European funding for four ETH professors

Charalampos Anastasiou is a Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics. His research focuses on making theoretical predictions for the measurements taken during  experiments at the LHC particle accelerator at CERN. Six years ago, he received an ERC Starting Grant in order to develop mathematical and computational methods for simulating particle collisions at the LHC. Now, with the ERC Advanced Grant, he can continue and expand this work. He aims to develop even more accurate simulations which match the precision of a broader spectrum of experimental observations of the creation of the Higgs boson and other particles. Ultimately, Anastasiou hopes that some of these observations will not be explained by the simulations and the standard model of particle physics, and that this will lead to the discovery of new physics laws.

Manfred Fiebig, a Professor at the Department of Materials, specialises in researching novel materials with internal magnetic and electrical ordering, known as multiferroics. These materials are often produced in the laboratory as thin layers using a vapour-deposition process (pulsed laser deposition). At present, the materials’ magnetic and electrical properties can only be investigated once the production process is complete and nothing more can be altered. In his ERC project, Fiebig intends to develop a new laser characterization technique to track these properties in real time during the manufacturing process. By adapting the growth parameters during the deposition process, the performance of the thin-film systems can be continuously optimized for best technological performance. Such materials could become the basis of novel magneto-electric sensors, device components or data storage media.

Andreas Hierlemann is a Professor at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering of ETH Zurich in Basel. His research focuses on developing microelectronic systems that can be used to address biomedical questions experimentally. In his ERC project, advanced integrated microelectronic chips will be applied to study the electrophysiology of neural networks in cell culture at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. On the spatial scale, the technique will enable the simultaneous recording of electrical activity of small subcellular components and of entire networks comprised of large numbers of neuronal cells. The temporal scale will extend from milliseconds of individual nerve impulses to weeks and months of long-lasting development processes. The project seeks to provide  insights into neuronal behavior that are relevant for researching neurological diseases and developing information processing systems with neuronal architectures.