Dr. Perry Bartelt
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and
Avalanche Research (SLF)
7260 Davos
Switzerland
Perry Bartelt is head of the research unit „Snow Avalanches, Debris Flows and Rockfalls at the Swiss
Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) in Davos. Research interests are
centered around understanding the formation and runout mechanics of rapid, gravitationally driven
mass movements. His group operates three large scale field sites to investigate snow avalanches
(Vallée de la Sionne), debris flows (Illgraben) and rockfalls (Walenstadt) and developed simulation
models to predict the motion of these movements. These models are in widely used in practice in
Switzerland and worldwide. Present research investigates the influence of the production, transport
and decay of random kinetic energy on the frictional mechanisms in mass flows.
Personal Data
th
Born: November 25 1959, Washington D.C. USA
Citizenship: US (and soon CH)
Title: Dr. Sci. Techn.
Civil status: Married, three children
Languages: English, German
Education
1977 - 1981 Undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering (BSCE)
University of Maryland, USA
1981 - 1983 Graduate studies in Civil Engineering (MSCE)
University of Maryland, USA
1984 - 1989 Doctoral studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ)
WSL
2006 - Head of Research Unit Snow Avalanches, Debris Flows and Rockfalls