Ertharin Cousin

The nominating institute EPFL on the breakthrough: Reward-based learning underlies important aspects of human and animal behavior, and recent advances reveal detailed understanding of the underlying neuronal mechanisms in mice. Precise optical and electrophysiological measurements, optogenetic perturbations and computational analyses uncover fundamental mechanisms of brain function during simple forms of…

PRESENTED BY Mauro Muraro NOMINATED BY KNAW (The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) Tags: Single Cell Sequencing, RNA Sequencing

Current technologies from silicon chips to computer memory to mobile phone displays are all derived from the fundamental quantum properties of materials. Creating novel materials and manipulating their electronic arrangements is the key to harnessing quantum properties at a macro-level for revolutionary technological advances. Suchitra Sebastian, an experimental condensed matter…

ArtTech provides the social vision of post-petrochemistry in the dye industry. The feasibility of the vision has been shared with society through fashion shows using our cutting-edge natural dyes.   Tags: Environment & Nature, Green Tech, Ocean pollution.

Joseph Bedard is tackling the issue of plastic production’s dependence on petrochemicals by developing polymers using nitrogen and phosphorus, abundant elements separate from fossil fuels. This innovative approach creates greener, functional materials, paving the way for a fossil fuel-free future in plastics manufacturing.

How Architecture can provoke New Thoughts The economic impact of buildings with a high ‘wow factor’ on cities like Bilbao, Manchester and Chicago has brought back in vogue the debate on the role of architects in society, and produced neologisms such as ‘starchitect’ with regard to their media relevance. With…

Delay Lines (feedback) draws from our research and work with silica-based mediums such as glass, integrated circuits, and soft robotics. Silica – one of the most common substances on Earth – is formed when massive stars explode. This stardust permeates our bodies and all aspects of our built world through…

How Sociology Can Mediate Between Islam and Western Modernity The world’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war is bringing ten thousands of migrants to Central Europe – former citizens of Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan or Somalia fleeing from war, dictatorship or religious extremism. The fact that most of the…

The global presence of steroid hormones in water (even after traditional treatment methods) is causing harmful effects on humans, animals, and the environment. The combined use of membrane technology and photodegradation in a single process can produce large amounts of water free of steroid hormones using solar light as an…

In the current age of life sciences, we have come to invent better and better drugs that are increasingly efficient in relieving pain and treating diseases. Despite this positive trend, the world continuously faces serious medicine shortages and in many parts of the world drugs and painkillers may either be…