Grant Awards

Prof. Peter Grünwald (CWI, Leiden University) – FLEX: Flexible Statistical Inference

Peter Grünwald, senior researcher in the Machine Learning group of CWI and part-time full professor of Statistical Learning at Leiden University has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant for his research on developing a new, revolutionary theory of statistics. Grünwald will use the prestigious top grant of 2.5 million euros for the development of a new, more robust and flexible theory of statistics based on the novel concept of e-value. This will lead, for example, to more reliable methods for determining whether or not scientific results are statistically significant. In short: the e-value is the new p-value. Read more about his research and future goals here.

Dr. M.C.N. Cheng (University of Amsterdam) – Topology in Mathematics and Physics

“Topology is the study of shapes, focusing on persistent features unchanged by deformations. Our research is inspired by its fundamental role in mathematics and physics, and adopts an innovative approach facilitated by rapid advances in theories and computing. We explore the intricate topology of three-manifolds and knots, leveraging insights from number theory and algebra. Employing artificial intelligence (AI), we decode topological invariants, revealing hidden correlations.” Read more about Miranda’s Vici here. The Dutch television sender VPRO made a documentary about here work. Quanta Magazine also published a great article about Miranda’s research.

Photo from University of Amsterdam.

Dr. Carlos Andrés Perez Arancibia (Twente University) – Unleashing the Power of Volume Potentials for PDE Problem Solving

Photo from Twente University

In scientific and engineering applications, solving problems involving partial differential equations (PDEs) is crucial, but significant challenges arise when dealing with unbounded domains, complex geometries, and wave phenomena. Volume potentials (VPs) offer many advantages over standard methods by exactly reformulating the PDE as an integral equation posed in a bounded domain. However, computing VPs in complex geometries has been neglected due to challenging numerical integration issues. To address this, a new high-order method inspired by Density Interpolation Methods is proposed, overcoming singularities and computational costs. This methodology enhances accuracy and efficiency for diverse PDE models in different fields.

Dr. Steffen Sagave and dr. Magdalena Kedziorek (Radboud University) – New techniques for studying geometric shapes

When studying geometric shapes that arise in mathematics or other sciences, it is important to tell whether or not one can transform them into each other without cutting or gluing them. A powerful strategy to obtain an answer to this mathematical question is to assign simpler, algebraic data to geometric shapes that detect their essential differences. This project studies new, powerful versions of such data, that for the first time take three specific, additional structures into account simultaneously. 

Steffen Sagave and Magdalena Kedziorek, photos from Radboud University.