I'm a 39-year old physicist, I live in Küsnacht and work in Windisch at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz. I studied physics at ETH Zürich, finishing with a diploma thesis in nonlinear optics, did a PhD in solid state physics with Professor H.C.Siegmann and a Postdoc in beautiful Hawaii with Professor Klaus Sattler. When I got homesick in Hawaii I realized that I had to return; which I did in late 2002. Since then I have been working in Professor Heinz Burtscher's group as a research scientist. We specialize in the measurement of aerosols (e.g. particulate matter from diesel cars); using modern aerosol research equipment and on occasion building our own instruments - our specialty is the use of diffusion batteries and ultra-low-noise electrometers for size and number concentration measurements. When I'm not working, I play chess a lot, both individual tournaments and also as team captain with the team of Wollishofen in the highest Swiss league. I also used to program a lot when I was a bit younger - mostly board games (chess / checkers / 4 in a row / solitaire). My program CheckerBoard is a de-facto standard program for all checkers enthusiasts. I'm working harder on the job now and have more other responsibilities in life, so I hardly ever program any more these days. Whenever I can, I spend my holidays in the alps, skiing or hiking.
So that I don't get too fat and lazy I now go swimming more often than earlier, a habit which I picked up in Hawaii (of course) - from Anne-Catherine - thanks for the swimming lessons! More on Physics, chess, checkers.
In 2006, I got my 15 minutes of fame by appearing on Swiss TV in the program 10 vor 10 on March 13,2006. You can watch the video by going to the 10 vor 10 archive, and there look for the program part called "Dicke Luft in Restaurants" of March 13, 2006)
well, enough talk, enjoy the pictures!

Family

My just-married grandparents Dubs in Assuan on Silvester 1929. I never knew this grandfather, he died before I was born.



With my father at the Gritschersee in 1998



My parents swimming in the Gritschersee in 1998



My sister in front of the Hochjochgrat.



My sister came in her lovely MG, but it broke down once again. She sold it soon thereafter



I get a godchild: Pascale, together with her proud father Rolf



And another godchild, Lea, in the middle, watching the fireworks



My baby sister Alice, enjoying some of my fresh-baked Zopf



Trying to change the diapers of Eva Francesca, my niece



My step-grandfather (does such a thing exist??) in action around the time when I was born.



With my son Lorenz Markus on a mountain holiday

High School (Gymnasium)

Nadine



My greatest programming failure ever!



Class picture about at the time when we finished high school (1990): Standing, from left to right: Monika Tschanz, Lorenz Solca, Marcel Emmerling, Simon Birnstiel, Boris Furet, Agnes Hostettler, (somebody half-hidden who I can't recognize), Cornelia Schwab, Yves Beetschen, Nadine Hauser, Konrad Graf. Sitting, left to right: Hugo Ryser, Isa Bruhin (not in our class), me, Thomas Hulliger, Frank Gugger, Philipp Ritter, and a girl whose name I have forgotten - she wasn't in our class either.



Just after the iron curtain dropped, I went on a weird trip to Russia with Rolf, Thomas and Lorenz

Physics Student at ETH

My student legitimation card of ETH Zürich, 1991



Simon, probably in Lauenen 1992



Konrad around 1992



Me in Lauenen around 1992



At the student world chess championship in Sofia, 1994



Fabian in Sils - no, he didn't drink both bottles all alone!

PhD Student at ETH

My Personalausweis as PhD student at ETH, 1996



I win the Swiss bundesmeisterschaft in chess in 1997!



Fabian and Karin on the way to Piz Julier in 1997



New Year 97/98 with Koni, Anna, Thomas and Hugo



I climb Kirche Fluntern in 1998



During my PhD, I had a brief phase where I made a lot of sports - which soon ended due to knee troubles



I had to work in the lovely German city of Essen for about a year during my PhD - I can't remember much more than this about it



The Speer, which is quite low but nevertheless one of Switzerland's most beautiful mountains



Alejandro at the Edinburgh Aerosol Conference in 1998




15 minutes of fame, part 1



15 minutes of fame, part 2



In 1999, I went to China to measure particle emissions of a coal power plant at Tsinghua University



Ueli in China, March 13, 1999



Zhiqiang Qian with his wife, China, 1999



This is how you go skiing in China!



Karl at the Aerosol Conference in Prag, 1999



With Natalia and Alejandro from Amden over Leistkamm to Weesen, 1999



Johannes, Thomas, Jenny and Kerstin in Sils



My experimental setup for measuring the relaxation time of hot electrons in metallic nanoparticles



Christian in Mexiko 2000



Wolfgang, probably in Mexiko 2000



My PhD advisor, HC Siegmann



I never would have thought I would miss Hönggerberg, but I do!

PostDoc in Hawaii

Just after 9/11 I went to Hawaii for a postdoc year in the group of Klaus Sattler. Of course I also enjoyed the sea...



...and went snorkeling often, where I saw a lot of my favorite fish, the Moorish Idol



In August 2002, I went to Las Vegas for the computer checkers world championship. Here's a picture of me and my program Cake playing against Nemesis by Murray Cash



Despite lots of work on my checkers program, it finished last of 3 entrants - however with the tiniest possible margin, 2 games lost, one won, and 45 draws. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my All-American breakfast!



Aaaah, the sunsets! With Corinne on the balcony of our apartment, which was just on the sea.

Back in Switzerland

Oh my, am I this old already?



Skiing in St. Moritz with Johannes 2004



Doing Rocket Science with Ralf in 2004



Best man at Andreas and Rahel's wedding in 2004



Ski day with the institute: Alejandro, Stefan, Markus, Heinz, Herbert, Simon, and Thomas



No snow for 3 weeks in Sils, lake Sils froze, and we went ice skating on it! No, I didn't fall down, I'm posing for the picture :-)



While cooking, I invent a new strategy game for two players and test it with Patrick



Patriotic food for real Swiss citizens on first of August 2006 in Austria



Austrian cows get the latest news on aerosols



This is what I would look like if I was a Southpark character!



Enjoying fondue with the ex-PhD-student gang; from left to right: Konstantin Siegmann, myself, Johannes Paul, Alejandro Keller, Heinz Burtscher, Christoph Hüglin, Harald Hepp, Karl Przybilla and Ernest Weingartner



In Zermatt with the PSIgirls :-)



Rahel climbs our birch on her birthday!



My brain, scanned on September 30th, 2008 (view as movie).



Incredibly, I get married...



My godchild Pascale seems to think it's a good idea


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