Internet users face many privacy and security threats, ranging from intrusive online tracking to theft of their financial information such as credit card numbers. Large-scale privacy and security scans help identify and prevent such online threats, but that is a slow and resource-intensive process. That means such privacy and security threats sometimes remain active for years until they are discovered, on websites that are visited by millions of users. This project will build novel investigatory software, techniques and datasets to make it possible to identify web-based privacy and security threats much faster and easier.

Many or Any points? The study of Diophantine equations lies at the heart of mathematics. Some equations have no solutions, some have a few, and others many and even more than one might expect at first hand. In this project we propose a systematic study of these phenomena by employing cutting-edge algebro-geometric techniques.

The design of safety-critical systems comes with many questions: What is the most cost-efficient hardware for lane assist in cars? What battery size suffices for a satellite? Will the robot safely unload the dishwasher? Although seemingly different, these questions can all be (partially) answered by analysing Markov models that describe how systems behave in uncertain circumstances. However, the complexity of modern computer systems leads to models that are too big to handle. This research project aims to develop novel algorithms that are able to analyse much bigger Markov models.

Molecular Insights for Advancing Nitrogen Reduction: The project aims to revolutionize knowledge of nitrogen reduction by studying reactive intermediates in electrocatalytic N2 reduction. Using voltammetry coupled electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (VESI-MS), researchers will monitor reactions in real time. By studying known catalysts and designing new ones with tunable cavities, the research will provide detailed insights into reaction mechanisms and intermediates. Unique coupling of these methods with cryogenic ion spectroscopy will enlighten the activation of N2 and the effects of the molecular environment on it. This knowledge could lead to better catalyst design and thus advance the field of N2 electroreduction.

Although inland waters occupy only 3% of the Earth?s surface, they play an important role in the global carbon cycle by processing large amounts of terrestrially derived carbon [1-3]. A recent review, for example, estimated that the amount of CO2 emitted from inland waters globally is similar to that taken up by the oceans [4]. Especially shallow lakes are of importance [4, 5]. Although, they can function as net carbon sinks through carbon sedimentation, they often become supersaturated with carbon gases and then act as carbon sources to the atmosphere. Their functioning depends on physical, chemical, and biological processes such as respiration and primary production [6-9]. All these processes are sensitive to climate change so that warmer lakes tend to emit more carbon [10-12]. While this temperature effect is relatively straightforward, climate change can also cause shifts in dominance between phytoplankton, submerged and floating vegetation. Future climate conditions will likely be unfavorable for submerged vegetation [13]. I hypothesize that this will imply a substantial further increase in carbon dioxide and methane emissions. However, so-far the effects of changes in primary producer dominance on carbon emissions are largely unknown. The aim of the envisioned project is to unravel the ways in which increase in temperature and shifts in primary producer dominance affect the carbon flux from shallow lakes to the atmosphere. My approach combines mesocosm experiments, time series analyses from a real lake, and modeling to study the interactive effects of temperature and primary producer dominance. In addition to providing fundamental insights in the way climate change may affect carbon emissions from lakes, the anticipated results may provide a basis for developing strategies for lake management that optimize carbon sequestration.