2004-2005	Invited Professor at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris France
since 2002	Coordinator of the International Max Planck Research School of Marine Microbiology
since 2001	Head of the Research Group Symbiosis at the MPI-MM
1997-2001	Postdoctoral fellow at the MPI-MM in the DFG Project: "Evolution of symbioses between chemoautotrophic bacteria and gutless marine worms"
1995-1996	Research Associate at the University of Hamburg in the BMBF project: "Hydrothermal fluid development and material balance in the North Fiji Basin"
1993-1995	Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Colleen Cavanaugh, Harvard University, MA, USA in the NSF project "Biogeography of Chemoautotrophic Symbioses in Marine Oligochaetes"
1992	Ph.D. for Marine Biology (Dissertation Title: Adaptations of the Marine Oligochaete Tubificoides benedii to Sulfide-rich Sediments: Results from Ecophysiological and Morphological Studies.); University of Hamburg
1991-1993	Research Associate at the University of Hamburg in the EC project 0044: Sulphide- and Methane-Based Ecosystems. Leading participants of project: Dr. Olav Giere, University of Hamburg; Dr. Paul Dando, Marine Biological Association of the U.K.; Dr. Tom Fenchel, University of Copenhagen; Dr. Tasso Eleftheriou, Institute of Marine Biology of Crete.
1985	Diplom in Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, University of Hamburg
1981	Vordiplom in Biology, University of Hamburg
1977-1981	Student Research Assistant, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Helgoland.