Biography
Thilo graduated in Information Technology from the Technische Universität München (Technical University, Munich, Germany) in 1996 and joined the Institut für Mensch-Maschine-Kommunikation (Human-Machine-Communication) at the Technical University Munich to undertake a PhD in the area of automated speech recognition focusing on the effects of speaking rate for large vocabulary speech recognition which he finished in the year 2000. He then went on to join the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI), University of Berkeley, California for a postdoctoral position in the area of speech detection.
In 2002, he moved to the Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom joining the Structure and Motion Lab undertaking research in animal locomotor biomechanics. His studies covered the fundamentals of locomotion (gait selection in quadrupeds, horses, camels) and applied fields such as lameness detection in cows and horses.
In 2008, he joined the department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (later Clinical Science and Services) at the Royal Veterinary College and focused on the application of traditional (3D motion capture, force platforms) and emerging (inertial sensors) techniques for quantifying gait deficits. This work has resulted in a body of publications with a particular focus on movement symmetry in horses relevant for the clinical investigation of lameness and poor performance.
In 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, Thilo and his family moved to Calgary to join the Faculty of Kinesiology with a joint appointment in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where he is continuing to enjoy his work in the field of animal locomotor biomechanics with an emphasis on quadrupedal locomotion.