Robert Heimann is professor emeritus of technical mineralogy and materials science. He obtained his academic degrees from Freie UniversitAt (FU) Berlin, and subsequently served as a faculty member at FU Berlin and UniversitAt Karlsruhe. From 1979 on he worked in Canada as a research associate (McMaster University), senior researcher (3M Canada Inc.), staff geochemist (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited), and research manager (Alberta Research Council). From 1993 to 2004 he was a full professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Professor Heimann has authored over 260 scientific publications and in 2001 was awarded the Georg-Agricola-Medal of the German Mineralogical Society (DMG) for his outstanding lifetime achievements in applied mineralogy. He is now president of a consulting company and also on the editorial board of Elsevier's Surface and Coating Technology journal.