Wave Researcher Awarded ERC Starting Grant
Yan Li receives prestigious research support for the quest to understand how extreme ocean surface waves affect us. Such waves pose a threat to ships and infrastructure, becoming increasingly frequent and extreme due to climate changes.
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- It is extremely exciting to get to know that the European Research Commission (ERC) has funded my project, OceanCoupling. The ERC Starting Grant represents a breakthrough for me as a researcher. Now I have the opportunity to conduct a five-year project and hire staff members. We will research to better understand how extreme surface waves affect our daily lives, aiming at contributions that reduce risk and costs for new construction and preservation of marine infrastructure such as offshore wind turbines, says Yan Li, Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research.
Yan Li on Her Research and The ERC Starting Grant
- On behalf of the Department of Mathematics, I am incredibly proud that Yan Li has received the ERC Starting Grant for the OceanCoupling project. It is an ambitious research project that not only pushes the boundaries of knowledge, but also holds significant societal importance with potential for innovation. All honor to Yan for this milestone. This is truly well-deserved. The grant is the cherry on top for the department, which has a long tradition of research on oceans and waves, says Antonella Zanna Munthe-Kaas, Head of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Bergen.
Support for Ground-Breaking Research
The ERC's mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields, on the basis of scientific excellence. The Starting Grant is intended to support researchers at that stage in their career where they establish their own research team or program. Up to 1,500,000 euros can be awarded in a Starting Grant for a period of 5 years, with the possibility of additional funding up to 1,000,000 euros to cover necessary costs such as purchasing major equipment, etc.
This is Yan Li’s first major project as a research leader. As the recipient of the ERC Starting Grant, she now embarks on her novel OceanCoupling approach. By considering interactions between surface waves, wind impact, turbulence, and ocean currents, Li takes into account more factors than previous research has ever done. Until now, research has been based on an average flat ocean surface.
She is really looking forward to continuing the research, which she has been working on for several years through education and research at institutions such as the University of Oxford, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Over time, her research focus has evolved. Initially, she concentrated on naval architecture and offshore engineering, emphasizing the safety of marine infrastructure. Now, she examines the role of dangerous extreme surface waves at sea more closely.
- The research comes purely from my own idea. I got extremely excited by knowing how rogue waves actually affect our daily lives. This drives me to carry on the research. I see the research like a newborn. I want to let the project grow bigger and bigger. I do not know exactly what I can expect in the long run, but for sure this project will promise a fruitful start, Li adds.
Developing New Technology
With newfound insights into how the ocean moves, how temperature changes, and related ripple effects, Li sees the research as an opportunity to contribute to technological innovation.
- We will develop a more advanced numerical model, permitting the development of remote sensing technologies for the future. Furthermore, this will be useful for everyone by contributing to better weather forecasting and understanding of local met-ocean conditions—insights that are particularly important to prevent injuries to new innovation and technologies, says Yan Li.
ERC Starting Grants 2024
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded 494 Starting Grants and 780 millon euros to young research talents across Europe. University of Bergen has achieved 50 ERC grants before this award.
