ERC researchers to highlight groundbreaking ideas

Five European Research Council (ERC) grantees, including a Nobel Prize winner, will today address the TEDx Brussels conference.

The ERC speakers will present high-risk, high-gain, EU-funded research to around 2,000 influential audience members. This is the first time the ERC will present at the event, which will gather world class speakers from a variety of fields at BOZAR Brussels, Belgium.

Commenting on the ERC participation, organisation president Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon said: “The participation of five ERC laureates in this TEDx Brussels event is testament to the ERC’s ability to inspire minds with passionate and innovative research leaders on stage. TEDx talks are a most welcome exercise of popularising science, and we really look forward to listening to a new strain of thought-provoking presentations.”

Addressing delegates, physicist Professor Jonathan Coleman will demonstrate how graphene can be made in a kitchen blender. Dr Tiziana Rossetto, an expert in earthquake engineering, will discuss how to simulate tsunamis in order to better assist engineers and architects. Professor Ulf Leonhardt, theoretical physicist and author of the first paper on invisibility cloaking with metamaterials, will demonstrate the possibility of invisibility with optics. Finally, Dr Laura Robinson will talk about how the ocean’s environment is changing and what developments can be expected in the future.

The theme of TEDx Brussels this year is ‘The Territory and the Map’. Adding his thoughts, TEDx Brussels director Sam Lounis de Brouwer said: “TEDx Brussels is glad to count on the partnership of the prestigious ERC in this year’s edition. The central place it has gained in Europe by sharing and spreading ideas in science makes it a natural partner”.

The conference is taking place at the BOZAR conference centre (Centre for Fine Arts) in the Belgian capital.