Dr. Roman Vetter
Dr. Roman Vetter
Lecturer at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering
ETH Zürich
Professur f. Computational Biology
Additional information
Research area
My research interests revolve about the emergence of complex behavior from simple principles, and about the exploration of these using mathematical and computational modeling. This has taken me on a journey through various problems in physics and biology, from the packing of thin filaments and shells, via fuel cell models, to pattern formation, cellular organization and morphogenesis in development. I take particular interest in the formation of complex shapes and structures that emerge spontaneously by nonlinear mechanics. Oftentimes, such processes can be described with differential equations that are then solved numerically on the computer. Have a look at my list of publications for the research this has resulted in.
- Google Scholar: Roman Vetter
- ORCID: 0000-0003-2901-7036
- Web of Science: V-8969-2017
- Scopus: 36858872600
- Semantic Scholar: 47256999
- ResearchGate: Roman Vetter
- PubMed: roman.vetter.1
- ArXiv: vetter_r_1
- BioRxiv: Roman Vetter
Since 2020 I am a Lecturer and Senior Researcher in computational biophysics in the research group Computational Biology (CoBi) of Prof. Dagmar Iber. Prior to that, my career steps were:
- 2018-2020 Postdoc in the research group Computational Biology (CoBi) of Prof. Dagmar Iber, D-BSSE, ETH Zurich
- 2016-2018 Postdoc at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Computational Physics (ICP), under Prof. Jürgen O. Schumacher
- 2011-2015 Doctorate in the research group Computational Physics of Prof. Hans J. Herrmann, D-BAUG, ETH Zurich. Dissertation: Growth, Interaction and Packing of Thin Objects
- 2010-2011 Research Associate at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), unit Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, under Dr. Martin Obrist
- 2005-2011 Studies in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE), D-MATH, ETH Zurich
Honours
| Year | Distinction |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Owl for excellent teaching (VSETH, ETH Zurich) |
| 2023 | Jury Distinction in the SNSF Scientific Image Competition (Swiss National Science Foundation) |
| 2022 | Golden Owl for excellent teaching (VSETH, ETH Zurich) |
| 2012 | Willi Studer Prize for the best Master’s degree of the CSE programme (ETH Zurich) |
| 2004 | Best maturity thesis in natural sciences and mathematics (Society of Natural Sciences Schaffhausen) |
Additional information
Publications:
Software:
See list of software
Talks:
- Biomechanical modeling frameworks for morphogenesis: from cells to tissues and back
2024, 1st Workshop on Finite Elements for Cell and Tissue Morphogenesis, Fréjus, France - Principles of 3D organization of cells in epithelia
2024, 9th European Congress of Mathematics, Seville, Spain - PolyHoop and SimuCell3D: New tools for cell-based tissue simulation
2024, SIB Days, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Biel, Switzerland - Modeling the precision of tissue patterning with noisy morphogen gradients
2024, BIRS-IMAG Workshop, Granada, Spain - A new perspective on bladder cancer formation
2024, Personalised Health Conference, ETH Zurich - Morphometry and Mechanical Instability at the Onset of Epithelial Bladder Cancer
2023, 29th Meeting of the EAU Section of Urological Research, University of Basel, Switzerland - How precise is patterning with noisy morphogen gradients?
2023, Physics of Life, Harrogate Convention Centre, England - Spatial precision of morphogen gradients in tissue patterning
2022, 12th European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology, Heidelberg University, Germany - Curvature in morphogenesis: active driver or passive side-effect?
2022, CurvoBio Workshop, Max Planck Society Berlin, Germany - Biomechanics of Neural Tube Folding
2022, SIAM Conference on the Life Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (virtual) - Taking Cell-Based Models for Epithelial Dynamics to the Third Dimension
2022, Platform for Advanced Scientific Computing, Basel, Switzerland (chair of minisymposium Cell-Based Tissue Modeling) - A data-based biomechanical model to predict neural tube folding
2022, LS2 Annual Meeting, University of Zurich, Switzerland - Cell organization laws in developing epithelia
2021, 1st Workshop in Mathematical and Computational Biology, Indiana, USA (virtual) - Modeling cell organization in epithelial tissue
2020, SIB Days, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland - Simulation of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
2019, CSE case studies guest lecture, ETH Zurich, Switzerland - Growth, Interaction and Packing of Thin Objects
2015, PhD defence, ETH Zurich, Switzerland - Growth of Wires in Flexible Confinement
2014, Journées de Physique Statistique, ESPCI Paris, France - Cluster & Worm Algorithms for Lattice Spin Models
2009, Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland - Entropy Calculation Methods for the Ising Model
2009, Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Teaching:
- 636-0122-00L Introduction to Scientific Computing (MSc)
D-BSSE, ETH Zurich, Spring 2021-2024 - Advanced Block Course: Computational Biology (PhD)
Life Science Zurich Graduate School, University of Zurich, Spring 2022 - 636-0704-00L Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Seminar (MSc)
D-BSSE, ETH Zurich, Fall 2021 - 636-0706-00L Spatio-Temporal Modelling in Biology (MSc)
D-BSSE, ETH Zurich, Fall 2019-2021 (substitute) - 636-0117-00L Mathematical Modelling for Bioengineering and Systems Biology (BSc)
D-BSSE, ETH Zurich, Fall 2018-2023 (substitute) - Analysis for Engineers 4 (MSE)
ZHAW Winterthur, Spring 2018 (substitute) - Analysis for Engineers 3 (MSE)
ZHAW Winterthur, Fall 2017 (substitute) - 101-0615-01L Materials III (BSc)
D-BAUG, ETH Zurich, Fall 2011-2013 (practical course) - 401-0664-00L Numerical Mathematics (BSc)
D-MAVT, ETH Zurich, Spring 2009 (teaching assistant)
Course Catalogue
Spring Semester 2025
| Number | Unit |
|---|---|
| 636-0122-00L | Introduction to Scientific Computing |