Francesco Alexandr Colosimo

Geophysicist & Seismologist

📍 Zürich, Switzerland

Specialised in seismology, signal processing, and machine learning for real-time monitoring systems. Experienced in developing operational seismic workflows, applying advanced quantitative methods to time-series data, and translating research methods into robust scientific software for monitoring applications.

About Me

I am a geophysicist specialised in seismology, signal processing, and machine learning for real-time monitoring systems. Experienced in developing operational seismic workflows, applying advanced quantitative methods to time-series data, and translating research methods into robust scientific software for monitoring applications.

Throughout my career, I have developed operational seismic workflows at the intersection of seismology, data science, and engineering—from real-time earthquake early warning systems to structural health monitoring. My work focuses on applying rigorous quantitative methods to time-series data and building reproducible, scalable scientific software.

With a strong foundation in Python scientific computing, machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow), and seismological tools (ObsPy), I have contributed to projects spanning earthquake early warning in Nepal, synthetic waveform generation using generative deep learning, and automated processing pipelines for structural monitoring.

Experience

Seismologist

Sep. 2025 – Present

Swiss Seismological Service

  • Developed seismic processing workflows and machine learning integration for real-time earthquake detection and source characterisation
  • Applied quantitative time-series analysis and data-driven methods to operational seismic monitoring problems
  • Developed and maintained scientific software workflows for near-real-time seismic processing and analysis
  • Taught Master's-level courses in machine learning for Earth and Planetary Sciences

Infrastructure Monitoring Intern

Feb. 2025 – Aug. 2025

IRMOS AG

  • Led field measurement campaigns for structural monitoring, including sensor deployment, acquisition, and quality control
  • Analysed vibration and time-series datasets using operational modal analysis and signal processing techniques
  • Developed automated and reproducible data-processing workflows for monitoring applications

Research Assistant – Seismic Monitoring and Machine Learning

2024 – Feb. 2025

Swiss Seismological Service

  • Applied generative machine learning models to seismic waveform synthesis and monitoring applications
  • Developed scalable workflows for large-scale simulation and analysis of seismic time-series data
  • Contributed to real-time earthquake early warning research and operational evaluation workflows

Seismologist

2023

Geophysical Institute [CAS]

  • Contributed to the development and testing of an operational Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system for Nepal
  • Integrated hardware and software components for real-time seismic data acquisition and monitoring
  • Collaborated on validation and deployment workflows supporting operational seismic monitoring applications

Seismologist Internship

2021 – 2022

Grillo/OpenEEW System

  • Analysed seismic datasets for real-time earthquake detection and magnitude estimation
  • Improved reliability and performance of low-cost operational seismic monitoring systems
  • Worked with observational time-series data and near-real-time detection workflows

Education

🎓

MSc Geophysics

ETH Zürich

2023 – 2025

Specialized in seismology, machine learning applications to geophysical data, and earthquake early warning systems. Master's thesis focused on using generative deep learning models to optimize EEW algorithms through synthetic waveform generation.

🎓

BSc Geology

Charles University in Prague

2019 – 2022

Awarded Best Bachelor Thesis by the EAGE local chapter Prague for research on real-time magnitude estimation using MEMS-based accelerometers. Received Merit Scholarship from Faculty of Sciences for academic excellence.

Skills & Expertise

💻 Scientific Computing & Programming

Proficient in Python ecosystem for scientific computing and data analysis, with extensive experience in seismological libraries and deep learning frameworks for research and operational applications.

Python NumPy Pandas ObsPy PyTorch TensorFlow scikit-learn MATLAB SQL

📊 Data Analysis & Modelling

Specialized in analyzing complex geophysical datasets, including seismic waveforms and structural vibration data, using advanced statistical and numerical methods to extract meaningful insights.

Time-series analysis Signal processing Numerical modelling Inversion methods Uncertainty analysis

🤖 Machine Learning

Experienced in applying machine learning techniques to geophysical problems, with particular expertise in generative models for synthetic data creation and deep learning for seismic event detection and characterization.

Supervised learning Unsupervised learning Denoising Diffusion Models (DDPMs) Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) Neural networks

⚙️ Engineering Applications

Practical experience in developing and deploying operational monitoring systems for seismic hazard assessment and structural health evaluation, combining theoretical knowledge with real-world engineering constraints.

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) Seismic hazard analysis (OpenQuake) Structural health monitoring Operational Modal Analysis (PyOMA) Real-time monitoring systems

🛠️ Scientific Software & Computing

Proficient in modern scientific software engineering practices including version control, containerisation, and high-performance computing environments to build reproducible and scalable research workflows.

Git Linux Docker HPC environments Reproducible scientific workflows Automated data processing

🛠️ Tools & Visualisation

Skilled in creating compelling data visualizations and managing geospatial data for scientific communication, reporting, and decision support.

Excel (data analysis & automation) Power BI Matplotlib Seaborn QGIS ArcGIS Pro Adobe Illustrator

🌍 Languages

Multilingual professional capable of collaborating in international research environments and communicating with diverse stakeholders.

Italian (Native) Czech (Native) English (C1)

Additional Experience & Achievements

Geo-Engineering Research Accelerator

BGC Engineering Canada | Jun. 2026 – Aug. 2026

Selected participant in an international research program focused on applied geoscience and natural hazard modelling.

From Data to Hazards Modelling Hackathon & Earthquake Tsunami Cascades Workshop

GeoInquire Italy | 2026

Worked on integrated hazard modelling approaches, combining seismic and tsunami processes in a collaborative research environment.

Creating Effective Warnings for All Conference

UCL Warning Research Centre | 2023

Participation in interdisciplinary conference focused on inclusive early warning system design and implementation.

Scientific Outreach & Industry Collaboration

Prague, Czechia | 2025 - ongoing

Organizing and coordinating scientific outreach initiatives and career networking events that bridge the gap between students, academic institutions, and private sector partners. These events facilitate knowledge exchange, promote career opportunities in geosciences, and strengthen collaboration between university departments and industry stakeholders.

4EU+ Virtual Excursions Project

Sicily, Italy | 2022

Developed innovative virtual field excursions using drone-based data acquisition and 3D modeling techniques. This interdisciplinary bottom-up project combined geoscience fieldwork, remote sensing technology, and educational methodology to create immersive online learning experiences, making geological field sites accessible to students regardless of physical location or mobility constraints.

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Merit Scholarship

Faculty of Sciences, Charles University in Prague | 2021 - 2022

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Best Bachelor Thesis

Honorary award by the EAGE local chapter Prague | 2022

Publications & Conference Contributions

Improving Real-Time Earthquake Source Characterization Using Diffusion Model Based Broadband Envelope Synthetics

European Geosciences Union (EGU), Vienna, Austria – 2026

Poster presentation. doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20840

In Submission: Colosimo, F. A., Jozińović, D., and Böse, M.

Fluctuation of the Dipolar Fields in the Brain and Control of Brain Functions

Institute for Rock Magnetism (IRM) – 2021

Kletetschka et al., 2021.

Projects

🐙

GitHub

Check out my code repositories, research projects, and open-source contributions.

Visit GitHub →
💼

LinkedIn

Connect with me professionally and view my career journey and accomplishments.

Visit LinkedIn →
🌊

Sweet Seismic

Interactive platform for earthquake early warning and seismic monitoring solutions.

Visit Sweet Seismic →
📡

Real-Time Source Characterisation

Developing a ground-motion-envelope-based goodness-of-fit algorithm using machine learning generated templates.

SED ETH Zürich • 2025-ongoing

Optimising Earthquake Early Warning

Optimising EEW algorithms with synthetic waveforms from generative deep learning models.

SED ETH Zürich • 2025

View Publication →
📈

Real-Time Magnitude Estimation

Using MEMS-based accelerometers and data from the Mexican Grillo network for magnitude estimation.

Bachelor Thesis • Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences • 2022

View Thesis →
🤝

Scientific Outreach & Career Networking

Organizing scientific outreach and student career networking events, coordinating collaboration between university departments and private sector partners.

Prague, Czechia • 2025

🚁

4EU+ Virtual Excursions

An innovative bottom-up project to design online virtual excursions, including drone surveys.

Sicily, Italy • 2022

Get in Touch

I'm always open to discussing new opportunities, collaborations, or just connecting with fellow professionals in geophysics and seismology.