Career

1948-1955 University of Zürich, Geology study. Ph.D. University of Zürich, May 1955. (Promotor: Prof. R. Trümpy)
1955 ISRAMCO, fieldwork Dead Sea area, wellsite geologist.
1956 Societé des Pétroles de Madagascar, fieldwork Morandava basin, Madagascar.
1957 Compagnie d'Exploration Pétrolière, fieldwork in southern Algeria.
1958-1970 Shell Canada Ltd. Calgary, Canada.
1958-1963 fieldwork Canadian Cordillera, fieldparty supervisor.
1964-1966 Technical advisor foothills and offshore Exploration Division.
1967-1970 Subsurface Geologist and later Exploration Manager Alberta Plains.
1970-1988 Shell Internationale Petroleum Mij. B.V. Den Haag, The Netherlands.
1970-1977 Region Geologist Northern Europe, acting Exploration Manager A/S Norske Shell and Denmark joint venture.
1978-1982 Exploration Consultant with special responsability for Europe, South America, seismic stratigraphy and exploration in fold belts.
1982-1984 Deputy Head New Ventures and Exploration Advice Department (world wide responsability).
1984-1988 Senior Exploration Consultant, team leader Global Geology, giving on a routine basis Shell-internal training lectures on: seismic stratigraphy, plate tectonics and basin evolution, intra-plate tectonics, structural styles of fold belts.
1988 December 1st, retirement from Shell. Since then independent exploration consultant (Petroleum Exploration Consultancy Services)
1990-2000: lecturer at University of Basel and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
1999-2003: Co-ordinator EUCOR-URGENT Project

Membership

Royal Geological and Mining Society of The Netherlands
Société Géologique de France
Geological Society, London
Schweizerische Geologische Gesellschaft
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
European Union of Geosciences
European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers

Functions

1984-1988 member EUG council
1984-1988 JOIDES/ODP pollution controle panel
1985-1990 chairman Inter-Union commission on the Lithosphere, Working Group 3, Intra-plate Phenomena
1989-2000 President Schweizerisches Landeskomittee International Lithosphere Program
1991-1994 Member of Bureau International Lithosphere Program, technical advisor
1992- member EUROPROBE task groupes GEORIFT and TIMPEBAR
1993-1999 Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences: member of Erkenningscommissie Onderzoekscholen, sub-commissie Biologische Oceanografische en Aardwetenschappen
1994-2000 Co-coordinator IGCP Project No. 369: Comparative Evolution of PeriTethyan Rift Basins
1997-1999 Advisor DEKORP North German Geotransect
1997 Chairman International Monitoring Group of Netherlands Environmental Earth System Dynamics Initiative
1997 Member Scientific Council EUROBASIN School, Academia Europaea
1997-1999 Member Selection Committee “Bonus Incentive Scheme for Research Schools”, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
1998-2003 Coordinator EUCOR-URGENT Project “Upper Rhine Graben, Evolution and Neotectonics”

Boards of Editors

Marine and Petroleum Geology, since 1985
Tectonophysics, since 1986
Journal of the Geological Society, London, 1988-1997
Terra Nova, since 1988-1998
Basin Research, 1992-1994
Geological Quarterly, Warszawa, since 1999

Honours

1983 Member Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
1984 Honorary Member of The Geological Society, London
1986 Fourmarier Medal, Geological Society Belgium
1986 American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Distinguished Lecturer
1987 Van Waterschoot van der Gracht Medal, Royal Geological and Mining Society of The Netherlands
1988 William Smith Medal, The Geological Society, London
1989 Entry in International "Who is Who"
1990 Thomas Neville George Medal, Geological Society of Glasgow
1990 Robert H. Dott sr. Memorial Award, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (best Special Publication award)
1990 Member Academia Europaeana
1992 Honoray Lecturer, University of Basel (geodynamics, basin evolution)
1993 Leopold von Buch Medal, Deutsche Geologische Gesellschaft
1994 Honorary Member of the Polish Geological Society
1995 Special Commendation Award, American Association of Petroleum Geologists
1995 Honorary Member European Union of Geoscientists
1995 Distinguished Lecturer Award Netherlands Research School of Sedimentary Geology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
1995 Member New York Academy of Sciences
1995 Pjotr Leonidovici Kaptsa Medal, Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
1996 Entry in "Who's Who in the World"
1996 Member Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, Crakow
1996 Titular Professor for Global Geology, University of Basel
1997 Honorary Member Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
1997 Doctor Honoris Causa, Moscow State University
1997 Entry “2000 Outstading Pleople”
1997 Life membreship Bureau International Lithosphere Program
1998 Stephan Müller Medal, European Geophysical Society
1999 Tectonophysics 300, Tectonics of Sedimentary Basin Formation: Model and Constraints.”The Ziegler Volume”
2000 Foreign Member Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsawa
2000 Dr. Honoris Causa, Technical University of Delft