Max-Albert Knus

Max-Albert Knus was Full Professor at the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zurich beginning 1 April 1979. He was Pro-rector for Doctoral Studies from October 1995 to March 2001. From 1 September 2002 to 30 September 2004 he was director of the Departments of Mathematics and Physics. In January 1997 he became a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Prof. Knus was born on April 14, 1942 in Peseux NE. He studied mathematics at the ETH Zurich and earned his doctorate under Professor B. Eckmann at the Research Institute for Mathematics at the ETH Zurich. He remained at the same institute as a Battelle Fellow for one year.

With a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, he spent one year at Brandeis University, Massachusetts, and later took the position of a research associate at the University of Geneva. On October 1, 1969 he was appointed assistant professor and on October 1, 1972 Associate Professor of Mathematics at ETH Zurich. He was head of the Department of Mathematics from 1989 to 1991.

His research concentrated on the field of algebra, especially the theory of algebras, quadratic forms, algebraic groups and Galoiscohomology.