Deiner receives prestigious European Research Council grant
Scientists from ETH Zurich were once again hugely successful in the latest round of the prestigious ERC Starting Grants: 3 women and 12 men each received an average of 1.5 million euros for their research projects. In total, ETH Zurich will receive 23 million euros. The selected projects cover a range of disciplines, from astronomy and mathematics to climate modelling. The researchers work in nine different ETH departments (see project details below).
Detlef Günther, Vice President for Research and Corporate Relations at ETH Zurich, is delighted that the ERC Starting Grants will enable outstanding young researchers to conduct ambitious projects at ETH Zurich. “Such a high number of successful applications once again shows the exceptional talent that we employ at our university,” says Günther. This demonstrates ETH Zurich’s enormous potential, which can be realised even more effectively with the support of the ERC Starting Grants.
“ERC grants are an outstanding funding instrument that allow our researchers to measure their projects against those of other scientists at an international level. Their most recent success shows that they easily stand up to the competition,” says Günther.
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Kristy Deiner is an ecologist and conservation management scientist. In her research, she seeks to understand the cause and consequence of biodiversity loss in freshwater and terrestrial animal and plant species. Her ERC project aims to solve the challenge of monitoring biodiversity by using novel genetic technology allowing the detection of species from their DNA left behind in the environment. Species extinctions are increasing, along with the loss of the benefits provided like food or medicines. DNA from animals and plants in the environment can help determine efficiently the persistence of species and allow for better management decisions.
