2020 CALL FOR PROPOSALS: RESULTS

Short term visitor grants

3 projects are funded to enable foreign researchers visit our colleagues over a short stay in Grenoble (between 1 and 2 months) and lay the foundation for further collaborations on new topics. Barbara Mazzolai from the Italian institute of technology in Genova [1], will come to the 3SR laboratory [2] to observe the in vivo biomechanics of roots in soil thanks to 3D X-ray tomography, as part of a project dealing with “Plantoid” root-like robots (contact: Luc Sibille – 3SR). Jorge Carlos Lucero from the University of Brasilia (Brazil) [3], will come to Grenoble to carry out experiments at LEGI [4] on mechanical replicas of the human larynx, and study the dynamics of oscillations in the case of pathological vocalisation (contact: Xavier Pelorson – LEGI). Tomislav Ivanković from the University of Zagreb (Croatia) [5], will visit Sabine Rolland du Roscoat and Nicolas Lenoir from the 3SR laboratory to perform the first images of a bacterial biofilm growing in a porous matrix using neutron tomography imaging.

Long term visitor grants

4 projects, involving a PhD grant, are co-funded with 4 foreign research institutions as part of a long term collaboration. Raúl Bayoán Cal from Portland state University (USA) [6], Martin Obligado and Henda Djeridi from LEGI, associate to co-supervise a PhD project dealing with the dynamics of particles on solar panels in large photovoltaic power stations with the objective of limiting maintenance operations. The LEGI also goes into partnership with the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) [7] to co-supervise a PhD on the study of inertial particles dynamics in the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (contacts: Alberto Aliseda – Univ. Washington, Nicolas Mordant – LEGI). The 3SR laboratory, the INRAE Grenoble [8] and the University of Sydney (Australia) [9] join forces to develop a methodology able to monitor fluid migration in granular flows by coupling X-rays and neutron imaging (contacts: Benjamin Marks – Univ. Sydney, Cino Viggiani – 3SR, Thierry Faug – INRAE Grenoble). Delphine Débarre (LIPhy [10]) and Ralf Richter (University of Leeds, UK [11]), associate to elucidate the complex interplay between biochemical reactions and mechanical properties that control cell capture at the vessels’ wall under flow.

PhD grants

2 projects are funded to reinforce internal collaborations between laboratories belonging to Tec21’s scientific perimeter. Guillaume Piton (INRAE Grenoble) and Vincent Richefeu (3SR) will co-supervise a PhD project dealing with the coupling of discrete element method (DEM) and smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) to investigate the interactions between debris flows and obstacles. The LEGI, the DSBT [12], and the SIMAP laboratory [13] associate to co-supervise a numerical PhD project on the control of turbulent flows in ultra-high intensity LASER amplifiers (contact: Sedat Tardu – LEGI, Alain Girard – DSBT, Olivier Doche – SIMAP)

Post-doc grants

A one year post-doc grant is awarded to the LGP2 [14] and the LRP [15] to collaborate on the development of new multifunctional materials using cellulose nanofibers in a wet spinning process (contact: Davide Beneventi – LGP2, Albert Magnin – LRP, Ramzi Khiari [16])

Outgoing grants

The outgoing grant category received no proposal in this first round of the call. This new funding tool is proposed for permanent researchers from the Tec21 perimeter to spend a month in a foreign university or industry and build up new collaborations.

The next call for research proposals should open at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year.

[1] Centre for Micro Biorobotics, Italian institute of technology, Genoa

[2] Laboratoire Sols, Solides, Structures et Risques

[3] Department of computer science, University of Brasilia

[4] Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels

[5] Bacteriological laboratory, University of Zagreb, Faculty of science, Croatia

[6] Department of mechanical and materials engineering, Portland state university, USA

[7] Multiphase and cardiovascular flow lab, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

[8] ETNA group (Errosion Torrentielle, Neige et Avalanches)

[9] Sydney centre in geomechanics and mining materials, University of Sydney, Australia

[10] Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique

[11] School of biomedical sciences and School of physics & astronomy, University of Leeds, UK

[12] Département des Systèmes Basses Températures

[13] Laboratoire SIMAP, EPM group (Elaboration par Procédés Magnétiques)

[14] Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés papetiers

[15] Laboratoire de Rhéologie et Procédés

[16] Unité de recherche Chimie Appliquée et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Tunisia