The European Research Council has awarded two ERC Advanced Grants in the Action field in the 2022 call to two brilliant researchers working in areas realed with AttoChem:

Prof. Pavel JUNGWIRTH (IOCB, CZ), for his project “Doing Charges Right: Modelling Ion-Controlled Biological Processes with the Correct Toolbox” (Q-SCALING).
As part of the Q-Scaling project, Pavel Jungwirth and his team want to create a computational tool which will allow researchers to model the action of ions in the biological environment, but without additional investment in computer technology. Thanks to this, researchers will be able to accurately describe and exploit the biological potential of ions, which is expected to find uses, for example, in the rational development of drugs or for their transport into cells.

Prof. Majed CHERGUI (ELETTRA, IT), for the project entitled “X-ray spectroscopy of molecular chirality in solutions” (CHIRAX)
The CHIRAX project proposes to extend circular dichroism to X-rays. X-rays offer a significantly higher sensitivity, and also allow to select the chemical element (i.e. the atom) that absorbs the light and to link it to the chiral state of the molecule. The aim of the project is to bring this technique, which is intrinsically very sensitive, to a level of implementation that allows it to be used for the analysis of molecules. Furthermore, by exploiting the ultrafast temporal structure of the X-ray beam available with the FERMI Free Electron Laser, the project aims to perform this type of analysis in real-time, and follow the evolution of chiral biomolecular systems over time and with changing analytical conditions.

The ERC Advanced Grant funding is amongst the most prestigious and competitive EU funding schemes, providing researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. They are awarded to established, leading researchers with a proven track-record of significant research achievements over the past decade. The funding will enable these researchers to explore their most innovative and ambitious ideas.

More information at ERC website: https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/erc-2022-advanced-grants-results