A total of five researchers have received EU funding to help pursue cutting-edge research in neuroscience, economics and conservation.
The European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants support pioneering early career researchers to launch their own projects, form teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
The UCL recipients, who have received around €1.5 million (£1.25 million) each, are:
- Dr Nadine Dijkstra (UCL Imaging Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology). Her project, MonitoringReality, will use neuroimaging, brain stimulation and computer modelling to understand how the brain differentiates between what we imagine and our perception of the outside world. Research from the last decade shows that we use many of the same neural systems for imagining and seeing, but it is unclear how the brain distinguishes between reality and imagination, especially during dreams and hallucinations.
- Dr Joanne Littlefair (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). Her project, TerrDNA, will develop new genetic technologies to monitor biodiversity, particularly in forests. TerrDNA will analyse airborne environmental DNA from animals and plants to understand their seasonal patterns and interactions. Dr Littlefair hopes this approach will support in tackling modern conservation challenges.
- Dr Daniel Lewis (UCL Economics). His project, Credible Inference for Empirical Macroeconomics (CreMac), will develop better statistical tools to both measure and reduce uncertainty in estimating the effects of macroeconomic policies, such as interest or tax rate changes. Macroeconomic data can be unclear and doesn't always provide strong evidence on these effects. CreMac will use new types of data for more precise estimates of policy effects and offer simple tools to measure uncertainty.
- Dr Per Engzell (UCL Social Science). His project, Markets and Mobility: How Employers Structure Economic Opportunity (MaMo), will study how the labour market influences economic inequalities. It will also evaluate employer and government interventions aimed at promoting fair opportunities.
- Dr Daniel Maynard (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). His project, Modelling Forest Community Responses to Environmental Change, will develop a new statistical approach to predict how forests will respond to climate change and non-native species. The work will predict changes in specific forest areas over the next century and provide management recommendations, helping ecologists and conservation biologists to implement data-driven solutions to fostering resilient forests.
Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), said: "Congratulations to my incredibly talented colleagues on being awarded these prestigious grants. Their achievements reflect their ambition and dedication to their work and highlight UCL's innovative and pioneering approach to solving the most challenging global issues."
The UCL recipients were among 494 academics across the Europe awarded a total of €720 million (£606 million) by the ERC. Since 2007 the Starting Grant calls have attracted nearly 62,000 submissions, and the proportion submitted by women has increased during this time from 30% to 40%. This year 44% of Starting Grants were awarded to female researchers, up from 43% last year and 39% in 2022.
President of the European Research Council, Professor Maria Leptin, said: "Empowering researchers early on in their careers is at the heart of the mission of the ERC. I am particularly pleased to welcome UK researchers back to the ERC. They have been sorely missed over the past years. With fifty grants awarded to researchers based in the UK, this in flux is good for the research community overall."
The ERC was founded in 2007 by the European Union. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age to run projects based in Europe.
