Gerhard Sommer
Graz University of Technology
Institute of Biomechanics
Stremayrgasse 16/2
8010 Graz, Austria
Phone: 0316-873-35505
Phone (overseas): ++43-316-873-35505
E-mail: sommer@TUGraz.at
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gD2-pFUAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3897-5957
Biography
Education
| 11/21: | Habilitation in “Experimental Biomechanics”, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 10/08: | Ph.D. Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria (with distinction) |
| 2003: | M.Sc. Technical Physics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 1995: | Graduation certificate from Technical High School |
Professional Appointments
| Since 2/23: | Associate Professor, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 11/18 – 1/23: | Assistant Professor, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 7/13 – 10/18: | Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 11/08 – 6/13: | Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 5/07 – 10/08: | Research Assistant and Doctoral Student, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| 10/06 – 6/07: | Assistant of the lecture and the laboratory tutorial of the course ‘Orthopedic Biomechanics’, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Department of Solid Mechanics, Stockholm, Sweden |
| 10/05 – 6/06: | Assistant of the lecture and laboratory tutorial of the course ‘Introduction to Biomechanics’, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Department of Solid Mechanics, Stockholm, Sweden |
| 3/05 – 6/05: | Assistant of the course ‘Material Mechanics’, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Department of Solid Mechanics, Stockholm, Sweden |
| 12/04 – 4/07: | Doctoral Student, Department of Solid Mechanics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden |
| 4/03 – 11/04: | Doctoral Student, Group of Computational Biomechanics, Institute for Structural Analysis, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
Visiting Professorships
| 7/22 – 9/22: | École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Ètienne, France |
| 5/22 – 6/22: | technical University of Braunschweig, Germany |
| 3/22 – 4/22: | University of Zagreb, Croatia |
Institutional Responsibilities
| Since 2020: | Vice Dean of Studies for Biomedical Engineering and Doctoral School "Biomedical Engineering", Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| Since 2014: | Deputy Head, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
| Since 2007: | Manager of the Biomechanics Laboratory, Institute of Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology, Austria |
Research Grants
| 4/21 – 3/25: | Co-I of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Stand-Alone Project: “Cardiovascular function and biomechanics in HHcy”, grant No. P 33672 |
| 1/21 – 1/24: | Co-PI of the 2nd phase of the TUG Lead Project “Mechanics, Modeling, and Simulation of Aortic Dissection”, granted by Graz University of Technology |
| 5/21 – 4/23: | Co-I of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Stand-Alone Project: “Porous and viscous behavior of human brain tissue”, grant No. I 4828 |
| 8/19 – 1/25: | PI of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Stand-Alone Project: "Biomechanical investigation of arterial damage", grant no. P 32713 |
| 3/17 – 9/20: | PI of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Stand-Alone Project: "Multiscale biomechanical investigation of human aortas", grant no. P 30260–B31 |
| 7/11 – 6/14: | PI of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Stand-Alone Project: "Biaxial tensile and triaxial shear measurements and modeling of human myocardium", grant no. P 23830-N13 |
Awards and Honors
| 2022: | Best Collaborative BioTechMed-Graz Paper Award 2022 for an article published in Acta Biomaterialia |
| 2019: | Award from Graz University of Technology, Medical University of Graz and University of Graz for inventing a "Cardiac Simulation Device", presented during the event "Von der Wissenschaft zur Innovation" |
| 2014: | Inventum Award 2013 'Silver Medal' by the Austrian Patent Office for the invention of a unique human bone screw together with Dr. K. Pastl (orthopedic surgeon, Linz) and Dr. H. Plank (Graz University of Technology) |
| 2010: | Second place at the ‘Stefan-Schuy-Preis’ award 2010 of the Austrian Society of Biomedical Engineering for an excellent publication in the field of biomedical engineering with the publication: Biaxial mechanical properties of intact and layer-dissected human carotid arteries at physiological and supraphysiological loadings by G. Sommer, P. Regitnig, L. Koeltringer, and G.A. Holzapfel in American J. Physiology - Heart Circulation Physiology, 298: 898-912, 2010. |
Publications
Patent
Cardiac Simulation Device – EP 19 17 9022
PR Work
Biographical Sketch
Gerhard Sommer started his undergraduate study in "Technical Physics" at Graz University of Technology (TUG). In the year 2002, he met Dr. Christian Schulze-Bauer and Prof. Gerhard A. Holzapfel, who introduced him to the area of soft tissue biomechanics. As a consequence, he started his Master’s thesis in this area in the same year, which he finished with distinction in 2003. After his thesis, he continued with a Doctoral thesis in the field of biomechanics supervised by Prof. Holzapfel. He continued to explore the mechanical properties of human soft biological tissues, especially of the human cardiovascular system. His first projects dealt with the determination of the mechanical behavior of aged but healthy coronary arteries and highly stenotic human iliac arteries and their related plaque components. In the end of 2004, he and his advisor moved to Stockholm to initiate biomechanical research on an experimental and theoretical basis at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Department of Solid Mechanics. In Stockholm he was employed as a PhD-Student. In the beginning of the year 2007, together with Prof. Holzapfel, he rejoined TUG within a newly established Institute of Biomechanics. Since April 2007, he is working as a Research Assistant in this new Institute of Biomechanics. His responsibilities are to set up and lead the biomechanics laboratory, to conduct research, to supervise Bachelor and Master students, and being a Teaching Assistant of several courses. In October 2008 he finished his PhD Thesis entitled "Mechanical Properties of Healthy and Diseased Human Arteries and Related Material Modeling" with distinction. He continued exploring and modeling the biomechanics of soft biological tissues as a Postdoc. He was Senior Postdoctoral Researcher from 2013 until 2018. In 2018 he was able to receive a Tenure Track Professorship position and became Assistant Professor in November 2018. Since 2020 he is the Vice Dean of Studies for "Biomedical Engineering" and Doctoral School "Biomedical Engineering" and in October 2021 he habilitated in field of "Experimental Biomechanics" at TUG. Since February 2023 he is Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomechanics of TUG.