Every year, the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants shine a spotlight on trailblazing researchers whose work pushes the boundaries of knowledge and possibility. These prestigious awards support established scientists with outstanding track records, enabling them to pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas at the frontiers of their fields.
At The Science Talk, we’ve had the privilege of hosting several of these scientific pioneers on our podcast, Under the Microscope. As we celebrate the newly announced 2024 ERC Advanced Grant awardees, we also want to take a moment to recognize past ERC Advanced Grant podcast guests whose groundbreaking work earned them this top-tier recognition. List of selected researchers by domain: Physical Sciences and Engineering | Life Sciences | Social Sciences and Humanities
🎙️ ERC Advanced Grantees on our Science Podcast
Our podcast has always aimed to highlight researchers doing cutting-edge science with real-world impact. It’s no coincidence that some of our guests have gone on to, or already had ERC Advanced Grant success. Here’s a closer look at three of them:
Professor Brian Gerardot
Affiliation: Heriot-Watt University
Under the Microscope Podcast feature: 2024 (Season 6)
Key Topics: Quantum materials, the QuanTour project
ERC Project: Programmable 2D Quantum Materials (2023)
CORDIS link: ERC Starting Grant (307392)
Brian’s ERC Advanced Grant supports his visionary research into assembling programmable quantum materials one layer at a time—reminiscent of building Lego blocks at the atomic scale. His work is helping shape the future of quantum technologies, and we were thrilled to feature him on Under the Microscope just as his grant was awarded.
Professor Mete Atatüre
Affiliation: University of Cambridge
Under the Microscope Podcast feature: 2024 (Season 6)
Key Topics: Quantum communication, diamond-based spin systems
ERC Project: PEDESTAL – Photon-photon and spin-spin Entanglement using Diamond-based impurity Elements: Silicon, Tin And Lead (ID: 884745)
CORDIS link: Project PEDESTAL
Mete’s work on entanglement generation using diamond semiconductors is laying the foundation for secure quantum communication and scalable quantum networks. His ERC Advanced Grant supports the PEDESTAL project—a true leap forward for quantum infrastructure.
Professor Chris Bowen
Affiliation: University of Bath
Under the Microscope Podcast feature: 2020 (Season 2)
Key Topics: Smart materials, energy harvesting
ERC Project: NEMESIS – Novel Energy Materials, Engineering Science and Integrated Systems (ID: 320963)
CORDIS link: Project NEMESIS
Chris received his ERC Advanced Grant for exploring piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials for energy harvesting. His NEMESIS project aimed to unlock new ways of generating sustainable energy—years before today’s energy crisis pushed the topic into the mainstream.
