Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

‘Each meeting saw the participation of leading researchers andhad a signifi cant impact on the fi eld,’ he affi rms.‘The three-year Marie Curie Excellence Chair was a very niceexperience,’ he adds. ‘I was able to devote all of my time tosome very interesting and fruitful research. Indeed, I cansay it has been among the most productive and enjoyableperiods in my professional life. I am grateful both to the EuropeanUnion and to the project coordinator Dugald Macpherson, forhaving made it possible.’Dr Pillay’s tenure as Marie Curie Chair holder has ended but, accordingto Dr Macpherson, he has now been granted a permanent chair inthe School of Mathematics at the University of Leeds.A brain gained and brains gainDr Pillay’s Marie Curie Excellence Chair coincided with twonetworks in mathematical logic in which Leeds was involved,namely the early-stage training network Mathlogaps (Mathematicallogic and applications), coordinated by Leeds University, and theresearch training network Modnet (Model Theory), coordinatedby the University of East Anglia.Dr Pillay played a substantial role in both of these initiatives. Forexample, one of his PhD Fellows, G. Boxall, was initially fundedby Mathlogaps, and Dr Pillay delivered a course of lectures on‘continuous model theory’ at a Mathlogaps training workshop inLeeds in the summer of 2005. Meanwhile, Modnet funding alloweda postdoc, Dr F. Benoist, to work in Leeds from 2007 to 2008.Dr Pillay delivered lectures and short courses at several Modnettraining events and conferences.‘Through it all, we have managed to develop a very strongresearch group in model theory here in Leeds,’ concludes Dr Pillay.‘I now have fi ve PhD Fellows, one of whom is about to submithis thesis. I also hold, with Dr Macpherson as co-investigator, anEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council grant whichis funding a three-year postdoctoral research assistant, a PhDFellow, travel, and three research visitors, one from Jerusalem,one from Wroclaw, and one from Vassar College in New York.’Project acronymModpapFull project titleModel theory, pure and appliedType of grantExcellence ChairBudgetEUR 479 372Duration of project01-09-2005 - 31-08-2008Scientific disciplineMathematicsLead partnerAnand Pillay (Chair-holder)School of MathematicsUniversity of LeedsGB-Leeds LS2 9JTTel. +44 113 343 5130/1 // Fax +44 113 343 5090E-mail: A.Pillay@leeds.ac.uk207