Rate My Professor Johann Zwirner

Dr. Johann Zwirner is a trained medical doctor with qualifications including MD and Dr. med. from Leipzig University. He holds the position of lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, with an affiliation dating back to 2009. Zwirner also serves as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Dental School within the Division of Health Sciences and maintains an affiliation as Assistant Physician in the Department of Legal Medicine at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. His academic career emphasizes bridging clinical medicine, anatomy teaching, and biomechanical research, contributing to professional development courses such as the Surgical Approaches for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery workshop offered by the Department of Anatomy.

Zwirner's research group at the University of Otago focuses on experimental biomechanics of the human body, with a special emphasis on forensic applications. Key projects include improving human head models through computational and physical simulations to analyze gunshots, falls, helmets, and traumatic brain injuries for forensic pathology and injury prevention; investigating the biomechanical role of plantar calcaneal spurs; and developing embalming techniques for anatomy education. He has authored numerous publications, including 'Phenoxyethanol-Based Embalming for Anatomy Teaching: An 18 Years' Experience with Crosado Embalming at the University of Otago in New Zealand' (2020), 'Topographical mapping of the mechanical characteristics of the human neurocranium considering the role of individual layers' (2021), 'Mechanical Properties of Human Dura Mater in Tension' (2019), 'A disaster victim identification workshop focused on forensic odontology using embalmed human remains' (2022), 'The use of brain biomechanics in forensic pathology' (2025), and 'Experimental determination of the stabbing intensity in an intracranial stabbing death' (2025). Zwirner has presented seminars on biomechanical research topics, such as 'From suicide to head models: Biomechanical research in Otago' and 'From firecrackers to head models – biomechanical research in Otago'. His work advances understanding of tissue mechanics in forensic contexts and anatomy education.