Eleven Ambizione grants awarded to EPFL

Ambizione, an SNSF grant designed to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers, offers young academics a unique opportunity to take their careers to the next level by conducting, managing, and leading their own independent research projects at Swiss higher education institutions. With a focus on fostering scientific independence, Ambizione targets researchers who are 1 to 4 years post-PhD and provides comprehensive financial support.

The grant covers the recipient's salary, personnel costs, equipment expenses, and other project-related needs for up to four years. This holistic support enables researchers to fully focus on their work, creating an ideal environment for building a strong scientific profile and gaining the skills necessary to become self-reliant at an early stage in their careers.

As the name suggests, "Ambizione" is all about ambition—helping excellent researchers reach new heights and preparing them for long-term success in academia or other research-related fields. It provides the tools and freedom needed to develop innovative projects, ultimately contributing to Switzerland's reputation as a global leader in scientific research.

Ambizione has become a critical stepping stone for many early-career researchers, allowing them to gain independence, establish themselves as leaders in their field, and make lasting contributions to science.

This year, of the 490 applications received, the SNSF has awarded 92 new Ambizione grants.

Eleven of these have gone to EPFL-affiliated researchers:

• Lucio Galeati, Rough Flows, Stochasticity and Fluids, SB, MATH, Chair of Stochastic Analysis
• Hongri Gu, Wearable Electromagnetic Actuation Systems with Customized Force Output, STI, IGM, Flexible Structures Laboratory - FLEXLAB
• Caterina Franco, Une modernité alpine? Plans, constructions, vestiges, 1929-1975. Pour une histoire architecturale et environnementale du tourisme de haute montagne, du lac Léman à la méditerranée, ENAC, IA, LAB-U Laboratory of Urbanism
• Ghassan Shahin, Multi-Scale and Multi-Physics Characterization of Volcanic Rock Mechanics, ENAC, IIC, Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics LEMR
• Fiona Seibold, Effective strings, membranes, and their solvability, SB, ITP, Theoretical Particle Physics Laboratory LPTP
• Marina Micari, An adaptive multi-objective framework for tailoring carbon capture technologies, SB, ISIC, Laboratory of Advanced Separations LAS
• Michael Hirschbichler, Engaging Wastelands, ENAC, IA, Atelier de la conception de l'espace ALICE
• Tommaso Bertoni, Neural sensorimotor mechanisms underlying sense of agency and their implications for closed-loop neuroprosthetic control, STI, CPN, Translational Neural Engineering Lab TNE
• Wayne Yang, 2D-ABC: 2D Electrostatic traps for Assembly of BioCondensates, STI, IBI, Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology LBEN
• Naiara Korta Martiartu, Integrated echo-mode Computed UltraSound tomography for comprehensive quantification of acoustic tissue properties (ICUS), STI, IEL, Signal Processing Laboratory 5 LTS5
• Michele Dolce , Long-time behavior of PDEs in Fluid Dynamics and Kinetic Theories, SB, MATH, Chair of Mathematical Analysis, Calculus of Variations and PDEs AMCV