Drs Stephen Fielden and David Themens have each received a €1.5 million Starting Grant from the European Research Council.
Assistant Professor Dr Stephen Fielden (left) and Associate Professor Dr David Themens.
Two University of Birmingham scientists are among early-career researchers across Europe to each receive a €1.5 million Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
Assistant Professor Dr Stephen Fielden and Associate Professor Dr David Themens have received the prestigious grants from a €761 million fund which aims to help researchers launch their own projects, build research teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
A Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow, Dr Fielden’s ERC project will develop new methods to study emulsions formed by combining two liquids that do not normally mix, such as oil and water.
Being awarded an ERC Starting Grant is transformative for my fledgling research group, because it provides us with ample resource to tackle a 125-year-old research question.
Emulsions are found all around us in paint, food and pharmaceuticals, but are typically unstable and break down over time – the reason why emulsion paint needs to be stirred before use or vinaigrette needs to be shaken before being poured on salad. Dr Fielden’s research into controlling the breakdown of emulsions back into their components could eventually be used to produce new materials.
Dr Fielden commented: "Being awarded an ERC Starting Grant is transformative for my fledgling research group, because it provides us with ample resource to tackle a 125-year-old research question. I am excited to welcome more bright young minds to my group and am grateful for the support given to me by the University of Birmingham when applying for this prestigious grant. It is vital that the UK continues to support future generations of scientists through association with the ERC.”
Dr Themens’ ERC project, called Ionospheric Climate Global Reference Ionosphere (I-C-GloRI), seeks to develop a new global standard to represent the plasma environment in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, known as the ionosphere.
As climate change evolves over time, contrary to the warming observed the in the lower atmosphere, the upper atmosphere (100km to 1000km altitudes) is experiencing considerable cooling because of increased CO2.
This cooling is causing that part of the atmosphere to contract, bringing the ionosphere with it. Dr Themens’ research will characterize this impact on the ionosphere and develop a new global model that includes these climate impacts, replacing the current standard, which was developed in the 60s and 70s.
This new model will be used to understand and mitigate how climate change is impacting the propagation of radio signals within the ionosphere, such as those from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (like GPS), and High Frequency communications and remote sensing systems, such as those used in polar aviation and over-the-horizon radar.
This grant will allow me to develop something I’ve long dreamed of bringing to fruition, which could not be realized without the long duration and scope of these ERC grants.
Dr Themens commented: “This grant will allow me to develop something I’ve long dreamed of bringing to fruition, which could not be realized without the long duration and scope of these ERC grants. I’m incredibly grateful to receive this grant and thank the School of Engineering, my colleagues in SERENE, and the many reviewers and panellists who committed their time to this programme and my application. The SERENE group and I are incredibly excited to begin this work, welcome new members to our team, and bring ionospheric climatology into the 21st century.”
ERC Starting Grants support excellent research across diverse fields, including physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, commented: “Among the winners in this new round of EU funding are researchers of 51 nationalities. They will be advancing knowledge across a wide range of scientific fields, including cancer, mental health and quantum science. We see leading scientists coming to Europe with these new grants, and many choosing to remain here thanks to this support. This demonstrates Europe’s potential to attract and keep top scientific talent.”
President of the European Research Council Prof. Maria Leptin added: “All these bright minds and the plethora of brilliant ideas that they will go after really inspire me, and so does their scientific creativity. It also gives hope that Europe empowers them and backs them. Yet, we could do more! Only 12% of all proposals in this competition are being funded, even if many more are excellent. More investment in this type of science is needed for Europe to reach its full potential.”
For more information, please contact the University of Birmingham press office or call +44 (0) 121 414 2772.
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
The successful ERC Starting Grant candidates plan to carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 25 countries, including Germany (99 grants), the UK (60), the Netherlands (44), and France (41). They come from Europe and beyond, with 51 different nationalities amongst the grantees, notably Germans (87 researchers), Italians (55), French (33), and UK and Spanish researchers (32 each).
This competition attracted 3,928 proposals, marking a 13% increase in demand from last year’s Starting Grant call. Just over 12% of the proposals will be funded. The number of women grantees remain stable with 42% female winners in this year’s Starting Grants, and 44% in 2024, and 43% in 2023.
A Starting Grant amounts to €1.5 million for a period of up to five years. However, additional funds can be made available to cover costs related to moving from a country outside the EU or associated countries, purchasing major equipment or the access to large facilities, or major experimental and fieldwork-related costs. This round of grants is estimated to create some 3,000 jobs within the teams of the new grantees.
Associate Professor
Staff profile for Dr David Themes, an Associate Professor in Space Environment in the Space Environment and Radio Engineering (SERENE) group in the School of Engineering.
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow
Staff profile for Stephen Fielden.
