EUTOPIA-SIF Monthly Fellow Seminar - March 2023

Within the framework of the EUTOPIA Science and Innovation Fellowship Programme, monthly fellows seminars will take place, in which the 35 researchers enrolled in the two cohorts will in turn present their research projects.

We are therefore delighted to invite you to the upcoming EUTOPIA-SIF Monthly Fellow Seminar, on Thursday 09 March 2023, 13:00-14:30 CET.

The seminar will be held on Zoom: https://cyu-fr.zoom.us/j/93189480027

Fore more information and testimonials from a few researchers from the Second Cohort of SIF Fellows, click here.

Event schedule: 

• 13:00-13:05: Introduction
   
• Cohort 2
• 13:05-13:25: Fellow Presentation: Carrie Benjamin (CY Cergy Paris Université)
  • Project Title: Incivility, moral policing, and the Other in Paris
  • Abstract: In this talk, I introduce the notion of ‘incivility’ as both a legal category and a sociological concept which is used to police and control public spaces. While Paris city officials perceive ‘incivility’ as a security issue that requires a police response, many local residents’ associations view it as a moral transgression perpetrated by ‘undesirable’ outsiders. I will discuss the implications of these two approaches for the openness and accessibility of public spaces, arguing that the policing of incivility serves to enforce the tastes and desires of the dominant middle- and upper-middle classes to the detriment of marginalised groups.
• 13:25-13:35: Q&A
   
• 13:35-13:55: Fellow Presentation: Irene Casademont Reig (Vrije Universiteit Brussel))
  • Project Title: Computational Study of Photoactive Materials
  • Abstract: Research on solar energy harvesting is one of the most research-active areas within chemistry. Therefore, one of the most prolific chemical research lines is the one which analyses the molecules used in solar cells. Nowadays, a big challenge is to design new photoactive molecules to enhance the efficiency and that present the strict energetic requirements needed in some of these devices. Since these processes involve the study of the molecules when they have interacted with light, experimental determination is a more complex task. Accordingly, quantum chemistry tools play an ever-increasing role in the design of photoactive materials, reducing the trial-and-error approach to synthesize suitable molecules.
• 13:55-14:05: Q&A
   
• Cohort 1
• 14:05-14:15: Fellow Presentation: Magdalena Matyjek (Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona)
  • Project Title: Multisensory processing and integration of speech in autism
  • Abstract: Social interactions include a myriad of multimodal cues: to understand a speaking person, we must process both auditory (speech) and visual (lip movements, gestures) cues, and then integrate them. This multisensory integration may be atypical in autism, which in turn may lead to social interaction difficulties. To understand this, we first need to explain this mechanism in a neurotypical brain. In our research, we use electroencephalography to investigate neuronal responses to multisensory speech in autistic and non-autistic adults in an ecologically valid, naturalistic paradigm. This study will help us understand how the autistic and non-autistic brains process multisensory information.
• 14:15-14:30: Q&A