Two researchers from Trinity, Dr Claire Gillan and Dr Allesandro Lunghi, have secured funding of up to €3 million from the European Research Council (ERC).
A study led by Associate Professor Mohamed Ahmed on Arabic and Jewish poetry is also going ahead based on funding from a previous round.
In a press statement, Dean of Research Linda Doyle said: “We are very proud of our three award-winners and wish them our warmest congratulations. Claire, Alessandro and Mohamed’s fascinating projects span very different disciplines but have in common the need to use innovative, creative approaches to research, and all three promise to make genuine impacts.”
In the last decade, the ERC Starting Grants Awards have provided crucial support for research which can often help to address pressing societal issues. The funding will be used to support a number of PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
Doyle emphasised that this funding is “especially important right now as postdoctoral and early career researchers are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of COVID-19″. The pandemic has resulted in funding cuts and reduced faculty opportunities across the world, she said.
Future budgets may not allow for such funding opportunities, Doyle fears. “The recently approved European Council budget for Europe (2021-2027), as it stands, will negatively impact the ERC Budget. This is of huge concern.”
Dr Claire Gillan of the School for Psychology will use the grant to develop her app “Neureka” to study human habits in relation to mental illness. The study will be used to develop new ways to overcome disorders of compulsivity – from addiction to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Meanwhile, Dr Allesandro Lunghi of the School of Physics hopes to make a major technological breakthrough with his project called AI-DEMON: Artificial intelligence design of molecular nano-magnets and molecular qubits. A new research group will be established to explore quantum technologies.
In a very different sphere, Dr Mohamed Ahmed of the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies has recently kickstarted his project on Arabic Poetry in the Cairo Genizah. The study will reveal aspects of social and cultural history of the Jews in the Middle East, based on an intriguing collection of Judaeo-Arabic fragments.
A total of 48 grants have been awarded to Trinity researchers, making it the leading Irish institution to benefit from the scheme.
Researchers interested in pursuing funding under the scheme can access workshops, webinars and individual support from the Trinity’s Research Development Office. A €16,000 fund from Enterprise Ireland also exists to assist with applications.
