea, between the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the beginning of the First World War in 1914. The project will examine the development of mass transport maritime services from a global perspective and analyse their impact on inter- and extra-Mediterranean mobilities and displacements of passengers travelling in low-cost classes.

Scientific Area ENG - Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

FOTOCER - Flooding-tolerant C2-selective CO2 reduction electrode based on hydrophobic Cu-W tandem electrocatalyst

CO2 conversion to value-added mono/multicarbon products is an appealing area of research to achieve negative CO2 emissions while exploiting CO2 as a C-based feedstock. The CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) powered by renewable electricity provides a way to effectively utilize CO2. Gas diffusion electrode (GDE)-based CO2RR reactors significantly increase current density to commercially relevant levels due to thinner mass transport layers that overcome the aqueous system’s diffusion constraint. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to achieve highly stable GDE, especially in high current density operation, owing to electrolyte flooding as a consequence of hydrophobicity decline. So, the GDE is the primary driver of CO2RR’s viability, but improving its performance is paramount. What sets this proposal apart from previous researches is that we seek to demonstrate a compelling way to reinforce the structure of Cu-based GDEs via the formation of bimetallic structures pursuing tandem effect without using precious metals, which enhances the selectivity toward C2 products. An improvement in the performance and C2 selectivity is envisaged thanks to the formation of noble metal-free Cu-W heterostructures for the first time, giving rise to heteroatomic reaction sites between oxophilic W and Cu atoms to reduce the bonding energy of adsorbed CO. At the same time, flooding is minimized by the obtained hydrophobic surface topology. The surface topology endows high surface area with adequate hydrophobicity to the GDE to establish an electrode/electrolyte interface, which not only traps more CO2 along the hierarchical Cu-W surface as tandem active sites, but also efficiently prevents electrolyte flooding even at high rates. FOTOCER's achievements will lead to advancements in cutting-edge industrial CO2 to useful C2+ products, which are essential in achieving the EU's environmental targets at an affordable scale-up cost.

Scientific Area PHY - Physics (PHY)

COLOUR - bio-inspired full-speCtrum blOck-copoLymer phOtonic strUctuRal pigments

Inspired by nature’s colouration strategy, photonic pigments hold great promise for replacing toxic colourants in the fabrication of sustainable paints, cosmetics, displays and photonic devices. So far, research has focused on amorphous packings of colloidal crystals. However, current methods are limited in their ability to produce these materials at a large scale. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the COLOUR project will develop bio-inspired photonic pigments by carefully controlling soft matter assembly on the nanoscale. Known as structural colouration, this approach will leverage the self-assembly of block copolymers in concentric lamellar structures to generate full-spectrum photonic crystals with high reflectivity and angular independence. These structures will be coupled with broadband absorbers to ensure colour purity and vividness.

Scientific Area MAT - Mathematics (MAT)

MIAS - Model Invariants in Algebraic Statistics

The goal of this research project is to develop new methods for data analysis based on algebraic statistics, demonstrate their effectiveness on real data problems, and make them available to the public as software packages. Three algebraic model invariants are central to this action: the maximum likelihood (ML) degree, the Euclidean distance (ED) degree, and the polar degree. Recently developed in theoretical research, these invariants promise to unlock new algebraic methods for data analysis. This action will realize this vision, expand the underlying theoretical foundations as needed, and produce statistical tools fit for use by practitioners. The expected impact of this research is fourfold. First, the obtained results will ground the latest theoretical advances in real applications, improving the algebraic statistics community's sense of what is possible and directing future research. Second, they will generate new mathematically interesting results tailored to the data applications of the project. Third, they will produce novel insights about complicated data problems with an algebraic structure, strengthening the case for algebra and geometry in data analysis. Fourth, the easily accessible software produced during this action will introduce algebraic techniques to the data analysis toolkits of data practitioners and domain experts

Scientific Area ENG - Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

SHERPA - Self-healing screen-printed perovskite photovoltaics beyond Shockley–Queisser Limit

Amongst all PV systems, lead halide perovskite (LHP) solar cells are the best at converting sunlight to electricity. This is because they have excellent optoelectronic properties, and are cheap and easy to manufacture. However, their adoption is slow due to their instability, harmful lead levels and lead leakage issues. The EU-funded SHERPA project will develop perovskite PVs with self-healing capabilities while considerably minimising leakage. The project aims to boost the stability of LHP PV systems by introducing the microconcentrator PV concept and concentrated light to metal halide perovskite (MHP). In addition to taking advantages of microconcentrator, enabling the PV system to theoretically exceed the one-sun Shockley–Queisser limit, the concept will reduce toxic lead levels to below RoHS requirements.

Scientific Area SOC - Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

RESONANCES - Architectural atmospheRES: the emotiONal impact of ambiANCES measured through conscious, bodily, and neural responses - Pioneering research on architectural atmosphere

The spatial experiences generated by the architecture around us influence our emotions and behaviours. Advancements in cognitive neuroscience, technology and environmental psychology have made it possible to investigate and experiment with the emotional impact from specific sensory characteristics. This will improve our understanding of how to create architectural atmospheres by manipulating different ambient conditions. The EU-funded RESONANCES project will study architectural atmospheres as emotional and cognitive states of resonance between individuals and their built surroundings. It will establish scientific criteria and a formal basis to test new experimental paradigms concerning atmospheric perception. This will be achieved by combining the measurement of neural activation, physiological records and psychological self-reports describing emotional reactions in an interdisciplinary evidence-based approach.

Scientific Area ENV - Environmental and Geosciences (ENV)

ECOCYST - An ECOsystem function and services approach to advance coastal conservation: CYSToseira forests in the Mediterranean basin

Widespread replacement of algal forests with less-complex turf algae threatens the functioning and services provided by coastal rocky ecosystems. The EU-funded project ECOCYST will conduct a comparative valuation of Mediterranean rocky shore fringe communities associated with different dominant macroalgal forms that potentially represent alternative stable states, from forests of the canopy-forming genus Cystoseira to turf-forming species. By employing stable isotope signatures and in situ tracing techniques, the project will assess value by measures of diversity, food web support, and ecosystem functions linked to services of nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and habitat provision. In collaboration with stakeholder networks, outcomes will contribute to the provision of a best-practice guide towards the development of management frameworks that enhance coastal ecosystem value.

Scientific Area LIF - Life Science (LIF)

BCRES-CLL - B cell receptor engagement and signalling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: identify the structural and functional requirements for disease development and progression

The B cell receptor (BCR) protein plays a critical role in the development and progression of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) as indicated by the efficacy of drugs blocking BCR signalling, but the mechanism behind this remains poorly understood. The discovery that BCRs can self-associate and signal in the absence of extrinsic antigens highlighted a novel mechanism for BCR engagement and signalling. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BCRES-CLL project aims to define the selectiveness of the two BCR signalling mechanisms and their association with specific biological and clinical outcomes. The project objectives include the assessment of the BCR engagement features linked with CLL clinical manifestation, the discovery of normal B cells expressing CLL-like BCRs and their characterisation, and the identification of genes and pathways associated with BCR engagement and CLL progression mechanisms.

Scientific Area CHE - Chemistry (CHE)

ASCUNISB - Cu-As-(Sb, Ni) systems: Determination of phase diagrams

Sulfosalt minerals, from which copper (Cu) is mined, are characterised by high concentrations of arsenic (As), nickel (Ni) and antimony (Sb). However, the properties of Cu-As-(Ni, Sb)-based alloys are poorly understood. As no phase diagrams of such ternary alloys exist, their material characteristics remain widely unknown. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ASCUNISB project will focus on the physico-chemical properties of Cu mined from sulfosalt minerals. The project will build phase diagrams for Cu-As-(Ni, Sb) alloys by investigating each alloy phase and identifying unknown phases. ASCUNISB will also create a base for new applications, reduce economic and environmental costs, and deliver a database to address urgent research questions by assessing the earliest metal technologies c. 2300 BCE.

Scientific Area ENG - Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

TSCALE - Multi-scale modelling for turbomachinery flows using high-fidelity computational data

Turbines and compressors, machines that transfer energy between rotating blades and a fluid, are critical components of aircraft. Accurately modelling and predicting complex flow dynamics in turbomachinery is challenging yet a prerequisite to safe and efficient designs. Different flow characteristics may be influenced by different scales of phenomena from bulk down to single molecules. Incorporating high-precision data at all levels can hamper the development of reduced-order models applicable to a wide range of flows. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TSCALE project is developing a new set of low-order models each applicable to a different range of scales present in the compressor flow.

Scientific Area SOC - Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

INPACT - INdustrialization and the Process of modernity: the ArChaeological Transformation of the rural world (18th-21st c.)

The EU-funded INPACT project aims to investigate how the relationship between local communities and their environment changed as rural areas became industrialised, by analysing material evidence from archaeological and environmental perspectives. The project will question the concept of "modernity" as a one-way passage from "traditional" to "modern" societies, in which rural landscapes and societies are seen as passive subjects rather than active agents of change. The basic hypothesis is that industrialisation entailed a complex process of transformation of the rural communities involved, with a far-reaching local and material dimension that has thus far been undervalued, but has played a key role in creating and reproducing social and gender inequalities and in the transformation of the landscape.

Scientific Area PHY - Physics (PHY)

TOP WSF - Tailoring topological properties in Weyl semimetal thin films

The recently discovered Weyl and Dirac semimetals are types of topological materials that are attracting great interest for their plethora of potential applications. These include high-energy physics, solid-state physics, electronics, spintronics, spin-caloritronics, quantum computing and energy harvesting. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme, the TOP WSF project plans to fabricate thin films of selected topological semimetals with different magnetic ground states (non-magnetic, ferromagnetic, non-collinear antiferromagnetic). The project will use pulsed-laser deposition for their synthesis and establish a protocol to optimise the growing conditions. The ultimate goal is to investigate how their topological electric and thermoelectric transport properties evolve as a function of different parameters, including thin-film thickness, temperature, magnetic fields and strain.

Scientific Area ENG - Information Science and Engineering (ENG)

REMAp - Adaptive and personalized neuromotor rehabilitation of persons with Multiple Sclerosis: from characterization to exploitation of residual sensorimotor abilities using a body-machine interface

The goal of the EU-funded REMAp project is to create a novel approach to the neuromotor rehabilitation of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) employing mechanisms of recovery based on body–machine interfaces (BMI). The idea is that during rehabilitative training the entire nervous system, from the periphery to the brain, goes through a reorganisation, and this can be exploited to design more effective interventions. Muscle and kinematic synergies will be used to develop an MS-specific functional evaluation tool to monitor the disease and the effects of treatment. Data will be applied to design a BMI using residual mobility and specific exercises to help MS patients reach full functional potential. The adaptive nature of BMI will benefit patients with different degrees of impairment.

Scientific Area SOC - Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

REFINTEG - The Canadian model of the public-private sponsorship for the integration of refugees: the case of Syrians and possible application in EU countries

Over 327 000 privately sponsored refugees from more than 175 countries have settled in Canada since the country’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Programme was launched 40 years ago. The government of Canada has described this programme as an opportunity for ordinary people to do something extraordinary to help refugees. Canada also implements a blended visa office referral programme (BVOR), where a private sponsor and the federal government share the cost and responsibility of settling the family. Canada’s resettlement programmes also made newspaper headlines recently with the Syrian refugee crisis. The EU-funded REFINTEG will examine whether the Canadian model can be applied in European countries like Italy and Germany as well as its benefits and challenges.

Scientific Area LIF - Life Science (LIF)

REPTOL - Pre-leukemic B cell repertoire alterations in patients with familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia: looking for evidence of a genetically-inherited defect in tolerance induction

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a frequent B-cell leukemia of unknown etiology with the strongest familial inheritance among lymphoproliferative disorder. Our long term goal is to prevent CLL by understanding the biology at the basis of CLL ontogeny. Our hypothesis is that an inherited CLL predisposition causes alterations in pre-leukemic B cells due to compromised immune tolerance, promoting, eventually, transformation event(s) that give rise to CLL. Such alterations skew the IG repertoires leading to enrichment of specific B- cell rearrangements with abnormal Ab reactivity.
The overall goal of this study is to understand the role of inherited CLL predisposition in altering the IG structural repertoire and to determine the maturation step(s) and B-cell subset(s) at which these occur.
 

Scientific Area SOC - Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)

US-E AntiRacism - Catholicism and the “Negro Question”: Religion, Racism, and Antiracism in a Transnational Perspective (United States and Europe, 1934-1968)

This proposal aims to investigate how the Roman Catholic Church responded to the issue of anti-black racism from the 1930s to the age of decolonization and the US civil rights movement. What emerges is the Church’s pivotal contribution to the recasting of racial discourse(s) and behaviors. For the first time, the project carries out an overall transnational analysis on this subject, focusing on Catholic “interracialism” as a peculiar third way between racism and anti-racism:
• How did interracialism spread and become common sense in Catholicism on both sides of the Atlantic?
• Did interracialism really change traditional race thinking?
• What were the ideological interactions between American-style interracialism and mainstream European Catholic colonial and postcolonial culture?
The starting point will be the figure of Fr. John LaFarge, the American Jesuit pioneer of the interracial movement, and his entourage. The research’s key contribution lies in making a history of the circulation of these ideals across the European press, ecclesiastical networks, and the intellectual panorama, taking into consideration some specific poles, i.e. Vatican environments and three Catholic colonial powers (France, Belgium, Italy). Following a perspective of religious, cultural and transnational history, the project’s main objective is to focus on the inter-crossing of ideologies, images and practices. It will foreground the “speakers” of that discourse, as well as the features and limits of such an interracialism as a “sound” antiracism. 

Scientific Area PHY - Physics (PHY)

PLaTONE -   PLasmonics@Transparent cONductive oxidEs

The capability of chemically and physically engineering the electrical and optical response of solids represents both the driving force and the consequence of the tremendous technological development of electronics, optoelectronics and plasmonics within the past century. As a most relevant example, the process - known as doping - of introducing foreign impurities in suitable hosts has led, among others, to the development of Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs), materials combining visible-light optical transparency with high electrical conductivity that are nowadays an irreplaceable component of solar cells and touch screens. Plasmonics and photonics, in parallel, have reached unprecedented levels of control of electromagnetic energy thanks to the possibility of fabricating and tailoring metallic nanostructures with physical dimensions down to the micro- and nano-scale for nano-antennas, perfect absorber and cloaking applications, to mention a few. One of the new challenges that researchers and engineers are facing is merging optical and electrical control in a single device for developing next-generation photovoltaic, opto-electronic devices and energy-efficient solid-state lighting.
PLaTONE proposes the realization of a novel class of materials combining plasmonic resonators with TCO-based thin-film capacitors, a system envisaged in literature but not yet achieved. PLaTONE will address the fabrication and the electrical/optical characterization of these systems and exploit the mutual interaction between the plasmonic nanostructures and the voltage-controlled dielectric properties of the TCO for achieving an active optoelectronic device.