Current Position

• Member of Empa's Board of Directors
• Head of Department "Materials meet Life"
• Head of Research Focus Area "Health and Performance"
• Titular Professor at the University of Bern (Biomedical Engineering)

Area of Expertise
Material characterization and surface analysis with focus on X-ray techniques; material in medical technology, aging of microsystems, microelectronics and sensors; coating technologies

Memberships and Mandates in National and International Societies / Boards

• ARTORG Center, University of Bern, Member Scientific Advisory Board
• Adolphe Merkle Institute Fribourg, Member Scientific Advisory Board
• Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Member Research Commission
• ETH Domain Strategic Focus Area (SFA) "Personalized Health and Related Technologies", Member Executive Board
• Bridge Evaluation Panel (Joint Program by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation Agency), Member
• Swiss Academy of Engineering Science (SATW), Member
• Swiss Crystallographic Society, Member
• NPI-Board of the European Space Agency (ESA), Member
• SWISS MEDTECH, Member
• Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, Dresden (FhG IPMS), curator

Awards

• 2001 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Rewritable DVD
• 1998 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Low Cost LIGA
• 1998 Vontobel Award for Project of Particular Importance for Switzerland
• 1997 Award of Schweizerische Vereinigung für Sensortechnik (SVS)
• 1996 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Silicon Pressure Sensor

Teaching / Research Assignments

• Master Course "Biomedical Engineering" at University of Bern, Lecturer
• PhD School of EPFL, Lecturer

Curriculum Vitae

• Professional Career
  • 2013 – present  Empa, Head of Department "Materials meet Life"
  • 2008 – 2013 VP, Program Manager for MEMS at CSEM, Neuchâtel
  • 2005 – 2008 CTO at CSEM, Neuchâtel
  • 1997 – 2004 Scientific Head of Institute for Microsystems at NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences of Technology, Buchs
  • 1991 – 1997 Professor of Materials Research at NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences of Technology, Buchs
  • 1988 – 1991 Postdoc at California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Pasadena, Applied Physics Department; Research Scientist at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Würenlingen, and at ETH Zurich, Laboratory for Solid State Physics

• Education
  • 1984 – 1988 PhD in Physics, ETH Zurich, Laboratory for Solid State Physics, Prof. Dr. H.C. Siegmann, "Kristallstrukturen und magnetische Eigenschaften intermetallischer Uranverbindungen"
  • 1978 – 1984 Diploma in Physics and Crystallography, University of Zurich