2018 Advisory Board

Z. P. Czornij joined BASF Corporation in Michigan in 1984 working in the research and development group for automotive OEM coatings, with a focus on coatings for plastic substrates.

Later, he worked on various polymer synthesis projects for waterborne coatings.

Since 1990, he has been involved in pigment evaluation and pigment dispersant resin development, responsible for the global colorant portfolio for the automotive OEM end use application.

Currently he manages the BASF Color Excellence Group, with the responsibility for pigment qualification, color science, paste process engineering, and color marketing and design. He is currently the president of the Detroit Colour Council.

He received his chemistry degrees from Wayne State University and from the University of Detroit.

• USA

Education - B.S. Chemistry Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, Ohio. Began coatings career at PPG Industries in 1986 color matching metallic automotive paints and developing color master panels. Four years developing & commercializing first waterborne automotive basecoat system at PPG.

Eight years’ experience in Operations leading teams in Project management, Civil, Mechanical & Chemical Engineering, advanced equipment prototyping, and waterborne basecoat production. Four years as Global Manager, Waterborne Basecoat Technology. Responsible for New Product Development Process for waterborne coatings, polymers and intermediates.

Three years as Global Director Technology Transfer for PKAF LLC a joint venture between PPG Industries, Inc. and Kansai Paints LLC. December 2006 to present as Director, Global Color Technology Platform for Automotive OEM.  Responsibilities include pigment design & evaluation, tint paste development & commercialization, instrumental color & machine learning, computer generated imaging and new color styling.

In 2011, Bill also assumed the position of Director-Global Technical Processes. As part of this new position, he is responsible for technical specifications, technology transfer and processing parameters for raw materials, resins, intermediates and finished good products. December 2015, Assumed position Director, Technology Acquisition.  Focusing on material science, pre-commercial R&D and external collaboration.

• USA

1. Working area as at now: Global responsibility for Business Unit Coatings & Plastics

2. Past working areas in other companies/institutes:  
Several positions within Pigments Division at Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany (e.g. Head of Technical Service Coatings, Senior Scientist Coatings, Technical Manager Automotive Coatings).

3. Further activities (e.g. in universities, organizations, etc.): 
Member of GDCh (since 1995), ViLF e.V. (since 2002), DCC (Detroit Color Council, since 2009). Visiting Professor for Product Development & Design at Pforzheim University Business School, Germany (since 2010)

4. Areas of professional interest:  
Special effect pigments. Coatings. Polymers. Color Science. Psychophysics.

5. What the audience should else know about me:  
Passion for Pigments.

Short curriculum vitae:

• 1988-1995     Diploma in chemistry from Stuttgart university (>macromolecular chemistry with Prof. Dr. Lothar Dulog)
• 1997 - 1999   Assistant lecturer for organic chemistry at Esslingen university of applied science
• 1998               Farbe & Lack award (Vincentz Network Hannover)
• 2000               PhD in chemistry from Stuttgart university (and Forschungsinstitut für Pigmente und Lacke e.V.) with Prof. Dr. Claus D. Eisenbach (>applied electrochemistry using microprobes)
• 2000               Award for PhD thesis from German Society of Chemists, GDCh (section paint chemistry)
• 1999-2011     Several positions within pigments division of Merck KGaA (Technical Manager Automotive Coatings, Senior Scientist, Head of Technical Service Coatings within Business Unit Coatings)
• 2010               Visiting Professor Product Development & Design at Pforzheim University Business School
• 2011               Director Business Unit Coatings & Plastics with Schlenk Metallic Pigments GmbH

• Germany

Born in 1953, studied chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and graduated with a thesis in the field of inorganic solid state chemistry. He was then research assistant and senior research assistant in Chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena where he was responsible for teaching many courses in the field of inorganic chemistry. 1991: He began his work in pigment research at Merck in Darmstadt. 1994: He became director of the Product Development Department within the framework of research into effect pigments. From 2006 to 2014, he was director of pigment research. 1994: He began to lecture at the Darmstadt University of Technology where he qualified as a professor in chemistry in 1997. In the same year he was appointed senior lecturer and in 2008 Professor at the Darmstadt University of Technology. Gerhard Pfaff is the author of more than 90 scientific publications and more than 70 patents. His newest book, Inorganic Pigments, was published by de Gruyter in 2017.

Trevor obtained his Bachelor of Science and PhD degrees in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia & Cambridge in the U.K. He then carried out a 2 year Post Doctoral Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Georgia Tech. in Atlanta in the School of Chemistry.

He joined I.C.I. as a synthetic organic chemist, developing novel dyes and pigments; then became New Business Development Manager, spearheading the development of a range of new speciality chemicals. Trevor then joined I.C.I. Paints to head up the Colour & Pigment Technology Group.

As a Senior Research Chemist, Trevor had a strategic role developing new pigment dispersant technology relevant to the Decorative and Automotive Business Sectors. When I.C.I. Autocolor was purchased by PPG Industries in 1999, the team’s various achievements were recognised by becoming the Centre of Excellence for Dispersion Science for the global Refinish Coatings Business.

In 2008, Trevor started his own business called Expertas Ltd, which expanded to Expertas Global in 2016. He now consults on colour and pigment dispersion technology with global corporate companies. More recently, Expertas has been carrying out research in the area of the psychology of colour and evaluating different tools to understand and predict the link between semantic perception scales and colour measurement methodology. This is an important growing area of research and Expertas intends to be at its leading edge in the future.

Check out the article by Dr. Trevor Sayer on the activities in the colour and high performance pigment industry here >>

• United Kingdom

Dr. Andrew E. Smith received his B.S degree in Applied Science from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2006. He then attended Oregon State University under the direction of Professor Mas Subramanian where he studied the synthesis, crystal structure, and physical properties of transition metal oxides. His work has been published on the cover of two journals and featured in the New York Times and National Geographic.

After receiving his Ph.D in Materials Chemistry in 2010, he joined the Shepherd Color Company as an R&D Chemist investigating disruptive pigment chemistries. In 2015 he assumed responsibility of the analytical laboratory.

In 2017, Dr. Smith joined the Uniform Color Company as the Product Engineering Manager. In this role, he is responsible for the product development and improvement of color masterbatch for North America.

• USA