Three TU/e researchers have each been awarded a grant from the European Research Council (ERC) worth €1.5 million. Max Birk will develop new and innovative ways to characterise data generated by gameplay that can help in healthcare applications. Yali Tang will study state-of-the-art metal electrodeposition science to apply it to green iron production. Finally, Tommaso Ristori will explore new ways to help blood vessel regeneration after a heart attack.
Max Birk (Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences)
People of all generations play computer games, but even still, there are many who would say that don't play or interact with computer games at all. Nonetheless, computer games have moved from traditional computing platforms to being available on mobile devices. Gameplay is very much at your fingertips daily.
"Gameplay is affecting a lot of people in society. Just think of games for good as a positive example, or dark pattern and deceptive design as negative examples of how gameplay affects us right now," says Associate Professor Max Birk from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences.
For his project 'GAMECHAR', Birk wants to address a critical gap in the gameplay characterization of video games using AI by developing scalable, data-driven methods that link gameplay mechanics to player experiences. "Our work on characterising gameplay will provide scientific ground towards understanding how gameplay affects us - contributing to regulation and better utilisation of gameplay," adds Birk.
Project GAMECHAR will develop new and innovative ways to characterise data generated by gameplay. "We'll automate gameplay data collection, processing, and feature engineering. This will enable researchers and developers to distinguish between restorative and harmful gameplay."
Birk's project will contribute to gameplay evaluation and advance the quality of gameplay developed to address societal needs, such as in healthcare - particularly for mental wellbeing. "We're seeking to create a comprehensive gameplay data repository, AI agents that are capable of automated gameplay testing, and classification models that generalize across different game environments."
This ERC Starting Grant is a significant milestone in Birk's career trajectory and he's excited to develop as a researcher and build a team in the process. "I hope to advance my expertise in utilising AI to describe complex interactive behaviour, to lead a team across academic disciplines with a shared goal, and to share my insights widely, creating more opportunities for scientific games research."
Yali Tang (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
By 2030, the iron and steel industry is predicted to be worth more than €1.400 billion, and this industry is on the cusp of a revolutionary transition driven by the need to be sustainable. For instance, low-temperature electrolysis (electrodeposition) to turn iron oxide/ore into iron has received notable attention as it makes direct use of renewable electricity, among other advantages.
"However, there is one big problem - as of now, we lack fundamental understanding of the metal electrodeposition process," says Associate Professor Yali Tang from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "To truly drive innovative and sustainable ironmaking technologies, learning more about this process is a natural step as nobody truly understands it."
For her ERC Starting Grant-funded project Electrons to Iron - or EcoIron for short - Tang is aiming to dive deeper into the state-of-the-art metal electrodeposition science with the central aim of leveraging this green ironmaking approach.
"My research background in coupling transport phenomena and multiphase flow with (electro)chemical conversion means that I am ideally placed to study this complex process, both in the laboratory and using advanced computer models."
Tang is passionate about her work as it can help to drive innovative green iron production technologies and accelerate decarbonisation of the iron and steel sector. For instance, Tang and her team will study the exact mechanisms and kinetics for oxide-to-iron electrochemical transformation, with the main goal of demonstrating the viability of the process for the continuous production of electrolytic iron powder, which can even be used for energy storage.
"EcoIron is an ignitor towards advancing the field of electrolysis for sustainable metal production," says Tang. "Personally, I hope to strengthen my leadership skills with my own group, and make a lasting scientific impact in this field- as the 'Iron Woman'."
Tommaso Ristori (Department of Biomedical Engineering)
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), more generally known as a heart attack, is a significant global health issue with about 16 million people suffering from such health incidents each year.
"Current healthcare therapies fail to fully regenerate the heart of AMI survivors, who are then left with suboptimal cardiac function. This can lead to frequent heart attack recurrence, or premature death," says Assistant professor Tommaso Ristori from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. "New therapies are utterly needed, and that's where my project PRIMA aims to make a difference."
A significant issue with current therapies is that they fail to promote sufficient blood vessel formation after AMI. "Regenerating the cardiac microvasculature lost after AMI is particularly essential, as without a new blood vessel network, new cells that repopulate the damaged tissue area cannot survive."
Ristori: "It is well known that blood vessel formation is affected by mechanical stimuli, such as cyclic strain and stiffness, which are an essential aspect of our dynamic hearts. However, the specific effects of these cues on post-AMI blood vessel formation are unclear, especially as they vary with time after cardiac scarring."
To overcome this limitation, Ristori will develop experimental and computational models of cardiac blood vessel formation to mimic evolving mechanical cues and to predict their effects. "If we demonstrate that blood vessel formation is affected by past mechanical cues long-term, then we can use this knowledge towards regenerating the cardiac microvasculature," adds Ristori.
"I hope the knowledge gained will impact my long-term research in regenerative medicine, particularly on blood vessel formation mechanobiology," says Ristori. "But especially, building on this unique idea and multidisciplinary approach, my goal is that PRIMA will have ground-breaking implications for cardiac interventions."
About ERC Starting Grant
ERC Starting grants are designed to support outstanding researchers of any nationality who are starting to develop an independent career and intend to establish their own research team or programme in Europe.
This year's successful candidates plan to carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 25 countries. This competition attracted 3,928 proposals, with just over 12% of the proposals to be funded.
The number of women grantees remain fairly 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.
