Appointment Simon Zabler

18.10.2021 | DIT Public Relations

With Prof. Dr. Simon Zabler, the Faculty of Applied Computer Science at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) gains an expert in the field of imaging techniques with a focus on computed tomography.

The passionate physicist already dealt with X-ray imaging in his Master's thesis and has not been able to get away from it since. For Zabler, computed tomography is not only an interdisciplinary field that combines computer science, mathematics, physics and mechanical engineering, but it is also constantly reinventing itself. This is precisely the attraction of "digital photography with three-dimensional pixels", as Zabler describes computed tomography. He remained faithful to computed tomography throughout his professional career. Whether during his doctoral thesis at the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Berlin or as a PostDoc at the Max Planck Institute in Potsdam, where he watched cellulose drying in wood. Research and teaching have also accompanied Prof. Zabler for a long time. He already taught materials science at the TU Berlin and then set up a research group for X-ray microscopy and scattering at the University of Würzburg.

One of the reasons Zabler chose the professorship at DIT is that top international researchers have the opportunity here to bring their field of research into teaching. He himself has a German-French double degree in physics and is at home on the international stage of science. Zabler is therefore particularly looking forward to building up a broad network at DIT around computed tomography and machine vision in order to carry out exciting and, above all, international projects. In addition, industry and university work together here in Lower Bavaria in an uncomplicated and results-oriented manner. According to Zabler, it is precisely this networking that offers a great opportunity to direct the focus and knowledge transfer in applied research towards the current requirements of industry.

Zabler also pays special attention to the young talents at DIT and how he can make research fun for them and accompany them on their way. In return, students can expect clear communication, accessibility, fair rules, enthusiasm for the subject matter and readable documents from him. Attendance, critical examination of the material and honest feedback are points that Zabler demands of his students.

Honesty is important to the new DIT professor, who describes himself as compulsively honest. He does not look away when mistakes are made, whether by others or his own, and when injustice occurs. The best prerequisites for changing something. Honest as he is, he also admits that he can only explain things really well when he has understood them himself. Even if he is not always the tidiest and most punctual, he is an unteachable optimist at work. He can also be persuaded to do just about anything with chocolate and / or a good cappuccino. It is therefore not surprising that Zabler not only likes to feast in his free time, but also cooks himself. Preferably in company. He is also interested in history and international politics, but one week a year is devoted entirely to the forest. That's when he is out in the forest with the Bergwaldprojekt e.V. and 25 adults, planting trees and re-wetting bogs.

Bild (DIT): "Digital photography with three-dimensional pixels". Computed tomography explained so simply with the new DIT professor Dr. Simon Zabler