Born 1967, in Cologne. Study of Physics in Cologne and Bonn, doctorate Univ. Bonn (1995), Staff astronomer at MPIfR (1996-1998), Otto-Hahn fellow at Univ. of California at Berkeley (1998-1999), Lecturer (1999-2003), Senior Lecturer (2003-2005) and Reader (2005-2006) at the University of Manchester, Head of the Pulsar Group of the Jodrell Bank Observatory/Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (2005-2009), Associate Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory (2007-2009), Professor for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester (since 2006), Director and Scientific member at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (since 2009).