Associate Professor Tanja Tarvainen from the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Eastern Finland has been granted the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant for five years, with the funding amounting to 2 million euros. This is the first ERC Consolidator Grant awarded to a University of Eastern Finland researcher. The ERC grants are among the most esteemed European grants, making them highly competitive. This year, the funding awarded as ERC Consolidator Grants amounted to 655 million euros. In Finland, the ERC Consolidator Grant was awarded to a total of six researchers.
The grant was awarded for Associate Professor Tarvainen’s research aiming at developing novel quantitative imaging modalities based on coupled physics. Coupled physics imaging combines the benefits of two physical phenomena, such as light and ultrasound through the photoacoustic effect. The research aims at the development of quantitative tomographic techniques utilising methods of Bayesian inverse problems. The aim is to provide new imaging modalities for biomedical imaging and research. Finnish inverse problems research is internationally highly distinguished, and Associate Professor Tarvainen’s research group is a member of the Academy of Finland’s Centre of Excellence in Inverse Modelling and Imaging.
The development of new imaging modalities constitutes multidisciplinary research which is based on strong understanding and methodological development of physics and applied mathematics. This is well supported by the Department of Applied Physics, which is known as a very strong research unit and is also known for its excellent work atmosphere and high work satisfaction among its researchers. This is the third ERC project granted for the Department of Applied Physics.
In addition, Tarvainen is a member of the Institute of Photonics at the University of Eastern Finland, and the Flagship on Photonics Research and Innovation (PREIN) of the Academy of Finland.
