The European Research Council (ERC) has selected 421 early-career researchers across Europe to receive this year’s Starting Grants, including School of Engineering senior scientist Elena Vagnoni, Academic Director of the EPFL Technology Platform for Hydraulic Machines.The ERC announced on Thursday that the 2026 Starting Grants amount to a total funding of €705 million. Four EPFL researchers were selected, including Elena Vagnoni of the Technology Platform for Hydraulic Machines. A senior scientist in the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Vagnoni received funding for her project, SHIELD: Multiscale Sediment-laden flow HydrodynamIcs and Erosive wear for sustainabLe hyDropower.Starting Grants amount to €1.5 million for a period of up to five years, and support excellent research across diverse fields, including physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, and social sciences and humanities. The backing will help researchers at the beginning of their careers to launch their own projects, build research teams and pursue their most promising ideas. A record of 4,807 proposals were submitted to this competition, with 8.8% of those receiving funding.Elena Vagnoni holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano and a PhD in Mechanics from EPFL. She leads research activities at the EPFL Technology Platform for Hydraulic Machines and was appointed Academic Director in 2026.Over the course of her career, she has held positions as Research Assistant Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, postdoctoral researcher at EPFL, and SNSF-funded visiting scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her research focuses on the experimental investigation and predictive modelling of multiphase flow phenomena and fluid–structure interactions in hydraulic machines. Her work contributes to advancing the design and operation of hydraulic machinery and to enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of hydropower technologies, supporting the transition toward low-carbon energy systems under evolving climate conditions.