Nineteen EPFL Scientists Recognized with Prestigious Spark Grants

Spark is designed for projects that show unconventional thinking and introduce a unique approach. The call is open to all disciplines. Applicants must have a doctorate or equivalent qualification and conduct the Spark project at a Swiss research institution. The grant may cover the applicant’s salary for a duration of 6-12 months.

This year, of the 557 applications received, the SNSF has awarded 157 new Spark grants.

Nineteen of these have gone to EPFL-affiliated researchers:

STI:

• Jotzu, Gregor - UltraNV: Terahertz Control of Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Qubits - STI IMX DQML, Dynamic Quantum Materials Laboratory (Tenure Track Assistant Professor)
• Méry, Adrien Xavier - Optogenetically controlled microfiber bioactuators - STI IGM MICROBS, Micro BioRobotic Systems Laboratory
• Renton, Angela - Predictive visual processing and sustained attention: from mechanisms to neurofeedback intervention - STI INX-STI MIPLAB, Medical Image Processing Lab (MIP:Lab)
• Zavatski, Siarhei - Configurable dielectrophoretic metasurfaces for comprehensive microanalysis - STI IEM NAM, Nanophotonics and Metrology Laboratory

ENAC:

• Bijelic, Nenad - Automated Quantification of Energy Grid Infrastructure Lifespan (AGILE) - ENAC IIC RESSLAB,Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory
• Surdu, Mihnea - Aerosol chemical composition measurements using nanoelectromechanical systems - ENAC IEE EERL, Extreme Environments Research Laboratory EERL – Ingvar Kamprad Chair
• Meyer, Gabriel - DRUIDS: Developing a Direct sheaR modUle for a hIgh-pressure and temperature Deformation appartuS to investigate crustal dynamics and deep earthquakes - ENAC IIC LEMR, Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics
• Dharun Vadugappatty Srinivasan - Next-Gen Plasmonic Nanoparticle Adhesives: Connect, Renew and Release – ENAC IIC GR-MEC, Group of Composite Mechanics (GR-MeC)

SV:

• Schrimpf, Martin - Scaling Laws for Neural Network Models of the Primate Visual Ventral Stream – SV INX-SV UPSCHRIMPF1, EPFL NeuroAI Lab (Tenure Track Assistant Professor)
• Herrera Camacho, Antonio - Spatio-temporal Transcriptome Labeling of the Live Embryo to Reconstruct Cell Developmental Histories - SV BMI UPLAMANNO, Prof. La Manno Lab – Laboratory of Brain Development and Biological Data Science
• La Manno, Gioele - Charting the individuality of neural progenitor state transition sequences by hyperspectral time-lapse imaging - SV BMI UPLAMANNO, Prof. La Manno Lab – Laboratory of Brain Development and Biological Data Science (Tenure Track Assistant Professor)
• Woglar, Alexander - Keeping fundamental organelles for good: deciphering mechanisms of centriole repair - SV ISREC UPGON, Gönczy Lab – Cell and Developmental Biology
• Hatzopoulos, Georgios - Investigating the role of RNA in Centriole Biogenesis - SV ISREC UPGON, Gönczy Lab – Cell and Developmental Biology
• Squair, Jordan - An mRNA ‘vaccine’ for spinal cord regeneration - SV BMI UPCOURTINE, G-LAB UPCOURTINE
• Eisele, Almut - Mapping clonal dynamics in the tumor microenvironment using gene expression memory - SV IBI-SV UPSUTER, UPSUTER – Gene regulation & Cell identity

SB:

• Poręba, Tomasz - Structure and chemistry of solid ozone at extreme conditions – SB IPHYS LQM, Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism
• Yevtushynsky, Daniil - Breaking the magnetic field taboo in angle-resolved photoemission - SB IPHYS LQM, Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism
• Steinauer, Angela - Lab simulation of gene duplication – SB ISIC LIBN, Laboratory of Biomolecular Engineering and Nanomedicine (Tenure Track Assistant Professor)
• Niel, Elisabeth - The forgotten baryon: hunting neutrons at hadron colliders - SB IPHYS LPHE-OS, High Energy Physics Laboratory