Two researchers from the University of Warsaw (UW) have become winners of prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants. The winners of the Starting Grants are Dr Piotr Skowron from the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics and Dr Agnieszka Brylak from the Faculty of Neophilology.

Dr Piotr Skowron will implement the project ‘Proportional algorithms for democratic decisions’ (PRO-DEMOCRATIC).

The project will analyse algorithms that can be applied to votes with a complex structure. Such a structure is characterised by votes concerning the civic budget. The aim of the research will be to design the most efficient and fair methods of vote counting. Amount of funding: EUR 1 479 938.

Dr Agnieszka Brylak will carry out the project ‘Teotl: a comprehensive analysis of a major religious category of pre-Hispanic Central Mexico’. The project aims to clarify the meaning of teotl, the central category of pre-Hispanic Nahua religion. Amount of funding: €1 499 925.