Thomas Schaffter

Thomas Schaffter has extensive work experience in research software engineering, specifically in the fields of biology, medicine, and technology. Thomas currently holds the position of Principal Research Software Engineer at Sage Bionetworks since 2019. Prior to this, they worked as a Senior Research Software Engineer at the same company from 2019 to 2023.

Before joining Sage Bionetworks, Thomas worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at IBM from 2015 to 2018. During this time, they organized the Digital Mammography DREAM Challenge, a scientific challenge aimed at improving breast cancer screening using deep learning algorithms. Two teams that participated in the challenge obtained FDA approval for their AI-powered breast cancer detection tools.

Thomas also served as a Visiting Researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from 2015 to 2018.

Before their roles in industry and academia, Thomas took a sabbatical in 2014 after completing their PhD thesis. During this time, they traveled and explored technologies related to cloud applications and services.

Thomas's academic journey began in 2008 when they started working as a PhD Researcher at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne). Thomas'sresearch focused on gene networks and their role in cellular behavior and predictive medicine. Thomas also served as a System Administrator during this time.

Overall, Thomas Schaffter's work experience demonstrates their expertise in research software engineering, particularly in the field of biology and medicine, as well as their strong research and leadership skills.

Thomas Schaffter obtained their Master of Science (MSc) degree in Microengineering from EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in 2008. Thomas then pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biotechnology & Bioengineering at the same institution, which they completed in 2013.