He received his Ph.D. degree in 1982 in Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, England and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, before moving to his present position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1984. His research interests focus on chemical properties at surfaces with particular emphasis on understanding catalytic reactions both in ultrahigh vacuum and under realistic conditions and in the area of tribology to understand the interplay between lubricant chemistry and the resulting frictional and wear properties of reactively formed tribological films. He is an Editor in Chief of Tribology Letters, which he co-founded about ten years ago.
He is Ph.D. Surface Chemistry (1980), Department of Physical Chemistry, Cambridge University, UK and since 2012 member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, 2012 His research activities focus on the smart surfaces in tribology and additives, in particular, tribochemistry and surface properties.
In 2009 he led a mission on the International Space Station performing the first exposed tribology experiments in low earth orbit. His is on the advisory board of the journals Tribology Letters and Biotribology. Recently, his work has focused on soft biological interfaces, mucin networks, and the peri-tumor niche. Professor Sawyer is a member of the National Academy of Inventors, and a fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. He has published over 150 journal papers, and given numerous lectures around the world a prestigious lecture at TED8.
Professor and Head of Studies Materials and Processing Engineering in the Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology
Dr. Daniel Heim is an specialist in several plasma deposition techniques, having travelled to Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Korea, USA and Canada for the commisionning of plasma systems.
He is also the coordinator for the development and management of the academic bachelor and master course in materials and processing engineering in the Institute of Applied Physics of the Vienna University of Technolgy and has more than 70 published articles in journals and conference proceedings.