Personal Profile

I am the head of the artificial intelligence research group within the Research in Orthopedic Computer Science (ROCS lab, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland). I am also a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer at X23D® AG. My area of research includes: computer assisted surgery, surgical navigation, medical artificial intelligence, medical image processing and medical augmented reality. I currently co-supervise several M.Sc. and PhD students at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich.

Views from ETH Polyterrasse shot with Lubitel 166 on Kodak Portra 400
(© Hooman Esfandiari 2023).

Education

PhD in Biomedical Engineering [May 2015 - April 2020]
The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada)
Surgical Technologies Lab, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, School of Biomedical Engineering.
Thesis: An intraoperative position assessment system for pedicle screw insertion surgeries.
Research topic: design and implementation of artificial intelligence and medical image processing algorithms for intraoperative position assessment of implants in spine surgeries.

M.Sc. in Geomatics Engineering [Sep 2012 - Nov 2014]
University of Calgary (Calgary, Canada)
Department of Geomatics Engineering. Specialization: digital imaging systems.
Thesis: Photogrammetric Advances to C-arm Use in Surgery.
Research topic: image analysis and calibration techniques for surgical C-arm tracking with application in femoral implant localization.

B.Sc. in Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering [Oct 2008 - Aug 2012]
K. N. Toosi University of Technology (Tehran, Iran)
Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering.
Research topic: Point cloud registration with off-the-shelf stereo cameras.

Work Experience

CEO and Co-founder [Jan 2022 - Current]
X23D® AG(Zurich, Switzerland)
Through our academic research work at ROCS, X23D® has been founded as a startup focusing on delivering the next generation of surgical navigation solutions based on our recent advancements in the filed of AI-based 3D anatomical reconstruction.

Group Head - Artificial Intelligence Research [Sep 2020 - Current]
Research in Orthopedic Computer Science Lab, Balgrist University Hospital (Zurich, Switzerland)
Supervision and management of the research projects related to the application of artificial intelligence for computer-assisted surgery. My activities cover: technical supervision, project time and milestone management, experimental supervision and scientific writing support and feedback.

Post-doctoral Fellow [Sep 2020 - Jun 2022]
Research in Orthopedic Computer Science Lab, Balgrist University Hospital (Zurich, Switzerland)
Research topics: AI-based intraoperative reconstruction using sparse multi-view fluoroscopy, the application of deep reinforcement learning algorithms for preoperative and intraoperative surgical planning, real-time intraoperative vertebral registration and surgical tool tracking using RGB-D sensors, surgical process modelling of open spinal surgeries, intraoperative tissue classification, brain-computer interface for intraoperative image control, augmented reality-based surgical navigation and guidance for spinal decompression interventions.

Post-doctoral Fellow [Jun 2020 - Aug 2020]
Surgical Technologies Lab, The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada)
Research topic: I worked on surgical navigation method tailored to mandibular reconstruction surgeries. An optimization routine was designed and implemented to assist the planning and the execution of the intervention (positioning the mandibular and fibular cutting planes). I also coordinated and integrated software contributions from other group members towards a central software solution.

Industrial Internship [Nov 2013 - Nov 2014]
Tangent Design Engineering (Calgary, Alberta)
Project: Project: the application of optical flow sensors for C-arm base tracking and positioning.

Shot with Mamyia NC 1000s on Lomography Metropolis.
(© Hooman Esfandiari 2023).

Teaching

Mandated Instructore [Feb 2022 - Jun 2022]
University of Zurich, Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics (Zurich, Switzerland)
I was an instructor of a 3 credit graduate level course titled: Digital Technologies in Medicine. Topics covered: medical image analysis, medical image registration, artificial intelligence in medicine, spatial technologies in surgery, medical augmented reality.

Course Director [Apr 2017 - Apr 2018]
The University of British Columbia, School of Biomedical Engineering (Vancouver, Canada) I was the director of a 2 credit graduate level course titled: Technical workshop series on biomedical engineering topics. My activities included: creating the course syllabus, recruiting and managing more than 10 teaching assistants and directing the course content and deliverables. Topics covered: laser scanning and mesh processing, 3D printing, python programming, micro-controllers, applied machine learning, printed circuit board design and fabrication, introduction to object oriented programming, scientific documentation with Latex, academic illustration design.

Teaching Assistant [Sep 2016 - Apr 2018]
The University of British Columbia(Vancouver, Canada)
Courses: Engineers in Scrubs Program (graduate level), Engineering data analysis

Publications

Please refer to the publications page for a full list of my publications.

Grants, Scholarships and Awards

Shot with Zenit 122 on Fujifil superia 400.
(© Hooman Esfandiari 2023).

Achievements and Activities

Program Organizer, Medical Augmented Reality Summer School (MARS), Zurich (Apr 2021 - Current)
I am an organizer and a member of the operations team in charge of holding the bi-yearly MARS summer school. In this event, we accept international participants to attend a two weeks long program designed to train post-graduate students and clinicians the principals of medical augmented reality. In different forms, the participants team up and develop a prototype based on the content learned throughout the program and will participate in a competition for a monetary prize.

Associated postdoctoral fellow, ETH Artificial Intelligenece Center, Zurich (Sep 2021 - Current)
As an associated researcher at the ETH AI Center, I am a member of a larger community of scholars and researchers who meet on a regular basis to come up with novel research ideas and to foster the creation of multi-disciplinary partnerships.

Guest Editor, MDPI Journal of Imaging, Basel (Jan 2021 - Current)
I am a scientific guest editor for the special issue of the MDPI Journal of Imaging.

President, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association (BMEGA), Vancouver (Jan 2016-18)
Two terms elected president of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association (BMEGA) at the University of British Columbia.

Founder and Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering Mentorship Program, Vancouver (Aug 2016-18)
Created, implemented and coordinated the biomedical engineering graduate student mentorship program.

Technical Skills

  • Programming: Python, C++, Matlab, C#
  • Libraries: OpenCV, Insight Toolkit (ITK), SimpleITK, Keras, TensorFlow, Pytorch, QT, scikit-learn, eigen
  • Mesh and 3D processing: Slicer 3D, Fiji, Mimics, ImFusion, XROMM
  • Miscellaneous: Linux, Latex, Markdown, Git, CMake, Docker.
  • Hardware: Head-mounted displays (e.g., Microsoft Hololens), C-arms, Brain computer interface (e.g., NextMind), Optical tracking systems (e.g., Northern Digital Instruments, Atracsys), Inertial measurment units, Range cameras, Laser scanners, Cadaver lab experience.

Certificates

MLOps, DeepLearning.ai (Mar 2023)
Professional certificate obtained for production-level machine learning (MLOps). The program covered state-of-the-art tools, techniques and tricks for: machine learning data life-cycle, modeling pipelines and deployment strategies in production environments.

Project Management Certificate, Google (Nov 2022)
Professional certification obtained for a program consisting of the following six topics: fundamentals of project management, project initiation, project planning, project execution, agile project management and a final capstone project.

Certified Scrum Master®, Scrum Alliance® (Nov 2022)
Professional certification obtained for the role of Scrum master in agile project management.

Shot with Praktica BMS on Kodak Gold 200.
(© Hooman Esfandiari 2023).

Volunteering Experience

Operations Organizer, Organization and management team (2017)
The International Confernece on Engineering Design (ICED) 2017

Volunteer Ski Instructor, Calgary Canada (2012-14)
Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing (CADS)

Languages

  • English: Full professional proficiency
  • Persian(Farsi): Native proficiency
  • Kurdish: Bilingual proficiency
  • French: Beginner

Hobbies and Interests

  • Sports: Volleball (indoor and beach), hiking, swimming, running, tennis and skiing.
  • Hobbies: Analogue photography, Analogue Videography, drone vidiography, traveling.
  • Interests: Cameras (in all shapes, sizes, forms and types!)