Position

• Member of the Board of Directors
• Head of Department 'Materials meet Life'
• Head of Research Focus Area 'Health & Performance'
• Adjunct Professor at University of Bern (Biomedical Engineering)

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

• CTI expert for Micro- and Nanotechnology (Commission for Technology and Innovation)
• Member of the Bridge Evaluation Panel (joint programme conducted by the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF and the Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI)
• Scientific Advisory Board Member of the ARTORG Center, University of Bern
• Member of Research Commission of Kantonsspital St. Gallen
• Member of the Executive Board of ETH Domain Strategic Focus Area (SFA) 'Personalized Health and Related Technologies'
• Member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Science (SATW)
• Member of the Nanotechnology Commission of SATW
• Member of the Executive Committee of the Swiss Vacuum Society
• Member of the Swiss Crystallographic Society
• Member of the NPI-Board of the European Space Agency (ESA)
• Kurator of Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, Dresden (FhG IPMS)
• Kurator of Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research, Potsdam (FhG IAP)

Awards

• 2001 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Rewritable DVD
• 1998 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Low Cost LIGA
• 1998 Vontobel Award for the project of particular importance for Switzerland
• 1997 Award of Schweizerische Vereinigung für Sensortechnik – SVS
• 1996 Technologiestandort Schweiz: Silicon Pressure Sensor

Teaching / Research assignments

• Lecturer master course 'biomedical engineering' at University of Bern
• Lecturer PhD school at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Curriculum Vitae

• Professional Experience
  • 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 the 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 the Applied Physics Department of the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) / Pasadena (CA), Research scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Würenlingen and at the Laboratory for Solid State Physics at ETH Zurich

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