EU grants worth €2 million to three University of Helsinki researchers

Three researchers working at the University of Helsinki have been awarded competitive Consolidator Grants by the European Research Council. The five-year grants amount to €2 million each, enabling the conduct of long-term research.

Why are people who stay up late more susceptible to diseases?

Our innate circadian rhythm determines the timing of our physiological functions and our behaviour. Eveningness, or being most active and alert in the evening, predisposes people to mental and somatic diseases, and increases their risk of death at a younger age compared to those active in the morning. The factors underlying these health differences are unknown.

, Docent in Public Health, received the ERC Consolidator Grant for her study investigating the risk factors associated with disease onset among evening persons at different ages with the help of extensive population-level and longitudinal datasets. In addition, the project will develop a measuring technique that identifies bodily disruptions of the circadian rhythm and is suitable for large samples.

The results can promote societal functions that prevent disease onset among evening persons and disruptions of the circadian rhythm.

Rapid algorithms for network problems in bioinformatics

The capacity for genome sequencing, or determining the base sequence of DNA, is continuously increasing. This generates massive datasets whose processing requires increasingly advanced algorithms. Such algorithms can be used to effectively solve complex problems emerging from large masses of data. 

In his ERC-funded project, Associate Professor will develop techniques that can produce rapid algorithms. The aim of the study is to provide bioinformatics specialists with the opportunity to utilise sequencing data, for example, to gain a deeper understanding of processes such as brain cell function. Experts could also develop effective search engines for analysing millions of sequencing runs. 

Ultimately, this could speed up breakthroughs in biomedical research and promote precision medicine.

What drives biodiversity loss?

Direct and indirect drivers contribute to biodiversity loss. The former include for example changes in land use, the latter the economy and governance. 

In his project, Professor of Conservation Geography  will investigate how these direct and indirect factors contribute to biodiversity loss and, at the same time, their relationship to the values people attribute to biodiversity and people’s behaviour – such as their consumption choices.

The project will investigate the potential for change in human behaviour, utilising big data analytics and gamification among other methods.