A busy and productive start of the month for our colleague Argyrios Petras, who spent the past weeks in 🇪🇸 Spain and 🇩🇪 Germany strengthening existing partnerships and building new international collaborations.
In Barcelona, Argyrios visited Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, where he met with Jose M Guerra, Zoraida Moreno Weidmann, and Gerard Amorós Figueras. During his stay, he attended PFA experiments and ablation procedures, including the first dual-energy procedure in Spain using the Tactiflex Duo system! He also had several useful meetings that helped move our joint research projects forward 🔬
In Berlin, he visited Weierstrass Institute, where he worked closely with Anieza Maltsi and delivered a presentation titled “Mathematical Modeling of Cardiac Radiofrequency Ablation: From Patient-Specific Simulation to Porous Media Tissue Formulations.” Our colleague Davide Baroli also joined virtually, and our group initiated new collaborations with Matthias Liero, Dirk Peschka, and Anieza Maltsi, along with engaging discussions with Alfonso Caiazzo on potential future projects 🤝
These visits showed how important it is to bring different people and ideas together, especially when working on interdisciplinary topics. We’re excited to build on these connections and keep the work going 🚀
Last week, our PhD student Luca Pasini attended the 7th openCARP User Meeting in Bordeaux, hosted by the IHU LIRYC - Heart rhythm disease Institute.
openCARP is an open cardiac electrophysiology simulator designed for in-silico experiments. In addition to simulation capabilities, it also includes tools for data pre- and post-processing and visualization, making it a helpful resource for researchers in computational cardiology.
During the meeting, experienced trainers guided participants through hands-on sessions, and Luca Pasini joined the beginner track, where he learned how to design and set up a cardiac electrophysiology tissue simulation from scratch 💡. In addition to the hands-on training, the meeting created space for discussions and networking, giving early-career scientists the chance to connect with more experienced researchers in the field 🤝
We would like to thank the organisers and trainers for creating such a great environment for learning, discussion, and exchange 👍 . We’re excited to see how the openCARP community continues to expand the possibilities of cardiac electrophysiology simulations 🫀 🚀
Our colleagues Beata Ondrusova, Minha Anees Msc, and Laura Füssel represented our research group at the 6th Austrian Day of Women in Mathematics (ADWiM 2026), held on 26–27 February 2026 in Graz. ADWIM 2026 took place at the University of Graz and was hosted by Graz Women in Math (GWM) in collaboration with the Austrian Association of Women in Mathematics (A2WiM).
ADWiM is an annual meeting that brings together researchers and mathematicians to share current work, exchange ideas, and strengthen a supportive network for women and non-binary people in mathematics. Alongside inspiring talks, this year’s program also included a session on current scientific perspectives on sex and gender and a session on supervision from both student and supervisor viewpoints🎓🤝
Highlights from our team:
🫁 Beata presented her work on computational-based risk assessment in VV-ECMO, focusing on the prediction of complications such as thrombosis and hemolysis.
🫀Minha shared results from her PhD research on the impact of body mass index on power distribution in high-power RF ablation for atrial fibrillation.
📊 For Laura, this was her first conference experience, and she did a very good job sharing her work during the poster session. She presented her bachelor’s thesis work, comparing in-vitro experiments and in-vivo application of cardiac radiofrequency ablation.
We value initiatives like ADWiM that create space for research exchange and community building. Our sincere thanks to all organisers for creating a welcoming and thoughtfully designed event. Our colleagues are already looking forward to the next edition! 🌱
📊 From February 8–12, selected high school students from Upper Austria participated in the Projektwoche Angewandte Mathematik (Project Week of Applied Mathematics), where they spent five intensive days learning how mathematics can be used to solve real-world problems.
Our colleague Argyrios Petras led one of the five project groups. His group focused on mathematical modeling in medical imaging, and under his guidance, students explored how geometries of organs and tissues can be reconstructed from MRI and CT scan data and how these digital models can support medical diagnosis and therapy planning. In a hands-on exercise, they even developed a treatment plan for a patient with lung cancer 🫁.
The week concluded with final presentations 🎤, where all five groups shared their projects and results with the full audience. We were impressed by the students’ creativity, teamwork, and the depth of their work throughout the week.
🙏 A big thank you to all organizers, Verein Talente OÖ, the Department of Education of Upper Austria, and Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, for making this valuable learning experience possible.
It’s inspiring to see young students engaged in applied mathematics, and we wish them the very best of luck in their future journeys 🚀 .
Today, we celebrate the achievements and contributions of women and girls in science around the world. A special shout-out to our colleagues Beata Ondrusova, Minha Anees Msc, and Laura Füssel, as well as all the inspiring women students, colleagues and collaborators we have the pleasure of working with 👏
Let’s keep supporting, encouraging, and celebrating women in science, today and every day 🔬✨!
Most recent Thursday, we presented our latest research at the 4th TNF-MED Interaction, organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (TNF) together with the Faculty of Medicine (MED) at Johannes Kepler University. The TNF-MED Interaction is designed to share recent research and, more importantly, to strengthen collaboration between engineering, natural sciences, and medicine.
🔹 Neurooncology
Our medical collaborator Philip-Rudolf Rauch from the Department of Neurosurgery at Kepler Universitätsklinikum GmbH (KUK) showed how digital twins can be used to study the progression of glioma tumours. This work, carried out in collaboration with Luca Gerardo-Giorda and Davide Baroli, demonstrates the value of close collaboration between researchers and clinicians.
🔹 Cardiac interventions
Our group leader Luca Gerardo-Giorda presented our latest results on in-silico modelling of ablation treatments, with a particular focus on cardiac applications of radiofrequency and pulsed-field ablation. This research is primarily led by Argyrios Petras and his team of undergraduate and graduate students.
🔹 VV-ECMO
Beata Ondrusova, our postdoctoral researcher, shared recent results on the use of computational fluid dynamics to study patient-specific blood flow patterns in VV-ECMO patients. This work is carried out in close collaboration with Jens Meier, head of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine at Kepler Universitätsklinikum GmbH.
We really appreciated the opportunity not only to present our work, but also to learn about the research of other groups and explore potential collaborations. Many thanks to the organisers for putting together such a well-run and inspiring event 👏 . We are looking forward to future editions of TNF-MED! 🥳
⏳ Final Call for Abstracts: CMBE2026 Minisymposium
There is less than one month left to submit your work for our upcoming minisymposium at the 9th International Conference on Computational and Mathematical Biomedical Engineering (CMBE2026) in Kobe, Japan.
📍 MS4: Personalization and Uncertainty Quantification in Digital Twins for Medical Applications
As we move toward high-fidelity digital twins in healthcare, addressing the challenges of patient-specific tuning and the quantification of uncertainty is more critical than ever. We invite you to contribute your latest research to our MS4.
Key Details:
📅 Submission Deadline: 16 February 2026
🗓️ Conference Dates: 22 – 24 June 2026
🌏 Location: Kobe International Conference Center, Japan
🔗 Submit here: https://lnkd.in/dPcwVYjq
Organizers:
• Argyrios Petras (RICAM)
• Matthias G. (Medical University of Graz)
• Elias Karabelas (University of Graz, NumeriCor GmbH)
• Sebastian Brandstäter (University of the Bundeswehr Munich)
We look forward to seeing your innovative work and connecting with you in Kobe this summer! 🇯🇵
A warm welcome to Matteo Micocci, the newest member of our Linz Lab for In-Silico Medical Interventions!
Matteo earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, where he developed a model to predict the positioning of foot bones when subjected to mechanical load. To further his studies, he pursued a Master’s degree in Biomechanics at the Politecnico di Torino.
Now working at our lab for his Master’s thesis under the supervision of Davide Baroli, Matteo is focusing on the simulation of aortic coarctation, a condition affecting pediatric patients. His research aims to create a computational model that can enhance the understanding of the disease by considering both short- and long-term effects to help optimize patient outcomes.
Outside the lab, Matteo is passionate about sports and the outdoors, with a love for mountain hiking 🥾, climbing 🏔️ , and running 🏃 . Living so close to the Alps, he is eager to explore the surrounding peaks and trails.
Wishing Matteo an inspiring journey with us! We’re excited for the ideas and energy he’ll bring to the team. 🎉
As 2025 comes to an end, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our work, collaborations, and community over the past year. Some highlights of this year include:
🔹 Publications: Published 3 scientific papers and 5 conference papers on topics including pulsed field ablation, radiofrequency ablation, laser ablation, ECMO, and cardiovascular modelling, with more forthcoming.
🔸 Conferences & Events: Participated in 15 conferences and workshops, presenting our current research and gaining up-to-date knowledge.
🔹 Team Growth: Welcomed 3 new members to our team.
🔸 Mentoring: Mentored 7 students (2 PhD, 2 MSc and 3 BSc) and hosted 3 foreign students.
🔷 Grants & Funding: 4 third-party funding sources to support research on radiofrequency ablation, pulsed field ablation and ECMO.
🔸 Digital Presence: Launched our website (https://lnkd.in/ekrHK43B) and YouTube channel (https://lnkd.in/dZ75uHZa) to share research updates and resources.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported and inspired us in 2025! ❤️
May 2026 be filled with new opportunities, exciting discoveries, and meaningful connections. Wishing a happy, healthy, and inspiring 2026 to all! 🎉✨
