Born 1944 in Northampton (England). Study of chemistry, doctorate Univ. of Birmingham (1968), German Habilitation in biochemistry/biophysics (1983), postdoctoral fellow Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York (1968-1969), scientific collaborator at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine Göttingen (1970-1972), Max Planck Institute for Medical Research Heidelberg (1972-1993), Adjunct Professor Heidelberg Univ. (1990), Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (1993-2013) since 2013 Director emeritus, Adjunct Professor Dortmund Univ. (1994), Appointment as Professor of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum