Team
We have formed a unique interdisciplinary team of leading experts in insect neurophysiology and nanotechnology that enables these research directions by the necessary direct collaboration.
The collaborating research groups are Anders Mikkelsen (coordinator, Lund), Magnus Borgström (Lund), Stanley Heinze (Lund), Elizabetta Chicca (Groningen), Barbara Webb (Edinburgh), Jesper Nygård (Copenhagen) and Bo Wegge Laursen (Copenhagen). Below, the researchers are presenting themselves and their role in the project.
Anders Mikkelsen
Anders Mikkelsen explores nanoscale device imaging to the atomic scale combined with advanced lasers, synchrotron sources and electrical/optical readout as well as surface and interface material science. He combines this with theoretical modelling of nanocomponents for photovoltaics and sub-wavelength focusing of light both by his own group and in collaborations. The aim is a better fundamental understanding of complex, dynamic nanostructured systems, as well as developing novel materials and devices for next generation computing, energy systems and products improving the sustainability of our society. He has significant leadership experience from in large interdisciplinary environments combining expertise across electronics, photonics, physics, chemistry, and biology. He is director of the interdisciplinary research center NanoLund with ~400 researchers and students.
Barbara Webb
Barbara Webb studies perceptual systems for the control of behaviour, by building computational and physical (robot) models of the hypothesised mechanisms. Her particular focus is on insect behaviours, as their smaller nervous systems may be easier to understand. Recent work includes study of some of the more complex capabilities of insects, such as multimodal integration (in crickets and flies), navigation (in ants and bees), learning (in flies and maggots) and grasping (in ants). She heads the Insect Robotics group at the University of Edinburgh, and was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Magnus T. Borgström
Magnus T. Borgström is focusing on epitaxial growth, characterization and processing of nano scale building blocks for future applied related research, especially with focus on energy related issues. He combines this with theoretical modelling of nanocomponents for photovoltaics and creating new architectures for light emitting diodes, breaking the limits of ray optics and avoiding the challenge of total internal reflection. Solar cells and light emitting diodes have much in common and both are needed for the current and future energy challenge. The aim is a better fundamental understanding of the synthesis of complex nanostructures and optimizing of the materials quality, as opposed to just focusing on achieving satisfying morphology. Developing of novel materials and devices for next generation computing, energy systems and products related to the sustainability and quality of our society.
Jesper Nygård
Jesper Nygård's research has focused on electron transport in low-dimensional semiconductors, superconductors and nanodevices. For the past decade his group has developed state-of-the-art devices based on semiconductor nanowires, rooted in an effort on III-V NW materials. Jesper Nygård has worked with biologists on interfacing nanowires with biomolecules and living cells. He is co-inventor on 7 patent applications within quantum materials and devices and has co-founded two start-up companies within nanoelectronic materials and biosensors. He is a Principal Investigator of ‘Solid-state quantum simulators for biochemistry’ (SolidQ), within the Quantum for Life Science program of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Stanley Heinze
Stanley Heinze is a leading expert in anatomical and physiology analysis of insect brain neurons, with special emphasis on comparative work on the central cortex. He has published multiple important papers in this area and he is senior author on the paper describing the anatomically constrained model of the bee central cortex which is the biological and computational foundation of the project. Recipient of ERC Starting grant, VR starting and project grants, Marie-Curie IEF, Human Frontiers Science Program LT Fellow.
Elisabetta Chicca
Elisabetta Chicca has more than 20 years experience in the field of neuromorphic engineering and neural networks modeling. She has a long track record of modeling work tailored to hardware implementations. Her highly multi-disciplinary work spans a range of topics including the development of CMOS models of neural circuits for brain-inspired computation, learning in spiking CMOS neural networks and memristive systems, bio-inspired sensing (vision, touch, olfaction, active electrolocation, audition) and motor control. She is currently PI on 4 EU funded projects.
Bo W. Laursen
Bo W. Laursens research is centered on design, synthesis, properties, and applications of emissive organic molecules and materials. His work involves synthesis of new fluorescent and responsive dyes for applications in sensors and bioimaging as well as for integration in molecular materials and nanostructures for applications in photonic applications. The aim of the research is to understand and apply molecular photophysics to develop new and enhanced optical materials.
Jana Nieder
Jana Nieder is an expert in ultrafast bio- and nanophotonics. Her research is interdisciplinary and applications span from studying single emitters in novel and biological materials to developing novel microscope methods for the study of biophysical parameters at nanoscale and at the inside of cells or larger 3D cellular models. Beside nonlinear microscopy, her team also develops innovative 3D microfabrication techniques, based on the process of two-photon polymerization.
At InsectNeuroNano, Nieder will lead the development of 3D smart optical interconnects, contributing with her expertise and custom developed setups for advanced 3D manufacturing in polymers.
Jana Nieder leads the Ultrafast Bio- and Nanophotonics research group at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, where she is also the Head of the Nanophotonics and Bioimaging Facility. Jana Nieder is engaged in developing novel formats for scientific conferences, supporting the Photonics Online Meetup as co-chair in 2023. She is the leader of several multidisciplinary research projects related to her team's three research lines: i) advanced sensing and bioimaging, ii) quantum photonics, and iii) integrated photonics.
Bruno Romeira
Bruno Romeira is a leading expert in semiconductor physics, low-dimensional III-V nanostructures, nanophotonic devices, nonlinear dynamics and neuromorphic photonic engineering. He published pioneering work on spiking photonic devices and regenerative memories contributing to the new scientific movement (since ~2013) in neuromorphic photonics, key for InsectNeuroNano project. He showed exciting directions and progress on efficient III-V semiconductor nanolasers and nanoLEDs coupled to waveguides for nanophotonic integrated circuits and established a solid theoretical framework on this topic. He published more than 40 articles in scientific journals and he is a co-inventor of 3 patent applications. He is a staff researcher of the Ultrafast Bio- and Nanophotonics at INL and principal investigator of many national and EU funded projects in related neuromorphic and semiconductor research areas.
