Trinity Hall researchers’ ambitious ideas receive major funding boost

Researchers who examine digital misinformation, and how elements might behave on other planets, have been given a boost thanks to the European Research Council (ERC).

The ERC’s Starting Grants, worth €705 million in total, will go to 421 early-career researchers across Europe; including two at Trinity Hall.

Trinity Hall incoming Bye-Fellow Dr Jon Roozenbeek and Research Associate Dr Stefano Racioppi are among just three University of Cambridge researchers chosen this year.

Dr Racioppi, who is based at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy said he wants to understand how extreme pressures transform the chemical behaviour of the elements.

He said: “It is still quite hard to believe that this has happened. I know how competitive these grants are and how much excellent research is proposed, so being given this opportunity also comes with a real sense of responsibility to make the most of it and do the best work I can.”

He added he was fortunate and very grateful to have so much support from colleagues in his department and the university.

“What excites me most is the opportunity to take the research ideas I have been developing over the past few years and build an independent research programme around them. The ERC grant will allow me to take that next step towards scientific independence, build my own research group, and have the freedom and resources to pursue these ideas on a much larger scale. In particular, I will investigate how chemistry changes under extreme pressures, and whether we can use this knowledge both to develop new ways of predicting materials and to improve our understanding of the interiors of planets.”