What does the sound of a stressed tomato plant have to do with a lonely international student, or a wind turbine coated in ice with a teenager who switches off the news? More than you might think. Each of them is the starting point of a research project carried out by a YUFE4Postdoc, and each of them featured in Meet the YUFE4Postdocs, the video series published on the YUFE Alliance YouTube channel.
Over nine episodes, we sat down with nine postdoctoral researchers, one from each of the nine YUFE universities taking part in the programme. Together, the conversations cover all four YUFE focus areas: Sustainability, Digital Societies, European Identity and Citizens’ Wellbeing. Watched together, the episodes fall into three stories about life in Europe’s cities.
Technology, media and our emotions
Can a machine read how we feel, and should it? Philosopher Kris Goffin (Maastricht University, Ep. 2) uncovers the racial and gender biases hidden in emotion recognition software, and asks what happens when chatbots become our companions, therapists and even stand-ins for loved ones we have lost. Lucía Cores-Sarría (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Ep. 8) looks at the other side of the screen: why more and more people, especially the young, switch off the news to protect their mood.
Technology can also empower. Gareth Osborne (University of Antwerp, Ep. 7) explores how generative AI can help children co-create immersive story worlds in interactive museums, and learn along the way how the algorithms around them work.
Finding your place in a new city
Three episodes follow people starting over somewhere new. Ana Maria Ricchiardi (University of Cyprus, Ep. 6) studies how migrants arriving on the island, at once a bridge to Europe and its border, shape the reception centres, neighbourhoods and public spaces of Cypriot cities. Magali Ruet (University of Rijeka, Ep. 4) asks how AI tools can support newcomers in learning a language and bridging cultures.
Polina Ivanova (University of Bremen, Ep. 9) closes the series by puncturing the myth of carefree student life abroad. Behind the parties are bureaucracy, culture shock and often deep loneliness, and her research in Germany and Croatia looks at how students and universities can build real connection.
Cities facing the climate crisis
The climate crisis is felt street by street. Nestoras Antoniou (University of Eastern Finland, Ep. 1) couples machine learning with fluid dynamics to predict urban heat and help planners design cooler, more comfortable cities. Zahira Bano (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ep. 3) develops smart coatings that keep wind turbine blades free of ice, which can otherwise cut their yearly output by up to half.
And Fatih Gulec (University of Essex, Ep. 5) is literally listening to nature: plants make sounds when stressed, and decoding them with AI could let urban farms spot drought or pests early, saving water and pesticides.
Watch the full series
All nine episodes are available in the Meet the YUFE4Postdocs list on the YUFE Alliance YouTube channel.
About YUFE4Postdocs
Two competitive YUFE4Postdocs calls resulted in the appointment of 55 excellent international incoming postdoctoral researchers in the YUFE universities.
These YUFE4 postdocs are being trained to become future – proof researchers, building bridges between academia and society. The program is led by the University of Antwerp and provides an attractive training package featuring interactive in-person stakeholder engagement seminars and a variety of online joint transferable skills training sessions.
You can find out more about the YUFE4Postdocs here.