Born 1962 in Marburg/Lahn. Study of biochemistry, biology and physiology Tübingen and Oxford Univ., MSc Oxford Univ. (1987), doctorate Munich Univ. (1990), postdoctoral fellow Salk Institute/San Diego and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Dallas (1991-1995), Group Leader/Heisenberg Fellow Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine (1995-2001), Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine (2001-2021), since 2022 Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Adjunct Professor Göttingen Univ. (since 2002).