Closing the product life cycle through recycling and reuse is essential for transitioning to a circular economy. The Sustainable Polymers Research Group tackles challenges in creating a circular economy for polymers, focusing on production, repair and monitoring during use, and recycling with functional redesign at end-of-life. It develops recyclable thermoset polymers and vitrimers for high-performance composites, self-reinforced composites from ε-caprolactam, and durable composite structures by enhancing non-destructive testing, integrating sensors for monitoring, incorporating healing and repair for lifespan extension. While mechanical recycling of thermoplastics is well-established, the group identifies sustainable recycling methods for hard-to-recycle polymers, including innovative polymers and fibre reinforcements. It addresses downcycling by advancing safe-by-design recycled and recyclable polymers and composites, focusing on upcycling and modelling to predict their properties.

Nonlinear dynamical phenomena are increasingly relevant in engineering systems. While methods to analyse them exist, they are often complex, time-intensive, and impractical for industrial applications. As a result, these phenomena are frequently overlooked, leading to hazardous situations and accidents across various disciplines.
Our vision is to develop analytical and numerical tools for the efficient and reliable detection of dangerous dynamical phenomena that are otherwise difficult to predict. We aim to make these tools accessible and practical for engineers, transforming their design processes to create safer and more optimized engineering systems.
A key focus of our research is local stability — the ability of a system to withstand small perturbations while remaining vulnerable to larger ones. One of our primary goals is to develop practical methods to identify the largest perturbation that does not result in undesired behavior.

The main purpose of our group is to develop quantum chemical methods which have the potential to provide the solution of the electronic Schrödinger-equation with high accuracy for systems containing several hundreds of atoms both at around their equilibrium geometry and at distorted structures. The work in this direction proceeds along three separate but interrelated tracks. First, we focus on the acceleration of local correlation calculations using explicitly correlated techniques. Second, the same problem is tackled on another front: combined local correlation-density functional theory (DFT) approximations are developed invoking range-separation and embedding techniques. Third, another major concern is the development and implementation of new multi-reference local correlation methods.

Our team explores and engineers nanocircuits operating in the Quantum regime. We use novel materials with low dimensionality for these devices: 1D semiconducting nanowires and 2D van der Waals heterostructures assembled for individual layers of 2D materials. Based on these material systems we engineer hybrid nanoelectronic devices using superconducting, ferromagnetic or simple normal electrodes. The nanodevices exhibit novel, correlated or topological effects, like Cooper pair splitting, Kondo effect, Andreev bound states, special quantum Hall effects, Majorana bound states or special spin-orbit states.

In this Lendület project, our team develop new tools to comprehend the elusive dark energy component by using state-of-the-art galaxy and quasar survey data sets. We probe the growth rate of structure in extreme environments near density peaks traced by powerful quasars, as well as in dark and empty voids. In particular, we study in detail how dark energy stretches the largest cosmic superclusters and the vast voids, spanning about 300 million light-years, leaving smoking-gun evidence in the form of secondary hot and cold spots on CMB temperature/lensing anisotropy maps. We will entertain an emerging new hypothesis that recently reported cosmological anomalies, concerning the delicate balance of expansion and structure growth, might be explained if the expansion of the Universe is inhomogeneous, in contrast with the core assumption of the concordance model.

We are interested in theoretical developments in relation with molecular spectroscopy, quantum dynamics, and theoretical chemistry.

We are working on problems related to nice (definable) infinite graphs and their connections to large finite ones

The Copper Age was a time of innovation, marked by innovations such as metallurgy, the wheel, and the plough, shaping Europe’s history. Our multidisciplinary project uses 21st-century archaeological methods to explore how social relations influenced the spread of knowledge and innovation. We study these transformative changes from the individual level by combining biosocial archaeology, technological research, and social network analysis implemented in a GIS system.
The Carpathian Basin, connecting South-Eastern and Central Europe, is ideal for examining these dynamics. Early to Middle Copper Age communities (4500–3700 BCE) lived in dense networks with formal cemeteries containing richly furnished graves. Although the Early Copper Age marked the peak of metallurgy, evidence suggests these objects were not locally produced. Our analysis highlights the social links enabling access to valuable goods and technologies, revealing the exchange mechanisms that shaped innovation in the region.

The aim of our research group is to study electrocatalytic processes (electrolytic water splitting, carbon dioxide and nitrate reduction, galvanic metal deposition) that form the core of many modern technologies, especially in energy storage. With a strong background in fundamental electrochemistry, instrumentation and computation science, our group is composed of physical chemists, engineers and mathematicians developing theoretical and experimental methods, as well as automated measurement systems for studying the mechanism of electrocatalytic processes. As part of an international network of cooperating researchers, our work is mostly focused on unravelling the effects of material transport and pH shifts on the kinetics of electrode processes, both in model systems and industrial level electrolyser platforms.

Photosynthesis forms the basis of life on Earth. The Laboratory for Molecular Photobioenergetics investigates harnessing photosynthesis for renewable energy production, including electricity and hydrogen (H2). Biophotovoltaic (BPV) devices, utilizing algae to produce electrical current, represent an emerging biotechnological approach. The underlying mechanisms, particularly photosynthetic electron transport and exoelectrogenesis, remain understudied. We aim to bridge this gap and significantly improve BPV efficiency.
We also study H2 production by green algae, developing systems to enhance H2 yield and duration. Our protocol allows algae to produce H2 for several days in an oxygen-free environment under intense light. This unique metabolic state, where cells act as whole-cell catalysts, is largely uncharacterized. To understand the underlying adaptations, we employ a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on metabolomics, to develop new strategies for enhancing H2 production.

We use multidisciplinary approaches to identify the mechanisms involved in delivering various autophagic, crinophagic, endocytic, and phagocytic cargoes to lysosomes, and how lysosomal activity is regulated. Our core competencies include high-resolution microscopy, genetics, molecular cell biology, protein interaction studies, various omics approaches, and in vitro reconstitution of vesicle maturation. Using the powerful animal model Drosophila enables us to study the importance of individual genes/proteins and specific molecular interactions on an organismal level. For example, we showed that autophagy maintains proteostasis and neural function and its defects cause ataxia and short lifespan (Genes Dev 2007, JCB 2013, Elife 2015), and we recently identified a special phagosome maturation process in glia that is required for the breakdown of dead neurons/axons and animal survival after nervous system injury (Nature Comm 2023).

The Momentum Bioarchaeology Research Team adopts an interdisciplinary approach focusing on the north-eastern region of the Roman Province of Pannonia. The research aims first to uncover and understand the biological composition and the dynamics of the population changes during the Roman era, taking into account the interrelations of its subgroups and social strata. Secondly, it investigates and gathers evidence about the living conditions, life quality, and health of the Roman and Romanized inhabitants across various settlement types (city, castellum, and village). This is achieved through detailed anthropological, genomic, and stable isotopic analyses of residents from Aquincum (Óbuda), Solva (Esztergom), and Páty, in conjunction with archaeological hypotheses and inquiries. To gain insights into the lives of the Pannonian people, the project also utilizes archaeozoological and genetic research on domesticated animals, such as horses and camels.

Our research group conducts integrative field, data-driven and experimental studies on river ecosystems, with a particular focus on pelagic functional groups. We particularly focus on the middle Danube and Tisza Valley oxbow lakes in Hungary. We analyse the structure, biodiversity, and functioning of large river and lake communities using the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship as a central ecological theorem. Our primary objectives include taxonomic and functional analyses of the river food web and characterising ecological relationships among its components. We also investigate visual ecology and study ecological processes at key interfaces, such as benthos-plankton and river water-land. By understanding the functioning of riverine communities, we aim to predict better their response to climate change, ecological invasions, and human disturbances.

Launched in December 2024, the research group aims to better understand why and how volcanoes erupt. High-resolution chemical and textural studies of crystals in volcanic rocks are carried out to reveal processes in subvolcanic magma reservoirs across the lithosphere and the conditions for magma generation in the upper mantle. Petrological monitoring and zircon petrochronology are used to study magmatic processes, their duration and the timing of eruptions, and to correlate scattered volcanic occurrences. The Carpathian-Pannonian region, with its diverse magmas and 20 million years of volcanic history, serves as an excellent natural laboratory for such research. Studying these volcanic rocks provides insights into deep magmatic processes and helps to understand the signals that precede eruptions. Research focuses on both outcropping volcanic formations and drill-cores from buried volcanic deposits in the Pannonian Basin as well as active volcanoes abroad.

Investigate how nuclear reactions in stars produce the chemical elements and their isotope. Compare model predictions to stellar abundances and the composition of meteorites.

Our group focuses on the exploration of topological 2D electron systems, on the atomic scale.

Fluids (volatile substances such as CO2, H2O, SO2, H2S, CO, CH4, noble gases, etc.) play a fundamental role in the formation, maintenance and termination of geologic processes and climate. In addition to the obvious fluid-containing potential of the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, current scientific knowledge indicates that the solid and the deeper Earth spheres (e.g. the astenosphere) are also characterised by a significant and complex fluid capacity.
The major goal of the FluidsByDepth Lendület (Momentum) Research Group is to describe fluid generations along the lithosphere on the basis of fluid inclusion-based research on xenoliths in Central Pannonian Basin, moreover, our major planned achievement is to model fluid/rock equilibrium, hydromechanic- chemical numeric modelling to unravel the details of CO2-rich fluid transport from the deep to the shallow lithosphere (or atmosphere).

We are interested in the neural basis of cognition. We are investigating how the neural networks within and across brain areas form specialized systems underlying brain functions. We use Research_confocal1behavioral studies, electrophysiology, optogenetics, quantitative data analysis and modelling. Our main goals are

-To understand the role of different brain regions in cognitive functions.
-To reveal how different cell types participate in these functions.
-To use disease models to test whether our findings can form the basis of future clinical studies.

The Laboratory of Thalamus Research has been established in 2003 with a special focus on understanding the roles of non-sensory thalamus. Our work in the past two decades have indicated that a critical component of thalamic organization is the vast complexity and heterogeneity of its afferents. We use advanced morphological and physiological methods to decipher the role of region specific thalamic inputs in governing thalamic activity and behaviour. Presently the Laboratory of Thalamus Research aims to understand thalamic cell assemblies in the context of motor control, stress induced behavioral alterations and region specific cortical control of different thalamic nuclei. We place great emphasis on comparative work thus we systematically compare the equivalent regions of primate and rodent thalamus.

The main focus of our research group is automorphic forms, both from the analytic (the sup-norm problem, the hyperbolic circle problem, restriction norm questions) and the algebraic aspects (p-adic Hodge theory, mod p principal series).

The research group consists of five mathematicians: the PI (full-time) and another senior member (part-time, department head at the Eötvös University), and three juniors: an internationally selected postdoc (full-time), and two Hungarian members (part-time, lecturers at the Technical University).

We organize weekly seminars at the Rényi Institute ("Automorphic Forms Seminar").

The Arithmetic Combinatorics research group seeks to introduce novel methods to solve problems of various types from Combinatorics, with an emphasis on problems of some arithmetic nature. Special attention is devoted to further applications of algebraic methods.

A central question to be investigated in the project is the following: How large can a subset of the group Z_m^n not containing any nontrivial k-term arithmetic progressions be? The case k>4 is wildly open, and even for k=3 a number of questions are still to be answered. Another main goal is trying to solve the Additive Basis Conjecture which asserts that for every prime p there is a constant c(p) such that the union of c(p) bases of F_p^n always contains an additive basis.

We also investigate problems about sumsets, representation functions and questions from arithmetic Ramsey theory.

The research group will construct an English-language; open access; global database as an accessible dataset to consider, how fundamental rights have been affected by enforceable legal norms; soft law documents; and judicial case law in the light of the rising social role of AI. The database will contain all relevant legal instruments enacted by international organisations and by the respective authorities of sovereign states. Then, focusing on the role of the judiciary, based on three case studies, we will elaborate innovative techniques of legal interpretation including judicial review tests on how to find a proper balance between fostering technological development and safeguarding fundamental rights. The three case studies will be the following: right to a fair trial (either in judicial and administrative proceedings); freedom of expression (with special regard to online platforms); right to a healthy environment (including the protection of natural resources.

The PRiSMa research group, launched in 2024, focuses on how political representation functions in a political communication environment dominated by social media. We examine the dynamics between institutional political actors and citizens, the responsiveness of political actors to the political activity expressed by citizens on social media, and non-electoral actors who effectively advocate for representational demands on these platforms.

We also pay attention to the new forms of political inequality that arise from the fact that political activity on social media can be intimidating for many people due to psychological or social reasons. Therefore, in exploring the patterns of political representation, we analyse the activities of both electoral and non-electoral political actors, as well as citizens' experiences, practices, and sentiments related to these dynamics. The research group consists of the PI, two senior researchers, two postdoctoral researchers, and four PhD students.

The research focus of the group is centred around exploring chemical solutions to access bioorthogonally activatable photolabile protecting groups. Such a combination of light as an external physical control element with internally applied chemical control based on bioorthogonal chemistry is envisioned to allow more precise spatiotemporal activation of chemotherapeutic drugs offering novel solutions in the field of targeted therapies.

The Rona lab seeks to gain a better understanding of the fundamental processes that maintain genomic integrity within our cells. DNA repair processes are crucial aspects of biology as mis-regulation of these mechanisms are often the driving force behind several types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. By unravelling the underlying molecular mechanisms of these diseases, we aim to provide the foundation of novel therapeutic approaches. In our work we rely on genetic, biochemical, and proteomic approaches in mammalian cells as well as collaborations with structural biologists and mouse geneticists.

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) are intensively studied participants influencing the tumor microenvironment. Among their molecular components, proteoglycans and glycoproteins play important roles in cell signalling, which is predominantly mediated by the structure of the glycan chains they carry. Our main goal is to apply sensitive analytical methods for the detailed structural characterization of carbohydrates present in EVs and to identify predictive glycan markers (N-glycopeptides and/or glycosaminoglycans) in circulating TEVs and to develop a molecular diagnostic method predicting resistance against immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in non-small cell lung cancer. Several methods and workflows will be developed/optimized using lung cancer cell lines and transferred to plasma TEV analysis. The research project is based on the application and further development of state-of-the-art analytical methods, like immune capture, chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Wetlands are complex habitats that harbour a multitude of species, all interacting in a complex ecological network. Among these interactions, vector-mediated dispersal plays a crucial role in the survival of species in fragmented wetland landscapes. Waterbirds are among the most important dispersal vectors for various organisms in freshwater ecosystems. Our research group focuses on the crucial role of waterbirds in maintaining the biodiversity and ecological integrity of wetlands. In particular, we study the dispersal interactions mediated by waterbirds with plants, invertebrates, microbiomes and pathogens. These key groups form the basis for our studies. We also investigate how these different levels of interaction influence each other — both in individual waterbirds and in wetland ecosystems. This approach aims to uncover the interconnected dynamics that determine the health and resilience of wetlands.

The digitalization of society has opened new areas and also new challenges for social science research. Digital space both reflects the social inequalities that exist in offline space and creates new cleavages between social groups. Data from the observation of digital behaviour and data generated by digitalisation can help us extend or refine our knowledge about how society is structured and works. The goal of this research is to (1) create models which could predict social class purely from digital footprints of people by focusing on the digital behavioural differences of social groups defined by classical social structure theories, (2) detect new dimensions of social structure in the online space, with which existing theories could be extended or even new social stratification theories could be set, and (3) use digital, observational data to extend our knowledge about inequalities of between the different strata of the society.

The MOMENTUM project strives to forge the definitive account of the shifting global allegiances of the Visegrád countries in the post-war period (hence: V-SHIFT) by the most extensive data collection and analysis to date. It will systematically analyse multiple decades worth of textual sources to unearth the changing reception of global powers within domestic politics and media. It applies cutting-edge AI methodology to quantify and evaluate the presence of, and attitudes towards, global powers on the domestic policy agenda in V4 countries. V-SHIFT is a poltextLAB project, supported by the Institute for Political Science of Centre for Social Sciences.