Education
Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of California in Santa Cruz in physical organic chemistry and the mechanisms of fast reactions in aqueous media. Two papers were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and one paper in the Journal of Organic Chemistry (1970-74)
Application Engineer and Laboratory Head
CIBA-GEIGY Basle, Switzerland, plastics and additives division. Application laboratory for plastics technology: Transformation, pigmentation and colorimetry of thermoplastics and coatings. In close cooperation with the research department I screened new products. I extensively published within the CIBA-GEIGY group on transformation, test method development, stabilization, analysis and pigmentation of plastics (1974-81).
Head of Diagnostic Reagents Division
GREINER ELECTRONIC, Langenthal, Switzerland, a manufacturer of large clinical analyzers for the testing of blood in hospitals. E.g. heart diseases can be predicted by monitoring the sodium and potassium levels in blood, respectively, and are measured with a built in Atomic Absorption instrument. I had worldwide responsibility for development, marketing and sales of enzymes and chemicals for the clinical analyses of blood (1981-82). Because the company went bankrupt, I needed to find a new job after less than 2 years.
Owner of my own Company "Gehriger 1564"
Since 1988 I am engaged in chemical engineering consulting. The jobs have included areas of inventions, patents, analysis, and environmental protection. Some of the assignments involved being an expert witness for courts of law.
Product Manager and Product Specialist for a Thermoplastic Product Line
GEORGE FISHER, Inc. Switzerland, plastic piping, fittings, and valves division. I was responsible for development, technical marketing and sales promotion worldwide. The collaboration was particularly close with the American subsidiary GEORGE FISHER SIGNET Inc. in Tustin, California.
Papers: On materials choice, use of plastic valves, clean room technology, and environmental protection.
Together with the sales force I gave seminars at major clients of the chemical industry: Hoechst, Bayer, Sandoz, Merck, Ciba-Geigy, Hoffman La Roche, and Imperial Chemical Industries.
My seminars at major clients in the semiconductor industry focused on analysis and contamination control of DI-water, process chemicals and gases: IBM, National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Digital Equipment, Siemens, Philips, Intel, NEC, ATT, Samsung, Lucky Goldstar, and Hyunday (1983-88).
In 1988 I decided with my family to come back to Santa Cruz, where I had met my wife Adriana in the 1970's. Our daughter Anna was born in Switzerland in 1977.
Miscellaneous
Fluent in German and French, both speaking and writing.
Conversant in Spanish.
Member of the Rotary Club Santa Cruz Sunrise.
Hobbies: Hiking and playing the piano.