Walter Giger (born September 6, 1943 in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

) is a Swiss

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

. He had been working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (

Eawag The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag, German acronym for ''Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz'') is a Swiss water research institute and an internationally netwo ...

), where he was the head of the division ''Chemische Problemstoffe''. He has been a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

for

environmental chemistry Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It should not be confused with green chemistry, which seeks to reduce potential pollution at its source. It can be defined as ...

at the ETH Zurich since 1995. Giger is a pioneer who advanced the field of trace organic analysis and its application to significant environmental problems. His research topics include development of analytical techniques for identification of organic pollutants in drinking water, wastewater and natural waters. He investigates their sources, occurrence and fate. In 1984, he discovered that in wastewater treatment plants nonylphenol ethoxylates are transformed to 4-nonylphenols, which are toxic to aquatic life. After several additional studies the use of nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates was restricted in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

in 2003.

Scientific career

Giger received his PhD in chemistry from ETH Zurich in 1971. In 1972, he was a Postdoc at the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it ...

. In the same year, he took a new place of employment at the Eawag in

Dübendorf Dübendorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population of about 30,000 (2021). It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after Zürich, Winter ...

and stayed there till his retirement. In the meantime, he was visiting scientist at the Stanford University and lecturer at the Universität Karlsruhe. In 2002, he became a member of the ''ISI Highly Cited Researchers Database''. In September 2008, the journal

Environmental Science & Technology ''Environmental Science & Technology'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1967 by the American Chemical Society. It covers research in environmental science and environmental technology, including environmental policy. ...

dedicated a special issue to him.Environmental Science & Technology, 42(17), 2008
(„Walter Giger Tribute“)

Literature

* Naomi Lubick: ''Scaling Peaks: The Life and Science of Walter Giger''. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(17), 2008,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Giger, Walter Swiss chemists Academic staff of ETH Zurich Scientists from Zürich Living people 1943 births