6.11.2024 | Dr. Elena Xoplaki receives a highly prestigious ERC Synergy Grant for the multidisciplinary research project EUROpest on the evolution of epidemics.
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© Adam Izdebski |
In collaboration with Adam Izdebski (University of Warsaw), Timothy Newfield (Georgetown University, Washington) and Alexander Herbig (MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology), the project sheds light on the connection between climate change, social structures and historical epidemics. Paleoclimatological data, archaeogenetic analyses and historical sources are combined to develop a multi-causal model for the emergence and dynamics of epidemics. It is currently assumed that extreme climatic events, such as unusually cold or dry periods, could have favored the spread of disease. The aim is to better understand and mitigate future pandemics by gaining insights into the influence of past climate factors on epidemics. The European Research Council (ERC) is the leading European funding organization for excellent frontier research. With the ERC Synergy Grants, it supports teams promising researchers. The projects should lead to discoveries at the interfaces between established disciplines and substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge and only be possible through the researchers involved. Only 57 of the original 548 applications were approved. Press releases https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/erc-2024-synergy-grants-results https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns/pressestelle/pm/pm162-24europest |
