Born 1965 in Lübeck. Study of physics (1985-1990), doctorate Munich Univ. (1992), German Habilitation in physics Freiburg Univ. (2000), Research Assistant, Center for Advanced Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque/USA (M. O. Scully, 1989-1992, Associate from 1991), Postdoctoral Research Associate, Optics Section, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London/UK (Sir P. L. Knight FRS, 1992-1997), Marie Curie Fellow, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria (P. Zoller, 1997-1998), head of a Junior Research Group "Theory of atomic systems in intense laser fields'' at the Special Research Area 276, Faculty of Physics, University of Freiburg, Germany (1998-2003), Lecturer of Physics at Freiburg University and Düsseldorf University, Germany (2003-2004), Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (since 2004), Honorary Professor Univ. Heidelberg (since 2005).