Grant winners – 26 January 2017

Natural Environment Research Council

Research grants

• Award winner: Casey Ryan
• Institution: University of Edinburgh
• Value: £253,895

A socio-ecological observatory for the southern African woodlands

• Award winner: Alison Kingston‑Smith
• Institution: Aberystwyth University
• Value: £197,442

Hand-held technologies for assessment of nutrient digestibility

Fellowships

• Award winner: Andrew Robertson
• Institution: University of Exeter
• Value: £150,299

Facilitating knowledge exchange to manage bovine tuberculosis at the regional level

• Award winner: Katherine Yates
• Institution: University of Salford
• Value: £94,356

Supporting the development of marine protected area management plans based on fundamental science

European Research Council

Starting grants

• Award winner: Selma de Mink
• Institution: University of Amsterdam
• Value: €1,926,634

The impact of massive binaries through cosmic time

• Award winner: Eva von Contzen
• Institution: University of Freiburg
• Value: €1,382,500

Lists in literature and culture: towards a listology

• Award winner: Brian Gerardot
• Institution: Heriot-Watt University
• Value: €1,498,457

A scalable quantum architecture

• Award winner: Mathilda Mommersteeg
• Institution: University of Oxford
• Value: €1,499,429

Heart regeneration in the Mexican cavefish: the difference between healing and scarring

Arts and Humanities Research Council

Research grants

• Award winner: Krista Cowman
• Institution: University of Lincoln
• Value: £75,529

What difference did the war make? World War One and votes for women

• Award winner: Donna Cherry Leonardi
• Institution: Durham University
• Value: £36,275

New explorations into South Sudanese museum collections in Europe

• Award winner: Alice Eldridge
• Institution: University of Sussex
• Value: £33,794

Humanising algorithmic listening

In detail

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Research grant

Award winner: Mehmet Dogar

Institution: University of Leeds

Value: £101,037

Multi-robot manipulation planning for forceful manufacturing tasks

This project’s goal is to teach a team of robots to complete manufacturing tasks, such as creating furniture from raw materials. This requires robots to understand how to select and use objects to create something specific. Mehmet Dogar will write planning algorithms to help the robots tackle challenges that humans solve intuitively. The robots must be capable of solving geometric problems (such as how to angle an object); taking into account issues with stability (so that pieces may be held still while being worked on); and devising the most efficient way to complete tasks during assembly. After the algorithms have been written, a multi-robot system will be built to test them, beginning with raw manufacturing materials and – ideally – creating products. Current manufacturing robots are programmed to perform the same action many times, but these adaptable robots could benefit smaller manufacturers.