Professor Steinbruchel received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1974. Before joining Rensselaer, he worked at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the Argonne National Laboratory, RCA Laboratories, and Mettler Instruments. Professor Steinbruchel has published extensively in the areas of plasma etching, sputtering, plasma diagnostics, and surface science. Steinbruchel's research program is in the area of thin film materials science, with application especially to microelectronics and sensor technology. This research includes all types of materials, the common theme being that they are used in the form of thin films.