Since 1989, Professor Meier has been the Managing Director of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Dubendorf, Switzerland. He graduated from ETH, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, receiving his Dipl. Bauing, Master of Civil Engineering in 1968, and completed postgraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Civil Engineering in 1972 and Materials Science and Engineering in 1978.

During the past 20 years, Professor Meier has made significant contributions to, and has received international recognition for, the application of advanced composites in civil engineering. The implementation of his post-reinforcement of constructions with carbon-fibre polymers has been increasingly successful around the world. In 1989, he was granted the prestigious title of Professor by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In 1990, he received the Swiss Technological Innovation Award for developing a novel technique for post-strengthening structures with carbon/epoxy laminates. He received the International Achievement Award from the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Composite Materials in Bridges and Structures in 1996 for his outstanding contributions to furthering the global development of applications of advanced composite materials in bridges and structures. In 1999 and 2001, he received the European TECHTEXTIL Innovation Award for his projects; and in 2002, he received the SAMPE Europe award.

During his career, Professor Meier has been active as a member of the editorial board of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Composites for Construction, and of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Composite Materials in Bridges and Structures (ACMBS) Network of Canada. He has also served on the US National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board Committee on “Structural Fiber-Reinforced Plastics”. He has authored 150 publications, mostly on research into and the development of fibre composites in infrastructure. Since 1985, he has been an invited or keynote speaker on the application of advanced composite materials in civil engineering at conferences worldwide.

Professor Meier has known Dr. Mufti since 1988, when Dr. Mufti visited his laboratories with the Canadian Technical Mission to Europe. Professor Meier served as a member of ISIS Canada’s independent External Research Assessment Committee in 2003, assessing the research projects and general theme directions of ISIS Canada.