£1M Marie Curie Fellowships boost Cardiff’s research profile

As part of an initiative to help broaden Europe's knowledge base, five Marie Curie Fellowships worth a combined total of £1M have been awarded to international researchers to undertake new research projects in Cardiff University.

Hailing from universities in Australia, Spain and the US, the Fellows were selected to come and study in the University based on their track records in research excellence, having won highly prestigious awards in their respective fields of study.

Coming from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, Professor David Jesson will join Cardiff's School of Physics and Astronomy to research tailored quantum structures. In a previous role as Reader in Physics at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, he developed web-based learning materials to convey concepts of nanoscience.

Dr Alberto Maceda Veiga will be joining Cardiff's School of Biosciences, having come from the University of Barcelona where he worked as an Associate Researcher. His research will centre on the toxic effects of nitrates on aquatic species.

Also joining the School of Biosciences is Dr Marta Novo, who before arriving at Cardiff was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. In the past seven years, she has gained considerable experience in the biology of several invertebrates, mainly in the field of soil ecology.

Dr Novo said: "This Fellowship is an exceptional opportunity for my research career that will make a big difference in my future and will allow me to gain expertise in the rapidly expanding area of environmental epigenetics. I am really excited about staying in Cardiff University."

Dr Andrew Crawley, Research Fellow at Cardiff Business School, will be spending two years in the University of Illinois, before returning to Cardiff to pursue his research investigating calibration and estimation in regional economic modelling.

Dr Crawley said: "The chance to work with some of the key researchers at the forefront of my field is a fantastic opportunity and will help me develop my career as well as building a valuable link for Cardiff Business School with one of the world's top research universities. With the significant competition for these prestige fellowships I am delighted to have been successful."

Exploring innovative strategies to revive coastal cities brought into decline by the current economic crisis, Dr Federico Wulff arrives to Cardiff to join the Welsh School of Architecture, having spent his career teaching and practising architecture throughout Europe and Morocco.

Dr Wulff said: "To be granted this fellowship is a great opportunity for my University career. It will contribute to strengthen my scientific level, and will be the basis to establish strong links with experienced leaders in my research field."

This latest cohort of Fellows have received financial support to remain at Cardiff University from anywhere between one and three years, depending on their research undertaking. Marie Curie Fellowships are open to researchers of all ages and levels of experience, regardless of nationality.

The 2013 call for applicants to submit their proposals for a Marie Curie Fellowship has now been published and can be accessed by clicking here. The UK Research Office are running proposal writing workshops in April/May,