Born 1966 in Feldkirch, Austria. Studies of physics, meteorology and geophysics in Vienna and Göttingen, doctorate from the University of Vienna (1992), post-doc Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA (1993-1996), group leader Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA (1996-1999), group leader National Institutes of Health, USA (1999-2013), Director und Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics (since 2013).