New appointments as Wallenberg Academy Fellows
It has now been confirmed that KTH researchers Sara Zahedi and Marina Petrova have been appointed as Wallenberg Academy Fellows 2019. The grants cover a period of five years and are intended to provide each researcher with support to enable them to further develop their area of research over a longer period.
According to the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the aim of the Wallenberg Academy Fellows programme is to enhance Sweden's position as a knowledge nation by keeping its greatest talents within the country. In parallel with this, it also makes it possible to recruit younger, international researchers to come to Sweden.
Sara Zahedi is one of two KTH researchers who will now have the chance to continue working under more secure forms in her subject, which is numerical analysis.
Computer simulations are being used increasingly often as qualitative replacements for scientific experiments, which are often expensive and sometimes downright impossible. Simulations are used in a number of areas, from producing climate forecasts and minimising air resistance in new vehicles to investigating various biological processes in the field of molecular biology.
Sara Zahedi will be developing new calculation methods and combining these with deep structured learning in order to create simulation tools that can be used in processes that involve a very large number of dynamic objects. More specifically, Sara Zahedi will use the calculation models to simulate the dynamics in so-called microbubbles, which transport drugs in the human body. When the microbubbles reach their final destination, for example a tumour, they are punctured by means of ultrasound. More effective, more precise calculation models will contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of microbubbles and the development of new drugs.
The grant awarded to Marina Petrova, senior lecturer at KTH, will be used for research into increased bandwidth in the next generation network (5G). This will take the form of developing methods that make it possible to also use the information in the millimetre wave band. Marina Petrova has radar technology and machine learning to help her.
The reason why this work is necessary is that the more connected society becomes, the more congestion there is among the radio waves in the mobile networks.
The grants in the Academy Fellows programme range from SEK 5 to 15 million per researcher over five years, depending on the subject area. After the end of the first period, the researchers can apply for funding for another five years.
Text: Peter Ardell
For further information, please contact Marina Petrova at petrovam@kth.se or Sara Zahedi at sara.zahedi@math.kth.se