Werdegang:
1974-1979 Studies of Chemistry (Field: Physical Chemistry) Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
1978-1979 Diploma in Chemistry, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany, Institut für Physikalische Chemie (Prof. Dr. A. Weiss); Topic: „Aufbau eines JFET-Oszillator-Detektors nach dem Prinzip von Pound und Knight als Kernquadrupolresonanz-Spektrometer“
1979-1980 Research stay abroad, University Southampton /Great Britain (Institute of Electrochemistry)
1980-1984 Scientific Assistant at the Institut für Physikalische Chemie, TH Darmstadt (Prof. Dr. K.G. Weil); Topic: „Studien zur Bildung Beweglichkeit von Oberflächenkomplexen an der Silber/Elektrolyt-Grenzfläche“.
1984 Ph. D. defense (summa cum laude).
1994-1992 Scientist at the Philips Research Laboratories Aachen (research group Electronic Ceramics)
1992 Full professor at the Institut für Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik, Lehrstuhl II, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, RWTH Aachen
1997 Director at the Institut für Festkörperforschung (now: Peter Grünberg Institute), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany (as a supplement to the professorship at the RWTH Aachen)
2002-2015 Spokesman of the HGF-Research Programme Fundamentals of Future Information Technology (FIT), within the Helmholtz Association, Germany
2007 Initiator of the Section “Fundamentals of Future Information Technology” of the Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-FIT) between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University
2011-2023 Co-Spokesman of the SFB 917 “Nanoswitches"

Forschungsschwerpunkte:
Memristive oxides and devices, neuromorphic computing; interdisciplinary research in neurocscience, neuromorphic computing, and computer science (artificial intelligence)

Mitgliedschaften und Funktionen:
Bunsen-Gesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie
Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG)
Gesellschaft deutscher Chemiker (GdCh)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Kortizes – Institut für populärwissenschaftlichen Diskurs, gemeinnützige GmbH

Auszeichnungen und Ehrungen:
1988 Carl-Wagner-Prize awarded by the Max-Planck-Institute for biophysical  Chemistry (Göttingen, Germany) for achievements in the field of  defect chemistry of protons in perovskites.
1990 John D. Moynihan Award from CARTS Europe; sponsored by the  International Electronic Components Institute
1994 Edward C. Henry Award from the American Ceramic Society (jointly with T. Baiatu and K. H. Härdtl)
2000 Ferroelectrics Recognition Award 2000 from the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society
2001 Award of the International Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics (ISIF): „Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Integrated Ferroelectrics“
2004 Appointment as Adjunct Professor by the School of Electronics and Information Engineering of Xi´an Jiaotong University, China (2004 – 2008)
2007 Masao Ikeda Award, Ikeda Memorial Foundation, Kyoto, Japan in recognition of “Excellent contribution to the characterization of ferroelectric thin films for non-volatile memory”
2013 Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Prize 2014 awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
2014 Tsungming Tu Award 2014 awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan (award ceremony April 17th, 2015)
2015 Doctor Honoris Causa of the Silesian University of Katowice, Poland
2015 RWTH Fellow 2015 awarded by the RWTH Aachen University
2017 Wilhelm R. Buessem Award awarded by the Center of Dielectrics & Piezoelectrics (CDP), Pennsylvania State University

Ausgewählte Publikationen:
“Nanoelectronics and Information Technology – Advanced Electronic Materials and Novel Devices”, Rainer Waser (editor and author of the block introductions)3^rd, Completely Revised and Enlarged Edition, Wiley-VCH, 2012, 1048 pages, full color