Highlighted merits

The ERC Advanced Grants (AdG) are given to consolidated scientists for innovative research projects. Rafel Simó is the PI of the project “Novel roles of dimethylated sulphur in marine microbial interactions” (SUMMIT), which became the fourth AdG obtained in Spain focused on environmental issues at the time of the grating (2019). SUMMIT will investigate new roles of dimethylated sulfur in marine microbial food-web interactions. It will also evaluate if interactions through dimethylated sulfur render plankton food-webs more robust and efficient.

ICREA, the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, is a foundation supported by the Catalan Government created to integrate into the Catalan research system only the most talented and extraordinary scientists and academics. Over the years, these ICREA research positions have become a synonym of global academic excellence.

The ICM host two ICREA research professors, César Rodriguez Ranero and Carles Pelejero. Dr. Rodríguez Ranero works in the geosciences domain to conceptually advance the understanding of fundamental processes of rifting, passive margins evolution, seafloor spreading, and subduction systems. Dr. Pelejero, who works in paleoceanography, analyses deep sea sediments and corals as archives of changes in the past, uses systems to monitor the present, and runs manipulative experiments in aquaria to simulate the future.

The European research programmes largely rely on large collaborative projects that require highly skilled coordinators to achieve the set research objectives. Coordinating an European research project is a hallmark of structural soundness of the instituion as well as scientific excellence of the principal investigator.

ICM is currently coordinating three collaborative European consortia, two in the domain of citizen science  led by Jaume Piera (COS4CLOUD and MINKE projects) and one in the marine biotech area led by Pedro Cermeño (PRODIGIO project).