Curriculum Vitae

Professional Experience

2004 – present: Chair of the Executive Board of AIP, Scientific Member in the Executive Board
2002 – present: Director at AIP, Research branch “Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology”
2002 – present: University Professor, University of Potsdam
2004 – 2014: Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson
2000 – 2002: Associate Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson
1997 – 2000: Assistant Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson
1996: Postdoctoral Scientist, UC Berkeley
1993 – 1996: Postdoctoral Scientist, MPI for Astrophysics, Garching

1986 - 1988: Physics and Mathematics at Saarland University
1988 - 1991: Physics at Technical University of Munich.
Diploma Thesis (MPI for Astrophysics): "Carbon-Detonations in differentially rotating, highly deformed White Dwarfs"
1991 - 1993: Promotion MPI for Astrophysics/ Technical University of Munich.
PhD Thesis: "On the formation and morphology of galaxies" (summa cum laude)

1984: 1. State Prize and 2. Federal Prize in Physics Jugend forscht
1986: 1. State Prize and 4. Federal Prize Earth and Space Sciences Jugend forscht
1988 - 1991: Stipend of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
1993: Otto-Hahn-Medal of the Max Planck Society
1998: Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship
1998: David and Lucile Packard Fellowship
2011: Architectural Award Brandenburg
2013: Elected member of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2015: Wilhelm-Foerster Award of the Urania Potsdam for Communicating Science

2024 – present: President IAU Commission H1 "The Local Universe"
2023 – present: Chair, Science Advisory Board, MPI for Astronomy, Heidelberg
2021 – present: Scientific Member of the German Delegation to ESO Council
2019: Member, SOFIA 5 Year Flagship Review panel
2016: Member, Visiting Committee Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Canberra
2014-2017: President German Astronomical Society, Chair Council of German Observatories
2013-2019: Chair, International Advisory Board of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham
2013-2019: Member, Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Science and Engineering Advisory Committee
2013-2016: Member, Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Science and Technical Advisory Committee
2012-2017: German representative Science-Technical Committee ESO
2012-2015: Member, Special Nomination Committee of the International Astronomical Union
2009-2013: Chair, Science Advisory Board MPI for Astrophysics
2007-2011: Chair, Section D (Mathematics, Natural Sciences Engineering) of the Leibniz Association and member of the Presidium of the Leibniz Association
2005-2011: Vice-Chair, Large Binocular Telescope Corporation

Last update: 3. January 2025