ERC Advanced Grants to Marisaldi and Fomin
Professors Martino Marisaldi and Fedor Fomin receive EU support for groundbreaking projects in algorithm theory and space physics. The grants will allow them to explore fundamental questions in their fields of research.
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The European Research Council (ERC) announced on 17 June that Professors Fedor Fomin and Martino Marisaldi at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, University of Bergen (UiB), are two of five researchers in Norway to receive the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. The two are among 281 outstanding researchers in Europe to receive these EU funds in competition with over 2,500 applicants.
The award means that the researchers receive funding for five-year research projects and can build a research group to implement their groundbreaking ideas.
"I am incredibly proud and happy that two of our outstanding researchers have been awarded the ERC Advanced Grant", says UiB Rector Margareth Hagen.
"This is one of Europe's most prestigious research funding schemes, so this award is a strong recognition of the groundbreaking research being done at the University of Bergen. Success in this competition shows that we have world-class research environments, and makes it possible for researchers to work towards major scientific breakthroughs", says Hagen.
How is lightning initiated?
"The Earth is enveloped by more than 2000 active thunderclouds at any given time and is struck by 45 lightning bolts every second, amounting to over 3 million lightning strikes daily. Despite this, the question of what triggers lightning remains one of the foremost unanswered questions in atmospheric electricity."听explains professor at the Department of Psysics and Technology.
He has been awarded 3,5 million euros to the project听ENLIGHTEN -听Exploring Lightning Initiation and Gamma-ray High-energy emission in Thunderstorm Environments.
The ENLIGHTEN project investigates the causal relationship between high-energy radiation and lightning initiation. The project will help uncover how gamma-ray emissions are linked to lightning, which is crucial for understanding atmospheric electricity.
By combining innovative time-resolved gamma-ray imaging of thunderclouds with simultaneous imaging of lightning from a high-altitude research aircraft, the project aims to identify the mechanisms that trigger lightning and understand the phenomena through data analysis and modeling. The results of the research will set a new standard for research in atmospheric electricity and related fields.
Marisaldi, whose background is from the听, collaborates with several international institutions, including NASA and leading universities and laboratories. He believes that the award will be of fundamental importance to his research, to the research group and to their collaborators.
Better, faster and more accurate algorithms
Professor at the Department of Informatics has been awarded his second ERC Advanced Grant in the field of algorithm theory. His project has been awarded 2.5 million euros. His first project ran from 2011 to 2016, when he received 2.2 million euros to research heuristic algorithms for improving datasets.
In his new project, "New Horizons of Parameterized Complexity" (NewPC), Fomin will conduct research on parameterized complexity. His goal is to revolutionize how computers solve problems involving geometric and algebraic objects such as points, vectors, linear spaces, or matrices.
"I hope this project can move the field beyond the so-called classical 'worst-case analysis'," says Fomin.
"Many algorithms that are theoretically difficult actually perform very well in practice. Hopefully, we will develop a better understanding of such problems and improve the performance of these algorithms."
The first time was from 2011 to 2016, when he received 2.2 million euros to research heuristic algorithms for improving datasets.
Fomin has distinguished himself in his field for many years. The European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) named him a fellow in 2019 for his fundamental contributions to parameterized complexity and exponential algorithms. In 2023, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) also named him a fellow.
Read more:听"Even after years of research, you may have no idea where it will end up."
Remarkable recognition
Dean at the Faculty of Science and Technology congratulates:
"First and foremost, the two ERC Advanced Grants is a remarkable recognition of the outstanding research conducted by two of our esteemed colleagues. As Dean, I am proud to see their achievements reflect the internationally leading research we pursue - in both space physics and algoritms.
That Fedor Fomin is now receiving his second ERC Advanced Grant is impressive and speaks to the sustained excellence of his work. Congratulations to both of them!" says a pleased Dean Mangerud.
ERC Advanced Grant
Prestigious research funding with applicants from all over the world. Awarded by the European Research Council - ERC.
ERC Advanced Grants are awarded to established, world-class researchers. The funding is 2,5 million euros over five years, with a possible extra million.
