About Us

The FEA Zürich (FEZ) group is a collaboration between the Palaeontological Institute and Museum (PIM) and the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM). FEZ was founded by Dr. Eva Herbst, Dr. Nicole Webb, and Dylan Bastiaans to unite reseracher using FEA to answer biological questions. Our extensive network facilitates both the transer of theoretical knowledge and practical application among those interested in dynamic FEA modeling. Both PIM and IEM use stae of theart modeling techniques to investigate dynaimc physiological processes in fossils.

Founders

Eva Herbst

Postdoc (PIM)

I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher on the SNF-funded thalattosaur project with Torsten Scheyer and Dylan Bastiaans at the Palaeontological Institute and Museum (PIM). My work includes reconstructing fossil skulls and muscles, and creating finite element models to investigate how form relates to function in extant animals. I am currently working on using the freeware ArtiSynth for modeling to incorporate dynamic feeding models into our project.

Keywords: Skull Functional Morphology, Biomechanical Modeling

Dylan Bastiaans

PhD Student (PIM)

I mainly work on vertebrate fossils, ranging from extinct marine reptiles to dinosaurs from the Triassic to the end-Cretaceous. I am especially interested in reconstructing soft tissues in extinct animals, including nerves and brains, pathology-related malformations and musculature. I have started my SNF-funded PhD at the Palaeontological Institute and Museum (PIM) in 2018 to work on the cranial biomechanics of thalattosaurs.

Keywords: 3D modeling, Paleobiology, CT processing, Segmentation, Soft Tissue Reconstructions

Nicole Webb

Postdoc (IEM)

Since joining the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM) in 2018 I’ve been a postdoctoral researcher in Martin Häusler’s Evolutionary Morphology and Adaptation group under the SNF project entitled, “Birth and Human Evolution—Implications from Computer-Assisted Reconstructions and Birth Simulations”. My focus has been on australopithecine pelvic reconstructions and incorporating them into dynamic finite element birth simulations to test scenarios that can explicate the origins of obstructed labor and the development of a human-like rotational birth mechanism. These dynamic simulations are carried out with the expertise of a diverse team of researchers which include a midwife (Pierre Frémondière), paleoanthropologist (François Marchal) and a biomechanist (Lionel Thollon) residing at Aix-Marseille University. I am interested in refining our previous modeling attempts and integrating machine learning algorithms to predict instances of cephalopelvic disproportion. As such, my work elucidates the functional role of the pelvis and the trade-offs that have shaped its complex morphology and evolutionary history

Keywords: Pelvic Functional Morphology, Bipedalism, Birth

Members

Martin Häusler

Faculty Support

(IEM)

Torsten Scheyer

Faculty Support

(PIM)

Jonas Widmer

Local Collaborator

(UZH)

Research Projects

The FEA Zürich group is a collaboration between the Palaeontological Institute and Museum (PIM) and the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM)

Both the PIM and IEM use state of the art modeling techniques to investigate dynamic physiological proceses in fossils. Learn more about our current research projects below.

RECONSTRUCTING FOSSIL FEEDING BIOMECHANICS

Palaeontological Institute and Museum

Using finite element analysis and multibody dynamics, our team is investigating feeding biomechanics in thalattosaurs, as well as the archosauromorphs Tanystropheus and Macrocnemus.​
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As part of the project, we are using digital modeling methods to reconstruct the anatomy of thalattosaur specimens from all over the world. These models help us gain insight into the anatomy and functional morphology of these enigmatic animals.
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This project is led by Torsten Scheyer, Eva Herbst, and Dylan Bastiaans, in collaboration with Stephan Lautenschlager (University of Birmingham) and Benedikt Sagl (MedUni Wien).

EVOLUTION OF CHILDBIRTH

Institute of Evolutionary Medicine

Using finite element-based numerical simulations performed on pelvic reconstructions available for several hominin species (i.e., Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus sediba, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis) we evaluate the differences in pelvic morphology and their influence on the birth trajectory/process over time.
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Collectively, these insights elucidate longstanding evolutionary hypotheses relevant for understanding how the transition to terrestrial bipedalism and the evolution of encephalization in our ancestors ultimately shaped the complex birth mechanism observed in anatomically modern humans today.