Since 2008

Professor

Born 1958 in Klagenfurt (capital city of Carinthia, Austria)

1973 – 1978 Technical High School in Klagenfurt, Austria

1979 – 1985 Study of Process Engineering on Graz Univ. of Technology, Austria

1985 – 1989 Doctor Thesis on Graz Univ. of Technology

1988 – 1990 Assistant Professor on Graz Univ. of Technology

1990 – 2008 Employee of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH, Linz, Austria, former VOEST ALPINE Industrieanlagenbau (VAI)

1990 – 1993 Process Engineering for Direct and Smelting Reduction (MIDREX, COREX)

1993 – 2008 General Manager and Vice President for Research and Development of new Reduction Technologies (FINEX, COREX, FINMET)

1993 – 2003 Head of R&D for joint FINEX technology development of Siemens VAI and POSCO, Korea

2004 – 2008 Project Manager for first commercial FINEX plant, Korea (FINEX 1.5 M)

Since Oct. 08 Full Professor at Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy and Head of Department of Metallurgy at Montanuniversitaet Leoben

Since June 15 Chief Scientific Officer of K1-Met GmbH

Corporate Award of Siemens “Inventor of the Year 2006”
Co-Inventor of the patent nominated for the “European Inventor Award 2013” in the category Non-European countries

Editor in Chief of Technical Journal “Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte”
Member of Advisory Board of Technical Journal “Steel Research International”
Member of the Senat of the “Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft”, Austria
Head of sub-committee of experts for “Physical Chemistry and Metallurgical Process Development” of Steel Institute VDEH, Germany

Author and co-author of 125 publications and contributions to conferences from 1987 to 2014
Co-inventor of more than 30 patent families (total more than 400 patents applied worldwide)

Research and teaching in metallurgy for iron and steelmaking,
Expertise in fluid dynamics and reaction kinetics for heterogeneous reactor systems (gas-solid-liquid systems)
Project management for R&D and commercial projects