HomeNewsVidi funding for four UT research projects

Vidi funding for four UT research projects

The Dutch Research Council for Scientific Research (NWO), has awarded Vidi funding to four UT research projects. These are studies led by Arnd Hartmanns, Linn Leppert, Jelmer Renema and Roland van Rijswijk-Deij. With this contribution of 800,000 euros, they can develop an innovative line of research and set up a research group in the coming five years.

TRUSTWORTHY ANALYSIS OF STOCHASTIC TIMED SYSTEMS

Formal methods and tools group  (FMT; Faculty of EEMCS) - dr. ing. A. Hartmanns

Dr. Ing. Arnd Hartmanns

I'm looking forward to connecting proofs, algorithms, and fast software tools with a great new team in this project!

Dr. Ing. Arnd Hartmanns

We rely on storm surge barriers, nuclear power plants, and other critical systems to work safely even when operators make errors or equipment fails at inconvenient random moments. Experts use special software to design these systems and ensure they are reliable. But how to ensure this software is correct? This research combines mathematics and computer science to develop software for the experts that cannot be wrong: Its algorithms come with mathematical proofs of correctness that have been checked by a computer using a so-called theorem prover; and the theorem prover equally shows that the software itself implements these algorithms correctly.

“CATCH A WAVE” – DIRECTING ENERGY- AND CHARGE-TRANSFER IN SOFT MATERIALS

Computational Chemical Physics group (CCP; Faculty of S&T) - dr. L. Leppert

I am grateful to everyone supporting my proposal and cannot wait to get to work with the new team members

Dr. Linn Leppert

Shining light on a material can lead to transport of energy and charges. Nature exploits these processes to efficiently convert the energy of sunlight into chemical energy in photosynthesis. In technological applications, however, the flow of energy and charges is often inefficient, slow, and random. This project’s goal is to understand how to direct energy- and charge transfer through the wave-like motion of atoms in soft materials. For that purpose, the researchers will develop methods for large-scale computer simulations of the quantum-mechanical processes underpinning energy- and charge-transfer in light-converting materials.

AT THE QUANTUM EDGE

Adaptive Quantum Optics group (AQO; Faculty of S&T) - dr. J.J. Renema Universiteit Twente

Dr. Jelmer Renema

This Vidi project is a reward for the work of our research group.

Dr. Jelmer Renema

What applications can we find for near-term quantum computers? A clear answer to this question is blocked by our poor understanding of the interplay between noise and programming in quantum systems which are large enough to show complex behaviour but too small to deploy error correction (NISQ regime). In this project, a team of physicists will solve this question, focusing on photonic quantum systems specifically.

SHARQS: TOWARDS A SYSTEMATIC HOLISTIC APPROACH FOR RE-ENGINEERING A QUANTUM-SAFE INTERNET

Design and Analysis of Communication Systems group (DACS; Faculty of EEMCS) - prof. dr. ir. R.M. van Rijswijk-Deij

Prof. Dr. Ir. Roland van Rijswijk - Deij

Research is teamwork; I thank my colleagues, especially dr. Moritz Müller who put in the groundwork for my Vidi project during his Ph.D.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Roland van Rijswijk - Deij

Cryptography is a cornerstone of the modern Internet. Unfortunately, the cryptographic algorithms that we use today can be trivially broken using a quantum computer. This would spell the end of confidentiality and privacy on the Internet. It is therefore essential that we transition to quantum‐safe cryptography. Yet how do we do this at Internet scale? The SHARQS project addresses this challenge by proposing a systematic approach for transitioning to a quantum‐safe Internet.


NWO Talent Programme

Vidi is aimed at experienced researchers who have already conducted successful research for several years after obtaining their PhD. Together with the Veni and Vici grants, Vidi is part of the NWO Talent Programme (formerly: the Innovations Impulse). Within the Talent Programme, researchers are free to submit their own topics for funding. In this way, NWO encourages curiosity-driven and innovative research. NWO selects researchers based on the quality of the researcher, the innovative nature of the research, the expected scientific impact of the research proposal and opportunities for knowledge exploitation.

A total of 551 researchers submitted an admissible research project for funding in this Vidi round. Of these, 97 have now been honoured. This represents an 18% success rate.

K.W. Wesselink - Schram MSc (Kees)
Science Communication Officer (available Mon-Fri)