Prof. Dr. Jan Plefka, Professor of Theoretical Physics (Quantum Field and String Theory) and his research team have received funding of 2.2 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC) for their GraWFTy project as part of the Advanced Grants programme. The PRIVDIMA - Data Privacy in Digital Markets project by Prof Dr Roland Strausz from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration will receive 1.8 million euros.
"I am extremely pleased that Prof. Strausz and Prof. Plefka were able to convince the European Research Council with their proven scientific excellence and the pioneering nature of their projects," says Prof. Dr Christoph Schneider, Vice President for Research at Humboldt-Universit?t (HU). "The fact that HU has been so successful in the current funding round with the approval of two ERC Advanced Grants is a great success for the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Department of Physics and IRIS Adlershof in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and our university as a whole. Last but not least, the structured application counselling in the area of research funding is also paying off here: The responsible officers in the Research Service Centre provided the two applicants with competent and adept support during the complex application processes."
ERC Advanced Grants support excellent and self-initiated research projects by leading researchers. Applicants must be able to demonstrate significant research achievements over the last ten years. The maximum funding amounts to 2.5 million euros for a period of five years with the possibility of an additional top-up of up to one million euros.
GraWFTy - High-Precision Gravitational Wave Physics from a Worldline Quantum Field Theory
The GraWFTy - High-Precision Gravitational Wave Physics from a Worldline Quantum Field Theory project aims to determine the gravitational waves that are emitted when two black holes or neutron stars meet in our universe with the highest precision. The gravitational waves emitted by such violent mergers have been routinely detected at the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observatories since their discovery in 2016. With the currently planned third generation of observatories, the experimental accuracy will increase dramatically. Therefore, theoretical predictions for the emitted waveforms with highest precision are required to determine the source parameters such as masses, spins and intrinsic parameters of the two compact objects. To obtain these waveforms, the extremely difficult field equations of Einstein's gravity must be solved.
"Together with my research group, we have been able to develop an innovative method since 2020 that tackles this problem of classical physics using methods from quantum field theory," says Prof Dr Plefka. "For me, this project represents a special step in my career. Until now, I have primarily focussed my research on the question of quantum gravity and its relationship to gauge field theories. This was primarily mathematical physics and far removed from real, measurable things. With GraWFTy, I am now applying these ideas developed in an abstract context to pressing, current questions in gravitational wave physics."
PRIVDIMA - Data Privacy in Digital Markets
The PRIVDIMA project is concerned with the regulation of data protection measures in digital markets. The aim is to analyse which type of regulation best protects consumers from the exploitation of their information and from price discrimination. The project criticises the fact that existing regulation, such as the GDPR, which is mainly aimed at explicit consumer consent with regard to data collection, analysis and use, for example pop-ups when visiting a new website, does not go far enough.
The project explains this by saying that data makes the private characteristics of consumers "verifiable". Although verifiability is considered an important factor for the usability of information in economic theory, it is not taken into account in current economic analyses of data protection measures.
"The main goal of the project is therefore to develop effective regulatory rules that protect consumers from the exploitation of their data, taking verifiability into account. To this end, existing theories on regulatory design must first be expanded to include the aspect of verifiability. The project therefore includes both theoretical and applied components," says Prof Dr Strausz.
Further information
To the press release of the European Research Council
To the press release of IRIS Adlershof
Contact Prof. Dr. Jan Plefka
Prof Dr Jan Plefka
Spokesperson Research Training Group 2575
"Rethinking Quantum Field Theory"
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Department of Physics and IRIS Adlershof
Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin
Tel: 030 2093 66409
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Prof. Dr Roland Strausz
Microeconomic Theory (Economic Theory I)
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin
Tel.: 030 2093 99452
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