Born on 23rd September, 1963, in Würselen, Study of biology in Aachen, Tübingen, and Munich, doctorate in Munich (1992), research fellow at the California Institute of Technology (1993-1995), head of a junior research group at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology (1995-1999), Habilitation University of Tübingen (1998), Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology (since 1999), Honorary Professor University of Tuebingen (since 2002). .