FRANKFURT. Professor Enrico Schleiff, President of Goethe University, congratulated the two researchers: “The research projects of Jeremy McCormack and Andrei Kuzhelev are impressive examples of how we at Goethe University continue to push the boundaries of what can still be measured—whether it is atomic traces of sharks’ diets preserved in their teeth, or an innovative spectroscopic tool for investigating the dynamics of large biomolecules. I am delighted that the European Research Council is funding these forward-looking projects.”

SHARKS: In the midst of the sixth great mass extinction in Earth’s history – today – geoscientist Dr. Jeremy McCormack is focusing in his ERC project on sharks, a quarter of whose species are threatened with extinction, mainly due to overfishing. Using new methods for analyzing zinc, calcium, and nitrogen isotopes in fossil teeth of various prehistoric shark species, he is investigating how the ecology and especially the diet of these predators may have contributed to their extinction. This is possible because the ratio of different isotopes within their teeth shifts depending on the level of the food chain from which a shark’s prey originated. These insights are expected to shed light on the causes of extinction of prehistoric shark species and contribute to conservation strategies for today’s endangered sharks.

LiquidStateDNP: In his ERC project, Dr. Andrei Kuzhelev will develop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for biomolecule solutions at a nanoliter scale. For this, he is using a specialized NMR technique – Liquid-State Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) – available at the Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance Center (BMRZ) at Goethe University, which offers globally unique analytical possibilities: Unlike similar methods, which require shock-freezing of biomaterial samples, it allows the study of even the smallest sample quantities in liquid phase, much closer to their natural state. Kuzhelev will significantly advance this method to reveal not only the structures and dynamics of small, but also of large, complex biomolecules – a decisive technological step forward for various applications ranging from materials science to the development of medical drugs.

ERC Starting Grants support outstanding researchers in the first years after their doctorate who wish to establish their own research team and gain a foothold in the scientific community with a promising research project. For their projects, they receive up to 1.5 million euros over a period of up to five years.

The European Research Council (ERC) is a body established by the European Commission to fund frontier-oriented basic research.