Prof. em. Dr. Hans-Erwin Minor

Hans-Erwin Minor was full Professor for Hydraulic Structures and Director of the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) at ETH Zurich from 1998 to 2008. He retired end of July 2008.

Prof. Minor was born in 1943 in Bamberg, Germany. He studied civil engineering in Stuttgart until 1968, earning his doctorate there in 1972. After a brief period as assistant, he assumed responsibility for the department of hydromechanics and hydraulics model testing at the Institute for Hydraulic Structures of the University of Stuttgart in 1971. The research projects he carried out in addition to his teaching activity in this period focussed on gate vibrations. Together with Prof. Dr. K. Petrikat, he provided expertise for crude oil and product pipelines in Baden-Würtemberg. In 1976 he transferred to Electrowatt Engineering in Zurich where he was section head of hydraulics and later department manager for hydraulic structures and hydropower.

During his 21 years as a consulting engineer, Prof. Minor was involved in a large number of projects, predominantly abroad. These ranged from dams for energy production, and water supply to irrigation schemes, which he handled from the initial concept until commissioning. In Switzerland he was mainly involved in the renovation of the run of river plants at the Rhine, raising of dams, dam monitoring and flood protection measures.

During the whole time, Prof. Minor was lecturing at the University of Stuttgart (as Honorary Professor).

His main research interests: optimum design of hydraulic structures, as well as processes and protection measures related to natural hazards like floods, debris flow and ice falls.