Three Leiden researchers awarded an ERC Starting Grant
Three researchers from Leiden University have been awarded a Starting Grant by the European Research Council. The subsidy will allow the researchers to set up their own projects and put together a research team.
The European Research Council (ERC) awards a total of 761 million euros in subsidies during this round of Starting Grants. In the Netherlands, 44 researchers are to receive a Starting Grant. The Leiden laureates are:
Nathalie Brusgaard (Archaeology)
Nathalie Brusgaard researches how the transition from a hunter-gatherer to a farming way of life in Western Europe has altered the relationship between men and wild animals. While the emphasis is generally on livestock farming, her project looks at the continued interaction with wild animals: as a source of food and raw material for tools, but also with a symbolic and cultural significance. She intends to use archaeological and biomolecular research to reveal the invisible traces of these relationships. By comparing three regions (the Netherlands, Central Germany and Southern Sweden), Brusgaard wants to gain insight into the complexity and diversity of human-animal relations, and contribute to current debates about co-existing with wild animals.
Alisa van de Haar (Centre for the Arts in Society)
Between 1550 and 1650, there were very rapid developments in the print industry, language education and administrative bureaucracy, especially in North West Europe. This meant new opportunities for men and women with language skills, such as reading, writing and text editing. But we know surprisingly little about these language experts: they have never been studied as a separate professional group.
The LangPro project is changing this by charting the early modern language sector: the segment of the economy that centred on language. The project investigates the professional, financial and social opportunities offered by the sector, particularly with regard to women.
By analysing historical sources and building a database of language professionals, LangPro shows how at the time language competence not only provided income and status, but also initiated new careers. The project opens up a completely new research field on the role of language in the early modern employment market and society.
Rajagopal Murugan (LUMC)
Antibodies play an important role in protecting our bodies against infectious diseases. Many vaccines are designed to activate B cells. These cells ensure that the body is protected in the long term via memory cells and antibodies. But the action of vaccines can be disrupted by parasitic worm infections (helminths), which affect a quarter of the world’s population.
In the B-SELECT project, Murugan and his colleagues examine how B cells develop and react when a person has a worm infection. To do this, they use unique material from human clinical trials, complemented by modern lab and animal models. They want to understand how parasitic worm infections influence the activity of B cells – both during the infection itself and in a vaccine context.
They also want to develop and test strategies that can counteract this modulation. This B-SELECT research will not only generate new knowledge about how B cell reactions can differ from person to person, but will also create valuable insights for creating more effective vaccines.