[PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL FUNDING AWARD €2M] European Research Council Consolidator Grant "ANTIMATTER" (€2M, 5-year award to run June 2025-2030; a recognised gold-standard of international research excellence).

The ERC is recognised as an/the international gold-standard of research excellence [Russell group: https://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/blog-the-erc-a-european-success-story/]

This ERC Consolidator Grant (2025-20230) immediately follows my My ERC Starting Grant (2019-2024), recognising my internationally leading position in my field and the excellence of my research programme. I am in a very select group internationally of multiple ERC awards. My ERC grants involve collaboration with pre-eminent scientists and international authorities in theoretical physics and quantum chemistry and high performance computing, including in University of California San Diego (USA), Berkeley (USA), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), NTNU (Norway), Imperial College London, University of Milan, the UK Hartree Centre, etc.

According to QUB Research and Enterprise data (as of Jan 2025), QUB has secured only 8 ERC awards since the inception of ERC (from ~120 applications): my awards thus comprise two of the 8 (25%). The application procedure is particularly onerous and challenging, requiring a substantial and comprehensive proposal, expert peer review -- in my case by eleven! (11) international experts--, and finally competitive interview and questioning by the ERC panel of international experts. I have notified Research and Enterprise, my HoS, and EPS Pro-VC and EPS Dean of Research that I intend to help R&E raise awareness of ERC awards in across EPS Faculty and QUB more generally, and help identify and give tailored mentoring to QUB applicants (as I have done previously for other QUB staff who subsequently were awarded Fellowships).

My awards have undoubtedly enhanced the international profile of QUB research, contributing directly to the QUB Strategy 20230 pillars of Global Research and Innovation and Global Reputation and Partnerships.