Research groups

Research Groups

Research Groups

Eötvös Loránd University's educational and research capacity, scientific achievements, and extensive international relationships guarantee high competitive quality. Our University is the most comprehensive scientific base in Hungary; this is demonstrated by the fact that 20% of all Hungarian academics are connected to ELTE.

ELTE's research, development, and innovation (R+D+I) strategy (part of the Institution Development Plan) is available here.

ERC, H2020

Research groups funded by the European Research Council and Horizon2020 currently operating on the Faculty.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, STARTING GRANT
THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENTS FOR PRECISION SPECTROSCOPY OF POLYATOMIC AND POLYELECTRONIC MOLECULES

Head of research group: Edit Mátyus, assistant professor
TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Physical Chemistry
E-mail: matyus@chem.elte.hu
Telephone: +36-1-411-6500/1203

The POLYQUANT project will make it possible to calculate the spectroscopic properties of small molecules precisely. Based on these properties, the uncertainty of so far unknown physical-chemical factors and constants, or even new physical "effects" might be revealed in the long term.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL
ASTROPHYSICAL DYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS OF GALACTIC NUCLEIGALNUC

Head of research group: Bence Kocsis, assistant professor
TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Atomic Physics
E-mail: bkocsis@gmail.com
Telephone: +36-1-411-6500/1433, 1426

The research project of the previous NASA scholarship holder was launched in August 2015, and it deals with galactic nuclei and the innermost regions of galaxies. General relativity theories of astrophysics and stellar dynamics stand in the center of the young researcher's field of interest. In his research, he studies black holes, sources of gravitational waves, accretion disks, and the physics of dense star clusters. New methods are used to analyze the galactic nuclei in the project. Galactic nuclei are the dense regions surrounding supermassive black holes, full of stars and other black holes. The group is planning to introduce an interdisciplinary method to describe these astrophysical systems and prove that galactic nuclei represent giant liquid crystals, which are also capable of phase transformations, and to study the diverse consequences of this. The group consists of postdoctoral and doctoral students. For computing, a new dedicated GPU computer cluster will be built.

Glowing galaxies- our interview with Bence Kocsis.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, STARTING GRANT
COGNITIVE AGEING IN DOGS

Head of research group: Enikő Kubinyi, assistant professor, senior research fellow
TTK Department of Ethology, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group
E-mail: eniko.kubinyi@ttk.elte.hu
Telephone: +36-1-381-2179

The project was launched in May 2016, and it will study the process of aging in dogs living with humans from a behavioral, genetic, and neurological aspect in the next five years. Such a complex approach has not yet existed in the theological study of canines. The research's primary goal is to develop a methodology that can be used to measure the cognitive decline of dogs using modern biological methods. The study will be helpful to lengthen the healthy lifespan of family and work dogs and further the understanding of damaging processes of human aging. The life of more than a hundred aging dogs will be followed upon for four years. The researchers aim to create the foundation of the previously non-existent "dog-neurogerontology". Scientists from Semmelweis University, the Hungarian Academy of Science's Research Centre for Natural Sciences, the Budafoki Veterinary Center, and the Szent István University also participate in the research.

 

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, STARTING GRANT 
RECONSTRUCTING A DATED TREE OF LIFE USING PHYLOGENETIC INCONGRUENCE

Head of research group: János Gergely Szöllősi, senior research fellow
TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Biological Physics, MTA-ELTE "Momentum" Evolutionary Genomics Research Group
E-mail: ssolo@elte.hu
Telephone: +36-1-372-2795 (Department of Biological Physics)

During the five years of the project launched in July 2017, the researchers will develop new methods the reconstruct the evolutionary past based on genetic sequences. The first goal of the research is to develop methods capable of gaining information on gene evolution patterns and chronology using the interpretation of the differences of gene trees. With this, a dated reconstruction of the tree of life based on genome-level data becomes possible for the first time. The second goal is to use these methods to find answers to open evolutionary questions: for example, using HGT events as "molecular fossils" to resolve the timing of microbial evolution and its relationship to Earth history, where the extreme scarcity of fossils limits the use of molecular dating methods. Moreover, the researchers hope to reconstruct rooted phylogenies from complete genomes and harness phylogenetic incongruence to answer long-standing questions, such as the diversification of animals or the position of eukaryotes among archaea.

 

H2020 MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS (MSCA) REINTEGRATION GRANT
HJMIGRA

Head of research group: Máté Gyimesi, senior research fellow
TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry
E-mail: mate.gyimesi@ttk.elte.hu
Telephone: +36-1-411-6500/8363

The group is researching the molecular mechanism of DNA error correction based on homolog recombination. The project running between 1st May 2015 and 1st May 2017 aims to study the critical steps of error correction processes on the single-molecule level. With the help of a newly developed method, they can shed light on previously unknown enzymatic steps and get us closer to understanding the development of severe cancerous processes. The group hopes to achieve significant advancements in characterizing one of the critical steps of DNA error correction based on homolog recombination. In the meantime, they are also developing an instrument park capable of "visual-biochemical" measuring single molecules. The project's collaborating partners are Stephen Kowalczykowski (University of California Davis, USA) and Ian Hickson (University of Copenhagen, Denmark).

H2020, MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS INNOVATIVE TRAINING NETWORKS (ITN)
MAGICBULLET

Head of research group: Gábor Mező, scientific advisor
TTK Department of Organic Chemistry, MTA-ELTE Peptide Chemistry Research Group
E-mail: gmezo@elte.hu
Telephone: 36-1-411-6500/1433, 1426

The four-year-long project launched in January 2015 aims to develop peptide-agent conjugates that can be used in targeted tumor therapy. The essence of targeted tumor therapy is connecting the anti-tumor agent to an operator molecule, which can recognize tumor cells with excellent selectivity; thus, the connected agent can only affect the tumor cells without damaging healthy cells and tissues. The working group led by Gábor Mező is responsible for the 2nd research unit of the international consortium (Conjugates targeting cell surface receptors). Several universities and institutes (Bielefeld University, University of Cologne, University of Milan, University of Insubria, University of Helsinki, National Institute of Oncology, Kineto Lab, Heidelberg Pharma GmbH, Bayer Pharma AG, Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, Exiris and Nerviano Medical Science) are part of the consortium.

 


MTA-ELTE

As a part of its public tasks, the Hungarian Academy of Science can maintain research groups in higher education institutions according to their agreement. Most of the research groups supported by MTA operate in Eötvös Loránd University.

MTA-ELTE COMPLEX CHEMICAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Attila Császár, DSc
ELTE TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Physical Chemistry
E-mail: csaszar@chem.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/1629

The research group's activities are aimed at doing leading-edge basic research in the fields of theoretical and computational chemistry, particularly molecular quantum chemistry, computational molecular spectroscopy, first-principles thermochemistry, and reaction kinetics. Regular utilization and extension of algorithms from interdisciplinary areas, such as mathematical statistics, informatics, and information technology, is expected during the investigation of complex chemical systems and the elevation of existing knowledge into new heights by bridging several of these areas. The group develops generally applicable methods and techniques, with particular emphasis on related high-level computer codes, which help to understand our wider natural environment (e.g., combustion systems, star formation, and exoplanets), as well as to protect the quality of life (e.g., via an improved scientific understanding of the greenhouse effect on the earth and research and development related to climate changes). The establishment of modern, active chemical databases is another core activity of the group. All the methods, codes, and databases developed are available to the general public to benefit interested scientists and engineers.

MTA-ELTE STATISTICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Imre Derényi, DSc
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Biological Physics
E-mail: derenyi@elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2795

The group's main fields of research are biological informatics, collective behavior, and related networks.

 

 

MTA-ELTE MOLECULAR AND SYSTEMS NEUROBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Árpád Dobolyi, DSc
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology
E-mail: dobolyi.arpad@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8773
Website of the research group

The predecessor of the research group was established on ELTE with the support of the National Brain Research Program (NAP) in 2013. The project aims to understand both the normal and pathological functioning of the nervous system. Our primary research subject in the narrower sense is the brain functions responsible for the child-parent relationship. In the broader sense, it is focused on social neurobiology, in which our goal is to explore neural networks and the clarification of neurons. The modern methods used include chemogenetics, neuronal pathway tracing, monitoring of behavior, and genomic and proteomic approaches. This aspect of the research is complemented by research on neurological diseases related to social relations. Our goal is to identify both the networked and molecular background of depression, autism, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and mitochondrial diseases.

MTA-ELTE IMMUNOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Anna Erdei, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Immunology
E-mail: anna.erdei@ttk.elte.hu

We study the constructive and instructive role of innate immunity; how its elements are involved in initiating and regulating adaptive responses. We focus on the part of the complement system, which links these two immune systems at several points. We investigate how the activation fragments of the major component, C3, and their receptors are involved in these regulatory processes. We also explore how the various cellular and molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases – particularly RA, SLE.

MTA-ELTE NUMERICAL ANALYSIS AND LARGE NETWORKS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor István Faragó
ELTE TTK Institute of Mathematics, Department of Applied Analysis and Computational Mathematics
E-mail: istvan.farago@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8436

The research group was founded in 2012. The group's main objective is to provide the theoretical background in numerical mathematics, being extremely important in technical and industrial applications, and gathering scientists working in this field. Numerical methods providing approximative solutions to systems of partial differential equations are needed in various areas of science. Our research group investigates elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic problems by applying existing and new tools, such as iterative methods based on preconditioning operators, discontinuous finite element methods, and techniques from operator semigroup theory, operator splitting procedures, exponential and Magnus integrators, and Richardson extrapolation. The new techniques developed are then implemented to model real-life phenomena, e.g., air pollution transport models, epidemic models, fuel cell models, shallow water equations. Modeling of network processes by systems of differential equations serves as a link to the previous topic. This line of research aims to explore the characteristics obtained from the network structure, ensure the efficient solvability of the equations, and investigate the reliability of the networks. 

 

MTA-ELTE EXTRAGALACTIC ASTROPHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Profesor Zsolt Frei
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Atomic Physics
E-mail: frei@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1372-2500/6317

 

 

 

MTA-ELTE VOLCANOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Szabolcs Harangi
ELTE TTK Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Department of Petrology and Geochemistry
E-mail: szabolcs.harangi@geology.elte.hu
Tel: 36-1-372-2500/8355

The group was formed in 2013. The MTA-ELTE Volcanology Research Group aims to build a high-level, internationally integrated scientific workshop, building on the volcanic school of the Department of Petrology and Geology, which has been established for about 20 years and has been operating successfully since then. The research contributes to a better understanding of volcanic activity from magma formation to volcanic eruptions and communicates their impact on society. An important objective of the work of the Research Group is to elevate our region to the key areas of volcanology by publishing the results in the Carpathian-Pannonian region. The Research Group wants to allow talented young people to carry out their volcanological research at home without having to leave their home country in the early stages of their research career. By reinforcing the role of volcanic research in Hungarian science, the Research Group will establish a close relationship with the research groups and institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, partly based on previous successful cooperation in other fields.

MTA-ELTE EGERVÁRY RESEARCH GROUP OF COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION (EGRES)

Head of research group: Professor Tibor Jordán
ELTE TTK Institute of Mathematics, Department of Operations Research
E-mail: jordan@cs.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/ 8132

The research group was founded in 2001. Since 2003 it has been operating as a research group of MTA-ELTE, and it represents the school of the optimization of Hungarian combinatorics. The school was founded by Dénes Kőnig and Jenő Egerváry, and Tibor Gallai and László Lovász significantly contributed to its development. The project focuses on combinatorial optimization that Alexander Schrijver established in his three-volume Combinatorial Optimization published in 2003. The work's essence is that the solution for the creation of a polynomial-time algorithm is the in-depth structural analysis of the problem. The group's main objective is the algorithmic analysis of the problems of graphs and networks. An essential tool for this is the theory of matroids, submodular functions, and polyhedral combinatorics. Another decisive aspect is where parity plays a central role: pairing graphs, T-binding, and matroid partner (parity) problems.

MTA-ELTE GEOLOGICAL, GEOPHYSICAL, AND SPACE SCIENCES RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Miklós Kázmér, DSc
MTA-ELTE Geological, Geophysical, and Space Sciences Research Group
E-mail: kazmer@ludensl.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8027

Supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the research group was established by Professor Elemér Vadász at the Eötvös Loránd University in 1958 for the continuous study of the geology of Hungary and summarization of the relevant knowledge. Between 1994 and 2007, János Haas was the head of the group (Geological Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös University). Research Group of Geophysics and Environmental Physics and Research Group of Geoinformatics and Space Science were also associated with the Institute of Geography and Geosciences. The present-day interdisciplinary earth science research group came into being by amalgamating the three former groups under the name Geological, Geophysical, and Space Science Research Group. The main fields of the research are: the comprehensive study of the geology of Hungary, preparation of scientific synthesis, study of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations of the basement of the Pannonian basin, exploration of their Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic connections, reconstruction of the former position of the domains, stratigraphic investigation of Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations with the help of different methods of stratigraphy, as well as carbonate-sedimentological studies, analysis of facies and diagenetic research.

MTA-ELTE MOTOR PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: András Málnási-Csizmadia, associate professor
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Biochemistry
E-mail: malna@elte.hu
Website of the research group
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8780

Since 2001, the Málna Laboratory has been launching significant projects with the help of high-prestige tenders from ELTE's Department of Biochemistry. The main research topics of the group are motor proteins, with a particular focus on myosins and the development and study of inhibitors affecting them. In 2008 they won the ERC tender, which opened new possibilities for them. The Motorpharmacology project was launched, with which they achieved significant breakthroughs in drug development through the development of motor protein-targeting myosin inhibitors.

MTA-ELTE THEORETICAL BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Géza Meszéna
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Biological Physics / ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology
E-mail: geza@angel.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/6326

 

 

 

MTA-ELTE RESEARCH GROUP OF PEPTIDE CHEMISTRY

Head of research group: Gábor Mező, scientific advisor
ELTE TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry
E-mail: gmezo@elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/1426

The Research Group of Peptide Chemistry was established by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) in 1961, under the leadership of Kossuth Prize winner Professor Győző Bruckner. Facilities for solution and solid-phase synthesis, chromatographic studies, including a state-of-the-art laboratory for microanalysis, structural characterization, and functional studies, are available for the project. The group plays an active role both in the educational activities of ELTE's Department of Organic Chemistry and in the work of ELTE's Doctoral School of Chemistry. Besides the organic chemistry education, the group offers students the opportunity to partake in courses and laboratory work related to peptides. The research focuses on the synthesis of peptide-based drug delivery systems and diagnostics and their structural and functional characterization. The main goal is to study peptides, polypeptides, and their conjugates to treat cancers and bacterial infections. Methodological development is also part of the project. The group has already achieved several significant results in the study of protein structures.

MTA-ELTE COMPARATIVE ETHOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Ádám Miklósi, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Ethology
E-mail: adam.miklosi@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/1705

The numerous behavioral similarities between humans and dogs result from a convergent evolutionary process through which dogs have been able to adapt to the human environment. The functional similarities between the behavioral repertoires of the two species exist not just superficially but also within their components, on the level of 'social primitives', making the dog a promising model for studying the evolution of human social cognition. We hope to further expand the understanding of the dog model through an interdisciplinary approach. We utilize a combination of two scientific approaches to do so, resulting in an innovative synergic strategy that has not yet been applied elsewhere. The first approach is based on the traditional analysis of social behavior and focuses on comparing human attachment, aggression, and socio-cognitive interactions to their analogs in canines. We plan to assess not only the behaviors themselves but also discover their genetic backgrounds through the most modern non-invasive methods known, including mapping the complete genome, functional behavioral-genetic methods, and measuring brain activity by fMRI. The second approach applies a more synthetic method whereby we hope to prove that the previously described human-analog social behaviors demonstrated by dogs can also be applied to non-biological agents, such as social robots, to improve their ability to interact with real humans. Much like how dogs had to learn to understand our complex social and verbal communication styles when they were domesticated, robots, too, will need to be able to interpret our social behaviors accurately. With the cooperation of our national and international partners, we hope to lay down the basis of a natural animal model that will provide valuable information to the understanding of human evolutionary biology and further and give a new direction to robotics research.

MTA-ELTE PROTEIN MODELING RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor András Perczel, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry
E-mail: perczel@chem.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/1653

Proteins play a crucial role in biochemical processes. Analysis of their structure and dynamics is essential for understanding their action at a molecular level. To do this, the group uses several complementary methods (organic chemical synthesis, X-ray crystallography,  vibrational and NMR spectroscopy, molecular modeling). Thus, the studied systems cover a wide selection of proteins: intrinsically unstructured proteins (IUPs), families of serine proteases, and enzymes catalyzing phosphate ester hydrolysis. Examining the structure and organization of protein building blocks and mini proteins helps us understand more of the fundamentals of protein folding. One of the long-term goals of the research is to use the limited preparative organic chemical capacity of protein conjugates and glycosides developed from ferrocenes and heterocycles for the development of ligands with potential biological effects. However, to do this, the atomic details of the given proteins and connected ligands have to be explored. The proteins to be examined were determined based on their mobility (calpastatin-calpain and securin-separase systems), their biological significance, and previous research results.

MTA-ELTE GEOMETRIC AND ALGEBRAIC COMBINATORICS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Tamás Szőnyi
ELTE TTK Institute of Mathematics, Department of Computer Science
E-mail: szonyi@cs.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/8595

The group mainly focuses on combinatorial flavored problems whose treatment requires algebraic or geometric tools. For example, the study of combinatorially defined substructures of finite projective geometries; set systems and their q-analogs; some extremal problems of (hyper)graphs; and some specific areas of network coding. 

 

MTA-ELTE MODERN COMPLEX MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Habil. Ödön Vancsó, associate professor
ELTE TTK Mathematics Teaching and Education Centre
E-mail: vancso.odon@gmail.com
Tel.: (+36 1) 372 2500/8069

The main goal of the research project is to save and maintain the heritage of Tamás Varga and integrate the developments of the past three decades into it. They find it extremely important to incorporate the development and results of cognitive sciences, informatics, and new technologies that have widely spread since. Moreover, they believe it is crucial to expand Tamás Varga's methods to middle-school education, as despite previous attempts, this has not been done to this day. In line with the ideas above, they create educational aids, test them in education, and make them available for all Hungarian mathematics teachers on the internet based on the results and potential corrections. The group will also establish teacher training programs to familiarise them with their work and ideas and interactive teaching that they can use in their classes. Furthermore, they wish to raise Hungarian didactic mathematics to their former rank. During the first year, the group conducted methodology research in nine sub-groups to create the basis for their future work.

MTA-ELTE THEORETICAL PHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Tamás Tél
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Theoretical Physics
E-mail: tel@general.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/6124

The research group has been studying field theory, particle physics, statistical physics, and environmental physics since 2012. The two main directions of the five-year research plan are quantum theory and statistical physics. A third field,  "environmental and climate physics", was added to the research in recent years. The group works on basic research, that's expedience is recognizable in the better understanding of the world, and a narrower sense, of physical systems. The economic use of the study is currently indirect but will be more visible in the future. The research group cooperates with several domestic institutes (e.g., BME's Nuclear Institute, TTK Department of Theoretical Physics). They also take part in the education on ELTE. The group has an extensive network of international relations (e.g., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, Aix-Marseille University, University College, London, CERN, the University of Geneva, Freie University, Berlin, University of Oldenburg, University of Cottbus, University of Hamburg, Max Planck Institute, Dresden).

 

MTA-ELTE GENOME STABILITY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor Tibor Vellai
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics
E-mail: vellai@falco.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8684

The research group was established in 2017, and it is aimed at exploring the mechanism of the aging process and a better understanding of its regulations. The group studies the role of mobile genetic elements (transposable and "jumping genes") in aging and tumorigenesis through models (D. melanogaster, C. elegans). Our main questions are: What mechanisms do organisms use to control the activity causing the genome instability of transposable elements? How do these mechanisms change through aging and certain diseases, such as cancer? Is it possible to delay aging through the stimulation of mechanisms maintaining the stability of genomes?

MTA-ELTE-MTM ECOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Head of research group: Professor János Podani, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology
E-mail: janos.podani@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8193

The MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group is a joint project of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, ELTE, and the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The group includes a number of the former MTA-MTM Animal Ecology Research Group and new members who joined after 2012. Some are at the beginning of their research career, doing their Ph.D. research, or have just defended their dissertation. In contrast, others are university professors or already members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The head of the group is Hungarian Academy of Sciences member János Podani. The research is focusing on the exploration of the ecological conditions of plants, animals, and pathogens. The group's theoretical, methodological, and experimental results in several fields (e.g., conservation biology, agroecology, behavioral ecology, taxonomy, epidemiology)  have been published in several prestigious international scientific journals. The group members participate in gradual and doctoral programs as guest lecturers or supervisors, and they are also active in scientific informing and nature conservation activities. For more detailed information and their publication list, visit the group's website.

 

MTA-MTM-ELTE RESEARCH GROUP FOR PALEONTOLOGY

Head of research group: Professor József Pálfy, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Department of Geology
E-mail: palfy@elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500/8728

The research group contributes to the understanding of biosphere history with high-quality, internationally impactful research. The group mainly focuses on marine invertebrates from the Mesozoic, Cretaceous continental vertebrates, late Tertiary biosphere of the Pannonian Lake, and Quaternary vertebrates and pollens. The MTA-MTM Research Group for Paleontology was founded on 1 January 2003., and in the beginning, the research mainly concentrated on the Mezosoic marine biosphere, especially on the study of radiolaria, brachiopods, and ammonites, with a particular focus on the critical events of the history of biosphere; on periods of extinctions and evolutionary radiation. Since then, the spectrum of the research has constantly been widening with the growth of the group.


Lendület

Lendület is an MTA program that was started in 2009 and is aimed at keeping the most talented Hungarian scientists in Hungary. So far, 22 researchers have established a research group at ELTE in the framework of Lendület. After five years, ELTE takes over the financing of ongoing researches from MTA.

RESEARCH OF GROUP BEHAVIOR WITH THE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES (2019-2024)

Head of research group: Máté Nagy research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics
E-mail: nagymate@hal.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-372-2500 / 6367

Máté Nagy returned to ELTE from Max Planck Institute for Ornithology to conduct his research on group behavior. The project will focus on how certain animals living in groups implement information gathered from their mates and their own perceptions in group perception, cognition, and decision making. What are the mechanisms resulting in synergic performance surplus leading to the whole group outperforming any given individual of it? The research mainly focuses on the way birds decide on the group's optimal circling speed and turning radius. As the topic is multidisciplinary, the study has two aims: 1. The widening of our knowledge of the behavior of birds by using drones to conduct high-quality measurements. 2. Bioinspiration and the implementation of results into robotic systems. One of the possible innovative results of the project could be the creation of an automated drone utilizing the behavior of birds that could be used for a wide range of operations (fauna monitoring, search and save missions, etc.).

LABORATORY ASTROCHEMISTRY, MOLECULE- AND MATERIAL STUDIES AT LOW TEMPERATURES (2018–2023)

Head of research group: György Tarczay associate professor
ELTE TTK Department of Inorganic Chemistry
Email: tarczay@chem.elte.hu
Tel: +36-1-372-2500/6587

In the framework of this project, unique and modern machinery will be built, some of which will be globally unique machinery and experimental realization. The equipment will be used to study the development and spectrum of molecules central to astrochemistry both in gas state and in ice relevant to astrophysics. The project will not only create the groundwork for laboratory astrochemistry, but the planned unique 4 K cryogen machine will provide the opportunity to create special molecules and materials under unusual circumstances. 

 

COMPARATIVE NEUROIMAGING IN MAMMALS (2017-2022)

Head of research group: Attila Andics research fellow
ELTE TTK Department of Ethology
E-mail: attila.andics@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-411-6500/8898

The project will focus on the role of auditory learning in vocal social processing in dogs, mini pigs, macaques, and humans using behavioral and neuroimaging experiments. The research aims to further our understanding of the development of biological and cultural evolution in human language competence and the supporting sociocognitive competencies.

 

 

COMBINATORIAL GEOMETRY (2017-2022)

Head of research group: Dömötör Pálvölgyi assistant professor
ELTE TTK Department of Computer Science
E-mail: dom@cs.elte.hu
Tel.: +36-1-381-21-55

 

The development of technology led to the emergence of numerous interesting questions in computational and combinatorial geometry. Nowadays, we are surrounded by electronic devices that communicate wirelessly with each other and their environment. The research of partitioning of these geometric networks is the basis for creating better systems, which are more efficient, reliable, and use less energy. The main topic of the research group is the coloring of hypergraphs built on these geometric networks.

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET HOT UNIVERSE RESEARCH GROUP (2016-2021)

 

Head of research group: Norbert Werner senior research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Atomic Physics
E-mail: norbertw@stanford.edu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2775 (Department of Atomic Physics)

The research group will use new, high-resolution roentgen spectrums and other monitoring data to study the characteristics of the gas that fills the space between galaxies. This information is crucial to understand how the universe has been developing into its current state. The researchers will study the development of galaxies, as well as the black holes they contain. The project will help us understand the development and dissemination of the chemical elements that form us.

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS RESEARCH GROUP (2016-2021)

 

Head of research group: Gegely Szöllősi
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Biological Physics
E-mail: ssolo@elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2795 (Department of Biological Physics)

Today the genome sequence of more than a thousand organisms and several dozen tissues' cancerous tumors are known. Revealing and utilizing the information they contain is one of the most exciting challenges of biology in understanding the evolutionary past and in the development of cancer treatment. In recent decades the field of molecular evolution has been developing dramatically: 40 years ago, the three domains of life were discovered with the help of several dozen short RNS sequences, while in recent years, it was proved that 1-4% of the DNA of non-African people has a Neanderthal origin using whole genome sequences, and the outstanding heterogeneity of tumors was discovered. Many believe that we are living in the golden age of molecular evolution research. To fulfill its potential, besides data gathering, a proper methodology for data analysis must be developed. The study aims to create models decyphering whole genome sequences capable of coherently handling the evolutionary processes starting from species diversification several hundred million ago to the formation of tumors.

 

 

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET CHEMICAL STRUCTURE/REACTIVITY RESEARCH GROUP(2015-2016)

Head of research group: Károly Róbert Szilágyi senior research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Chemistry
E-mail: robertkszilagyi@gmail.com
Tel.: 36-1-372-2548 (Institute of Chemistry)

Károly Róbert Szilágyi will return from Montana State University to coordinate this project. His main goal is to find connections with practical use between molecular structure and chemical reactivity in biochemical, homogeneous, and heterogeneous reactivity. He wishes to create a scientific base to back the current empirical data using systematic theoretical chemistry, spectroscopy, and experimental approaches, and thus make chemical processes plannable. He wants to establish a wide-ranging domestic and international cooperation with the MTA-ELTE Lendület research group to introduce the XANES and EXAFS synchrotron spectroscopy measurement technology in Hungary, as well as the corresponding experimental and theoretical background. This technology had already been successfully applied in the USA and Japan, and now he will expand it to European laboratories too, with the help of his multinational group. His main goal is to utilize this intercontinental measurement methodology for the tasks mentioned above.

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET CMS PARTICLE AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP (2015-2020)

Head of research group: Gabriella Pásztor senior research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Atomic Physics
E-mail: gpasztor@caesar.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2760, 36-1-372-2500/6335

Gabriella Pásztor returned from CERN, where she was employed by Carleton University (CA) to take part in the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) prestigious international program focusing on the field of high energy physics. In the framework of the project, the particle and nuclear physics research group will join in the LHC CMS experiment. They aim to analyze the Standard Modell and its basic supporting theory and characterize the quark-gluon plasma; the hot and dense matter coming into existence after the Big Bang. The data of LHC already led to groundbreaking results in the first year of its operation.  The discovery of the Higgs boson crowned the efforts aimed at completing the Standard Modell and explaining elementary particle mass. Gabriella Pásztor and her group will continue exploring the secrets of elementary particles and quarks through the study of LHC data based on higher collision energy.

"Physics has always been a challenge for me" - interview with Gabriella Pásztor

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH GROUP (2014-2019)

A kutatócsoport vezetője Head of research group: Zsuzsanna Dosztányi senior research fellow
ELTE TTK, Institute of Biology, Department of Biochemistry
E-mail: dosztanyi.zsuzsanna@ttk.mta.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372 2500/8537

Zsuzsanna Dosztolányi's main scientific interest lies in proteins, more specifically, the unorganized proteins lacking an apparent configuration. The research group aims to study the interactions of linear motives responsible for connecting to other molecules located on the unorganized parts of the proteins using experimental and computer-based methods, combined with data linked to different diseases. This research can provide an insight into fundamental biological processes, advance the understanding of the molecular basis of certain diseases, and lead to the development of new medicine molecules. Dosztányi expects that the project will not only allow her to expand her previous bioinformatics research on unorganized proteins to exciting new directions but can help in the strengthening of bioinformatics programs as well, which play an ever-bigger role in medical and biological research.

"The goal is the large-scale study of linear motives" - interview with Zsuzsanna Dosztányi

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET CATALYSIS AND ORGANIC SYNTHESES RESEARCH GROUP (2012-2017)

Head of research group: Zoltán Novák assistant professor
ELTE TTK Institute of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry
E-mail: novakz@elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/1610

The group has been conducting its research in ELTE's Institute of Chemistry since the September of 2007. They mostly work on developing organic chemical modifications and on the synthesized application of target molecules with different biological effects. The main focus of the research is the development of aromatic and heterocyclic compounds and their functionalization through transition metal catalysts, with a particular emphasis on the synthesis of fluorine compounds that have enormous importance in medicine. This research contributes significantly to the understanding and advancement of certain fields of organic chemistry. Moreover, the newly developed chemical modifications can be applied in the synthesis of drugs. For this reason, our research group has been working closely with Servier Pharmaceutics Institute and taking part in its organic chemistry experiments aimed at the development of medicine for cancer therapy. The group also works together with Richter Gedeon pharmaceutical company scientists to analyze the medically significant characteristics of molecules created in the laboratory.

"We will be able to conduct any experiments we can imagine" - interview with Zoltán Novák

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET LATTICE FIELD THEORY RESEARCH GROUP (2012-2017)

Head of research group: Professor Sándor Katz, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Theoretical Physics
E-mail: katz@bodri.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2747, 36-1-372-2500/6247

For Sándor Katz Lendület means continuity. His research group established a few years ago, continues its project with new members at Eötvös Loránd University. They aim to accurately measure the characteristics of the transition between protons, neutrons, and quark-gluon plasma. Their results can contribute to the most fundamental laws of our world, while the unique computer infrastructure used for computing can also be utilized for other scientific fields.

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET COMPLEMENT RESEARCH GROUP (2012-2017)

Head of research group: Krisztián Mihály Józsi senior research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Immunology
E-mail: mihaly.jozsi@freemail.hu
Tel.: 36-1-381-2175 (Department of Immunology)

Mihály Józsi, the head of the research group established in 2012, returns to Hungary after ten years in Germany. In the framework of the project, he is studying factor H, a regulator of the complement system with colossal importance for protection against pathogens. Operational problems of the complement system play a role in the development of several diseases, for example, macular degeneration; a condition that causes blindness at old age, or severe kidney failure. Mihály Józsi expects that through the research group's work, they will be able to gain new insights on the causes of the development of certain diseases and the possibilities to cure them.

MTA-ELTE EIRSA LENDÜLET ASTROPHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP (2012-2017)

Head of research group: Professor Zsolt Frei
ELTE TTK Institute of Physics, Department of Atomic Physics
E-mail: frei@alcyone.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2767, 36-1-372-2500/6317

The astrophysics research group at ELTE's Institute of Physics has been dynamically developing since the early 2000s. The Eötvös International Research School in Astrophysics (EIRSA) joined the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project in 2007 and the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARSS) sky mapping project in 2013. In 2012, Professor Zsolt Frei, the head of the research group, received a grant in the framework of the Lendület program as well. Senior lecturer Péter Raffai leads the data analysis of the Eötvös Gravity Research Group (ERGC). The group aids all activities of LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC): equipment building for the noise reduction of LIGO detectors, supervision of LIGO detectors during data collection both at the stations and remotely, maximization of detection and processing of gravitational wave signals through source modeling and the development of a signal detection program. EGRG created the galaxy catalog that LSC uses to spot the source galaxies of the detected signals. ERGC also helps find the optimal location of detectors to be built (including the LICO detector planned to be built in India). The Hungarian website of LSC is developed by ERGC as well. The first detection of gravitational waves – announced on February 11, 2016 – was a milestone in both physics and astronomy: it confirmed one of the important predictions of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity, and it established gravitational wave astronomy as a new scientific field.

 

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET DINOSAUR RESEARCH GROUP (2011-2016)

Head of research group: Attila Ősi senior lecturer
ELTE TTK, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Department of Geology
E-mail: hungaros@gmail.com
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/8003

The research group works on the consistent excavation of the dinosaur site of Iharkút, as well as the paleontological geographic, anatomic, and bone histological study of vertebrate fauna in the framework of the Lendület program. Attila Ősi became famous after discovering an eighty-five million-year-old dinosaur species in an excavation in Bakony as part of the Paleontological Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The work that had already been going on for more than a decade gained international attention, and the young scientist published his article in Nature, which fundamentally reshaped our knowledge of the paleontological geography of European vertebrates. Before Ősi's publication, the last piece from a Hungarian paleontologist was published in 1975 in the prestigious journal. The significance of Ősi's discovery can be compared to that of the discovery of the hominid at Rudabánya in that year. "Lendület offers a long-term opportunity to get to know the world of eighty-five million years ago better, as well as to disseminate the results of the research to the international scientific community." – said Attila Ősi. He adds that expanding Lendület to universities makes it easier to involve students in both theoretical and fieldwork.

 

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET MOTOR ENZYMOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP (2011-2016)

Head of research group: Professor Mihály Kovács senior research fellow
ELTE TTK Institute of Biology, Department of Biochemistry
E-mail: mihaly.kovacs@ttk.elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/8401

Professor Mihály Kovács's research focuses on motor enzymes responsible for DNA structure modification and genome maintenance. Before returning to ELTE's Department of Biochemistry, he worked in the United States between 2002 and 2005. In the framework of Lendület, the research group aims to explore the connection between speed, effort, energetical efficiency, and macroscopically detectable genetic and evolutionary processes of enzymes. Research of motor enzymes can lead to the understanding of the development of certain diseases and the development of special inhibitors. Another application can be the creation of nanomotors that can be used to develop chips, nano switches, and other nanotechnology.

MTA-ELTE LENDÜLET BIOPHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP (2011-2016)

Head of research group: Professor Imre Derényi
ELTE TTK, Institute of Physics, Department of Biophysics
E-mail: derenyi@elte.hu
Tel.: 36-1-372-2500/6366

The research group focuses on biophysics; a new, internationally determinative scientific field. Molecular motor proteins are responsible for a significant portion of biological movements, from molecular delivery processes inside a single cell, through cell division, to the contraction of muscles. Their accurate recognition has significance not only in medicine but in technology as well. In the center of Professor Derényi's research lies kinesin, one of the most well-known motor proteins. With his group, he created a kinetic model that accurately demonstrates the complex behavior of these proteins in experiments. Another cornerstone of the research is the study of the structure and dynamics of lipid membranes. Living cells are surrounded by these membranes that often have complex topography and take part in several interactions. Understanding lipid membranes and motor enzymes sheds light on the normal working of organisms, which is essential for the development of new medicines.


Other research groups

BIG DATA – DATA SETS

Contact:
Professor István Csabai
Tel.:+36-1-411-6500/6576
E-mail: csabai@elte.hu

Professor Csabai’s research focuses on the statistical analysis of big datasets that can aid the understanding of complex phenomena. His previous research covered a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as statistic physics, astronomy, or bioinformatics, as these are fields where a significant amount of data can be gathered with the emergence of new technologies. Utilizing his previous results, his current project focuses on the analysis of social and monetary networks, as well as cancer genetics data. Regarding the latter field, Professor Csabai is the Hungarian coordinator of several European grand projects focusing on it.