Studied law in Passau and Cambridge. 1992-1997 Scholar of the German National Academic Foundation. 1994 First State Examination in law. 1994-1995 and 1996-1997 Senior Research Assistant, Chair for Private Law, Private International Law and Comparative Law (Prof. Klaus Schurig) at the University of Passau. 1994 Master of Laws (LL.M.) at Cambridge University (King’s College). 1995-1997 Research Fellow at Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law (Prof. Kropholler). 1999-2000 Joseph Story Fellow at Harvard Law School. 2000 Doctoral dissertation completed at the University of Passau and Second State Examination in law. 2001-2002 Senior Research Fellow at Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. 2002-2007 Associate Professor, 2007-2012 Professor of Law and 2012-2019 Arthur Larson Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law. 2005 Lloyd Cutler Fellow at American Academy in Berlin. 2009-2010 Katherine and Martin Crane Fellow at Princeton University, Program in Law and Public Affairs. Since 2018 Chair in Global Law (fractal) at Queen Mary University of London. Since 2019 Director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg.