Director of the RSS HDI Firmware teams · Western Digital · company speakers →
Bernhard Knigge is Director of the RSS HDI Firmware teams, focusing on head disk interface spacing control and defect management. Bernhard studied Physics at the TU Munich. He then pursued his Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from UCSD, with his thesis focusing on head disk interface physics. Bernhard is an expert in the tribology field with over 20+ years of experience; he held positions at IBM Almaden Research Center and Hitachi GST where he made significant contributions to the head disk interface design and to improve drive reliability; in particular Bernhard invented the slider-disk contact potential compensation scheme. He joined Western Digital in 2009 where he led the PMR and HAMR tribology teams. He has also mentored many students and initiated new research projects inside and outside of Western Digital. In the last 4 years Bernhard is managing the world wide HDI Firmware teams. In 2016, Bernhard was honored with the “Outstanding Alumni Award” from UCSD. He holds 55 patents and has authored and co-authored over 50 publications. Outside of work Bernhard is a devoted father of two teenage children and on the board of directors for South Bay Deutscher Schulverein. He enjoys reading, skiing, hiking and playing the piano.
Is this you? Claim this profile →
No public contact links on file.
Speaking history
Sourcing speakers for your event?
Browse the speaker directory →