Born 9.12.1966 in Bad Godesberg, Germany

University Education

1985 – 1990 Study of Chemistry in Bonn (Germany)

1995 Chemistry Department University of Bonn, Ph.D., Prof. Dr. M. Jansen

2000 Habilitation in Chemistry, University of Bonn

Professional Experience

1995 – 1996 Post-doc at Materials Research Laboratory, University of California S Barbara (U.S.A.), Prof. A. K. Cheetham

1996 – 2001 Assistant Professor at Universities of Gießen and Bonn (Germany), Prof. Dr. J. Beck

2000 – 2001 Deputy chair for Inorganic Chemistry at University of Gießen

2001 – 2005 Full professor (C4) for Inorganic Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science at University of Hamburg (Germany)

2005 – Full professor (W3) for Inorganic Solid State Chemistry at Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany)

Professional Activities

1998 – 2001 Member of SFB 408 “Inorganic solids without translation symmetry”

2001 – 2005 Member and Head (since 2003) of GK 611 “Design and Characterization of Functional Materials”

2003 – 2005 Director of the Institute of Inorganic and Applied Chemistry, University of Hamburg

2005 Visiting professor Université de Rennes, France

2005 Chair of the 15th International Symposium on Boron, Borides and Related Compounds, Hamburg

2006 Co-Editor of a Special Issue on boron chemistry of the Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Elsevier

2006 – Elected head of the division for solid state chemistry and materials research of the german society of chemistry

2007 – European Editor of Solid State Sciences, Elsevier

2007 – Dean of the chemistry department at Technische Universität Darmstadt

2007 – Member of the committee of the Technical Inorganic Chemistry division of Dechema e.V.

2008 – Elected member of the board of the German Chemical Society (GDCh)

2008 Chair of the 6th Inorganic Materials Conference, Elsevier, Dresden

2009 Research sabbatical at UCSB, U.S.A., Prof. C. Levi and Prof. R. Seshadri, Humboldt foundation

2010 – Vice president of the German Chemical Society

Research area

Inorganic solid state and materials chemistry

Awards and Honors

1995 – 1996 Feodor Lynen-Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

1996 – 1999 Lise Meitner-Stipend of NRW for the Habilitation project

1997 Bennigsen-Foerder Award of NRW for Young Researchers

2000 ADUC Award for Habilitands