Frank Wilczek, professor at the Department of Physics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Johan Rockström, Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and David Strömberg at the Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES). These three professors at Stockholm University will receive prestigious ERC Advanced Grants.
Five out of the seven applicants from Stockholm University received the highest score in the second stage, which means that the evaluators wanted the projects to be funded, but the ERC's budget was not sufficient. The ERC Advanced Grant is the most prestigious of the European Research Council's grants, aimed at the most excellent researchers.
Frank Wilczek: The hunt for the hypothetical particles
In his project, Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek will be trying to facilitate the experimental detection of axions. Axions are hypothetical particles whose existence would solve the problem of dark matter. They are very light and interact weakly, making them extremely hard to study. The research will mainly be carried out in Stockholm at the Oskar Klein Centre at Stockholm University and the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (Nordita). ”Axions are a target of research around the world, but most of this research involves small groups, which by their nature can’t do justice to all aspects of the field, and synergies among them. The ERC grant will allow us, I think, to form a powerful, focused effort in Stockholm that will fill that role. We can also bring in visitors to exchange ideas. Since the research touches on big, appealing questions, I also hope to reach out to a wider scientific and public audience”, says Frank Wilczek.
