Prof. Dr. Werner Obrecht
Career
After gaining his PhD in polymer and technical chemistry at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 1975 Professor Obrecht obtained a NATO grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for research on cationic polymerization working in the laboratory of Professor P. H. Plesch at the University of Keele, England. Throughout his career in industry, first at Bayer and later at Lanxess, the work of Professor Obrecht has been concerned with rubbers and elastomers. The major focus of this work has been in the following fields: ABS, analytics of nitrosamines in rubbers and vulcanizates, polymer modification towards oil and temperature resistance, polychloroprene, finishing of nitrile rubber latex, polymerization process of ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymers, catalytic hydrogenation of nitrile rubber, evaluation of metallocene technology for rubber production, neodymium-catalyzed polymerization of butadiene, metathesis of nitrile rubber and functionalized nanoscaled rubber particles and their application in tyres. Professor Obrecht has been lecturing at TUM since 1996, at the Leibniz University in Hannover since 2002 and at the Technical University of Qingdao since 2009. He is the author of 40 publications and the holder of 150 patents (including patent applications).
Functions
- Intellectual property strategy leader, Lanxess business unit TRP (since 2007)
- R&D leader, Lanxess business unit TRP (2002-2007)
- Elastomers department leader, Bayer Central Research (1993-2002)
- R&D leader special and tire rubbers, Bayer business unit Technical Rubber Products (1986-1993)
- Leader analytics and special applications, Bayer business unit Technical Rubber Products (1980-1986)