[3] Upon graduation, Niederhauser joined Rohm & Haas as head of the surfactant group in 1943.

[2] Niederhauser became ACS member in 1942 and began serving as the American Chemical Society national director in 1976 and after seven years ran for the presidency in 1984.

During the campaign, his opponent F. Albert Cotton caused a controversy by mailing a letter to selected members describing Niederhauser as "a mediocre industrial chemist".

He urged ACS to take a more active role in monitoring federal research funding plans and supported tax incentives for R&D.

He also encouraged industry accountability by publishing the records of employers that flout ACS guidelines.