European Research Council Grantees

Here you will find information about the researchers at Stockholm University who have been granted project funding from the European Research Council, ERC.

ERC, European Research Council, promotes researcher–driven research of the highest quality through extensive and long–term funding. The ERC supports cutting–edge research, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects and groundbreaking ideas in new and emerging areas.

The ERC annually announces three research grants. These grants are for young researchers (ERC Starting Grant), established researchers (ERC Consolidator Grant), and researchers who are experts in their research fields (ERC Advanced Grant).

ERC Advanced grant

ERC Advanced Grant is for established world-class researchers with significant research efforts over the past 10 years.

David Strömberg, ERC Advanced Grant, 2018–2023

Social Media and Traditional Media in China: Political and Economic Effects (MEDIACHINA).

David Strömberg's research focus is the influence of the mass media on economic and political outcomes.

Johan Rockström, ERC Advanced grant, 2017–2022

Earth Resilience in the Anthropocene (ERA) Integrating non–linear biophysical and social determinants of Earth–system stability for global sustainability through a novel community modelling platform.

Johan Rockström is a professor of environmental science with an emphasis on water resources and global sustainability. Rockström is an internationally recognized researcher for his work on global sustainability issues.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 2 492 834 EUR

Frank Wilczek, ERC Advanced Grant, 2017–2022

Axions: From Heaven to Earth (AXION).

Frank Wilczek, professor at Physics, Stockholm University, has been awarded the ERC Advanced Grant for trying to detect the occurrence of axions. These are hypothetical particles whose existence would solve the problem of dark matter.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 2 324 391 EUR

Torsten Persson, ERC Advanced Grant, 2016–2021

Social and Political Economics: Theory and Evidence (ECOSOCPOL).

Persson's research can be described as a synthesis of various schooling such as public choice, macroeconomic theory with rational policy expectations, and political science rational choice. As a rule, formal economic theory is related to empirical patterns and more advanced statistical methods. Persson's perhaps most important contribution is to show the connection between countries' political constitutions and economic-political outcomes. Research results show that countries with parliamentarism have a larger public sector than countries with presidential rule.

Period: 2016–2021
Budget: 1 100 000 EUR

Örjan Gustavsson, ERC Advanced Grant, 2016–2021

Cryosphere–Carbon on Top of the Earth (CC–Top): Decreasing Uncertainties of Thawing Permafrost and Collapsing Methane Hydrates in the Arctic.

Period: 2016–2021

Anders Nilsson, ERC Advanced Grant, 2015–2020

Probing the structure and dynamics of water in its various states (WATER).

Anders Nilsson is a physicist and researches on the structure of the water at various stages.

Konstantin Zarembo, ERC Advanced Grant, 2014–2019

Integrable systems in gauge and string theory (INTEGRAL).

Konstantin's research field is theoretical high-energy physics, with a main interest in quantum field theory, string theory and integrated systems.

Period: 2014–2019
Budget 1 693 692 EUR, transferred from KTH.

Torsten Persson, ERC Advanced Grant, 2010–2015

State capacity, conflict and development (STATECAP).

Period: 2010–2015
Budget: 1 489 744 EUR

Jan–Ehrling Bäckvall, ERC Advanced Grant, 2010–2015

Oxidation via low–energy electron transfer. Development of green oxidation methodology
via a biomimetic approach (OXLEET).

Jan-Ehrling Bäckvall is a professor of organic chemistry and researches, among other things, on oxidation via electronic transmission with low energy.

Gunnar von Heijne, ERC Advanced Grant, 2009–2014

New approaches to the study of membrane–protein folding in vivo and in silico (MEMFOLD).

Gunnar von Heijne's research has mainly focused on membrane proteins, the proteins in the cell membrane that, among other things, account for transport and signaling through the membrane. He is the head of the Center for Biomembrane Research at SU and one of Sweden's most cited researchers in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology.

Period: 2009–2014
Budget: 2 000 000 EUR

Per Krusell, ERC Advanced Grant, 2009–2013

Quantitative dynamic macroeconomic analysis of global climate change and inequality (MICROCLIMATE).

Per Krusell is an economist and his research has focused on macroeconomics with special contributions in the areas of technological change, inequality, political economy, macroeconomic policy and work economics. He is currently conducting a long-term project on the interaction between global climate change and the economy.

Period: 2009–2013
Budget: 2 100 000 EUR

ERC Consolidator grant

ERC Consolidator Grant is for those who have recently started a research group and want to strengthen their role as research leaders (7-12 years after doctoral degree).

Ingvild Almås, 2023-2027

From Household Allocations to Global Inequality: New Methods, Facts and Policy Implications (UNEQUALWITHIN)

To understand and mitigate economic inequalities, both locally and globally, we need to acknowledge inequalities within households. Concretely, the project will contribute to our knowledge in several specific ways.

Period: 2023-2027
Budget: preliminary budget: 1 999 964 euro for five years.
Read more about Ingvild Almås´research here

Ilona Riipinen, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2020–2025

An Integrated View on Coupled Aerosol-Cloud Interactions (INTEGRATE).

Ilona Riipinen and her team will study the interactions between aerosol particles and clouds in the atmosphere. The aim of the research is to better understand the human influences on the global atmospheric system and climate.

Period: 2020-2025
Budget: 2 749 920

Martin Högbom, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2017–2022

High–valent protein–coordinated catalytic metal sites: Geometric and electronic architecture (HIGH–GEAR).

Martin Högbom's research group's main area of interest and competence is how the protein structure relates to function, especially in proteins that use redox-active metal cofactors or radicals for catalysis.

Period: 2017-2022
Budget: 1 968 375 EUR

Thorsten Mauritsen, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2018–2023

Reining in the upper bound on Earth’s Climate Sensitivities (highECS).

Maja Schlüter, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2017–2022

Towards middle–range theories of the co–evolutionary dynamics of multi–level social–ecological systems (MUSES).

Maja Schlüter’s research focuses on social-ecological interactions and mechanisms that can explain various cases of social-ecological interactions.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 1 969 599 EUR

David Drew, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2019–2024

Dynamic Complexes and Allosteric Regulation of Small Molecule Transporters (EXCHANGE).

David Drew hails from New Zealand and came to Stockholm University for the first time as a doctoral student. He had studied physiology and pharmacology and was fascinated by how the body worked. At the same time, he looked with some frustration at the large complex systems, where it is very difficult to know exactly what is happening and what is making a difference. The research on membrane proteins makes science clearer.

To find out how proteins look and work, David Drew uses methods to look at the positions of individual atoms. One such method is X-ray crystallography. X-rays are pushed through a crystal of the proteins, and based on the scattering of the rays an image of what the carrier looks like at atomic level is given.

Period: 2019–2024
Budget: 1 999 875 EUR

Marie Evertsson, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2018–2023

Revealing Sources of Gendered Parenthood: A multi–method comparative study of the transition to parenthood in same–sex and opposite–sex couples (GENPARENT).

Evertsson's research focuses on gender inequality in the home and the labor market. She studies the gender division of paid and unpaid work and the extent to which family policy influences the labor market outlook of women and men.

Period: 2018–2023
Budget: 1 999 910 EUR

Per Pettersson Lidbom, ERC Consolidator Grant, 2014–2019

The Swedish historical database project (HISTORICALDATABASE).

Per Pettersson Lidbom's research is focused on political economy, public finances and work economics and it is empirically oriented.

Period: 2014–2019
Budget: 1 200 000 EUR

ERC Starting Grant

ERC Starting Grant is for young researchers (2–7 years after completing a doctoral degree) that are about to start their independent research.

Birgit Wild, 2022-2027

Rhizosphere priming: Quantifying plant impacts on carbon dioxide emissions from a warming Arctic (PRIMETIME)

Birgit Wild’s project aims to answer the question of whether interactions between plants and soils will increase CO2 emissions from thawing permafrost soils in a warming climate.

Period: 2022-2027
Budget: 1,499,230 euro

Jón Gudmundsson, 2022-2027

Transforming cryogenic optics for cosmic microwave background experiments (CMBeam)

Jon Gudmunssons’ research group studies cosmology, astrophysics, and fundamental physics through observations of the microwave sky.

Period: 2022-2027
Budget: 1,999,711 euro

Peter Søgaard Jørgensen, 2022-2027

Emerging pests and pathogens as a novel lens for unravelling social-ecological cascades (INFLUX)

Jørgensen's research will fill an important gap in sustainability science, helping to develop much needed capacity to navigate a future where shocks from pests and pathogens are likely to be more common. As part of this work, he will assemble a large database of some 1600 of emerging pests and pathogens.

Period: 2022-2027
Budget: 1,499,705 euro

Ragnhild Lunnan, 2023-2027

Transients Illuminating the Fates of the Most Massive Stars (TransPIre)

Ragnhild is broadly interested in unusual transients, and what they tell us both about massive star evolution and about star formation in extreme environments.

Period: 2023-2027
Budget: 1,634,250 euro

Mikael Lundqvist, ERC Starting Grant, 2020–2025

ERC funding for research into human cognition and generalising artificial intelligence (Mikael Lundqvist)

Artificial neural networks can be trained to handle information in a similar way to the human brain. A crucial difference, however, is that these are not as flexible as the brain. With the support of an ERC Starting Grant, Mikael Lundqvist at the Department of Psychology will understand the neural mechanisms behind the ability of primates to generalise and create flexible artificial networks.

Period: 2020–2025
Budget: 1 500 000 EUR

Ben Wilson, ERC Starting Grant, 2020–2025

ERC grant to study the lives of children and grandchildren of refugees (Ben Wilson)

A lot is known about the inequalities experienced by refugees, but much less is known about their children’s lives. Ben Wilson, a post-doctoral researcher at the Stockholm University Demography Unit (SUDA), Department of Sociology, receives a new ERC Starting Grant to study the inequalities that are faced by the children and grandchildren of refugees living in Sweden.

Period: 2020–2025
Budget: 1 400 000 EUR

Markus Kowalewski, ERC Starting Grant, 2020–2025

Chemistry in Optical Nano Cavities: Designing Photonic Reagents and Light-Matter Materials (CONICALM).

Markus Kowalewski’s group works on a wide variety of topics involving photo chemistry, coherent control, polaritonic chemistry, ultrafast spectroscopy, and numerical methods related to quantum dynamics.

Period: 2020-2025
Budget: 1 480 750 EUR

Karin Lind, ERC Starting Grant, 2020–2024

Multidimensional Analysis of the Metal-poor Galaxy (MULTIDIMSPEC).

Karin Lind’s research focuses on the observation and interpretation of starlight.

Period: 2020-2024
Budget: 1 500 000 EUR

David Wheatcroft, ERC Starting Grant, 2019–2024

Species discrimination in birds: A behavioural-neurogenomics approach to auditory learning (SongNeuroGen).

David Wheatcroft’s research focuses on how chicks can learn to recognize the song of their own species even when they are exposed to song from other species.

Period: 2019-2024
Budget: 1 490 850 EUR

Anders Jerkstrand, ERC Starting Grant, 2019–2024

Three-dimensional spectral modelling of astrophysical transients: unravelling the nucleosynthetic content of supernovae and kilonovae (SUPERSPEC).

Anders Jerkstrand’s research is focused on computational modelling of supernova light curves and spectra. In particular, he is interested in trying to answer questions about stellar nucleosynthesis and the origin of the elements.

Period: 2019-2024
Budget: 1 500 000 EUR

Alexey Amunts, ERC Starting Grant, 2019–2024

Protein synthesis in organelles (Orgasome).

Alexey Amunts research group investigates the fundamental question of how proteins are synthesized, folded and assembled into functional multicomponent bioenergetic complexes that drive the cellular energy production.

Period: 2019-2024
Budget: 1 331 300 EUR

Oskar Karlsson, ERC Starting Grant, 2019–2023

Paternal Epigenetic Inheritance: A man’s life experiences may impact health of his unborn children and grandchildren (PATER).

Oskar Karlsson research combine experimental model systems, omics tools, computational toxicology and molecular epidemiological research to study gene-environment interactions and epigenetic basis of disease. In particular, the research focuses on developmental origins of health and disease with an emphasis on the exposome and underlying molecular mechanisms.

Period: 2019-2023
Budget: 1 500 000 EUR

Tanja Slotte, ERC Starting Grant, 2018–2022

Supergene evolution in a classic plant system - Bringing the study of distyly into the genomic Era (SuperGenE).

This project will allow us to address long-standing questions about the evolution of complex plant adaptations governed by supergenes, in a system that is particularly well suited for this purpose.

The researchers at Tanja Slotte lab are interested in understanding what factors govern how genetic variation is distributed across plant genomes, and how this results in phenotypic diversity within and among plant species. They are especially interested in the evolutionary consequences of plant mating system shifts.

Period: 2018-2022
Budget: 1 475 636 EUR

Jaime de la Cruz, ERC Starting Grant, 2018–2022

Understanding magnetic-field-regulated heating and explosive events in the solar chromosphere (SUNMAG).

Jamie de la Cruz’s main research expertise comprise three areas:

Non-LTE polarized radiative transfer.
Data inversion techniques.
Spectropolarimetric data processing tools.

Period: 2018-2022
Budget: 1 491 967 EUR

Marc Friedländer, ERC Starting Grant, 2018–2022

MicroRNA functions in single cells (miRCell).

The Friedländer group applies state-of-the-art computational and genomic methods to address fundamental questions in RNA biology. The focus is on quantitatively describing and functionally characterizing mammalian transcriptomes, and methods include next-generation sequencing of single and pooled cells, as well as development of source code, databases and wet-lab protocols.

Period: 2018-2023
Budget: 1 497 650 EUR

Dan Petersen, ERC Starting Grant, 2018–2022

Topology of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces (MODULISPACES).

Dan Petersen is active in algebraic geometry, a very extensive field of research today with many connections to other parts of mathematics as well as other sciences. His special field, the theory of modular space, has links to speech theory and the string theory of modern physics.

Period: 2018–2022
Budget: 1 091 249 EUR

Kurt Mitman, ERC Starting grant, 2017–2022

Micro Heterogeneity and Macroeconomic Policy (MICROTOMACROANDBACK).

Kurt Mitman's research focuses on macroeconomics and he is particularly interested in household financing, housing and labor markets.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 1 299 165 EUR

Stefano Bonetti, ERC Starting Grant, 2017–2022

Understanding the speed limits of magnetism (MAGNETIC–SPEED–LIMIT).

Stefano Bonetti's research focuses on the use of strong laser fields to manipulate and investigate quantum materials on ultra-fast time scales.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 1 967 755 EUR

Ville Kaila, ERC Starting Grant, 2017–2022

Functional Proton–Electron Transfer Elements in Biological Energy Conversion (bioPCET).

Kaila Lab, led by Professor Ville RI Kaila, is focused on understanding molecular principles of enzyme catalysis, with a particular emphasis on how biological systems capture and store chemical energy and light energy and convert this into other forms of energy that the cell can use for energy-demanding processes.

Period: 2017–2022

Abraham Mendoza, ERC Starting Grant, 2017–2022

New Reagents and Catalysts for Single Carbon Transfer to Organic Molecules (single–C).

Abraham Mendosa's research places particular emphasis on the incorporation of C-H activation logic into synthetic chemistry.

Period: 2017–2022
Budget: 1 487 245 EUR

Jiayin Yuan, ERC Starting Grant, 2015–2021

Nanoporous Asymmetric Poly (Ionic Liquid) Membrane (NAPOLI).

Jiayin Yuans group Yuan Group designs, creates and investigates broadly defined functional polymers and carbon atoms, especially in a colloidal or porous form, through simple chemistry and processing.

Period: 2015–2021 (interruptions during US stay)
Budget: 1 000 000 EUR

Markus Hennrich ERC Starting Grant, 2012–2017

Quantum simulations with trapped Rydberg ions (QUASIRIO).

In this project, we focus on the realization of trapped Rydberg ions. This will bring together two quantum systems: trapped ions and Rydberg atoms. Bringing them together will form a new quantum system with benefits from both sides. Captured Rydberg ions are a promising system for applications in quantum information and quantum simulation.

Period: 2012–2017
Budget: 1 499 955 EUR, transferred from KTH Aug 2015).

Maja Schlüter, ERC Starting Grant, 2012–2017

The nature of social–ecological linkages and their implication for the resilience of human–environment systems (SES–LINK).

Maja Schlüter's research focuses on social-ecological interactions and mechanisms that can explain these.

Period: 2012–2017
Budget: 1 285 000 EUR

Jens Rydgren, ERC Starting Grant, 2011–2016

Individual Life Chances in Social Context: A Longitudinal Multi–Methods Perspective on Social Constraints and Opportunities (LIFEINCON).

Jens Rydgren has specialized in research in political sociology. He has for many years studied so-called radical right-wing populist parties in Europe and has been used by various media as an expert on right-wing populism in Europe, including the parties the Swedish Democrats and the National Front.

Ilona Riipinen, ERC Starting Grant, 2011–2016

Atmospheric Gas–Aerosol Interface: From Fundamental Theory to Global Effects (ATMOGAIN).

lona Riipinen works with her colleagues mainly on atmospheric calculation models that represent the processes that control the development and effects of atmospheric aerosol populations. They model the evolution of atmospheric aerosol from molecular to global scale, with close connection to experimental data from both laboratory and field studies.

Period: 2011–2016
Budget: 1 498 099 EUR, transferred from Helsingfors universitet

Jonas Tallberg, ERC Starting Grant, 2009–2013

The design of international institutions: Legitimacy, effectiveness and distribution in global governance (DII).

Jonas Tallberg researches on power, democracy, efficiency and legitimacy within international organizations.

Period: 2009–2013
Budget: 1 651 200 EUR

Erik Lindahl, ERC Starting Grant 2008-2013

Multiscale and distributed computing algorithms for biomolecular simulation and efficient free energy calculations (ERIKLINDAHLERC2007).

Erik Lindahls research is focused on understanding the doors and windows of our cells in the form of membrane proteins in general, and in particular the functions of ion channels and pumps that transport ions to make our nervous system work.

Period: 2008 - 2013
Budget: 992 413 EUR; The project was placed at KTH. Active at SU but for technical reasons the project was financially transferred to KTH

David Strömberg, ERC Starting Grant 2008-2013

The impact of mass media on public policy (MEDIA AND POLICY).

David Strömberg’s research focuses on:

Political Economics
Economics of Media
Econometrics

Period: 2008 – 2013
Budget: 799 945 EUR

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Last updated: October 7, 2022

Source: Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services