since 01.06.2025: Guest at GFZ (Secretary General "International Union of Geological Sciences" (IUGS)
09/2020 - 31.5.2025: Head "Projects & International Affairs" Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ
01/2010 - 08/2020: Head „International Affairs Office" Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geoscience GFZ
01/2000 – 12/2009: Executive Director of the National R&D-Programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN
03/1992 – 12/1999: Scientific Secretary of the DFG-Senate Commission for Joint Research in Earth Sciences
11/2015 - 07/2022: Chair of the Working Committee "International Relations" of the Helmholtz Association
2013 - 2016: Advisor to the Oman Government for the implementation of a non-university research centre in Muscat
08/2010 - 06/2014: "Innovation-Lead" in the Co-Location Centre "CLC-Berlin" of the European R&I-Programme "Climate-KIC";
1995 – 1998: Scientific Coordinator of a German-Russian Research Programme under the umbrella of the EUROPROBE-Initiative
01/1988 – 03/1992: PhD-Student and Teaching Assistant at Aachen Technical University
1987: Consultant at Department of Indian and Northern Affairs; Exploration and Geological Services (DIAND), Canada
1986: Consultant at Department of Indian and Northern Affairs; Exploration and Geological Services (DIAND), Canada (Diploma-Thesis)
1983: Trainee at Claremont Petroleum, Melbourne, Australia
Education:
01/1988 – 05/1993: PhD-Student at Aachen Technical University (Prof. Dr. Roland Walter). PhD-Thesis: Diagenesis of paleozoic sandstones at the northern rim of the Rhenish Massif
10/1980 – 12/1987: Geology at Aachen Technical University; Diplomathesis: Geology, Petrography und Mineralization of the Livingstone CreekArea, Yucon Territory, Canada. (Prof. Dr. Günther Friedrich);
Research Boards and Committees:
Secretary General of the International Union of Geological Sciences IUGS (iugs.org) (2024 - 2028)
Spokesperson Working Committee "International Affairs" of Helmholtz Association (2015 - 2022)
Member (Councillor) in the Executive Committee EC of the International Union of Geological Sciences IUGS, (2020 - 2024) (iugs.org)
Member German National Committee of International Union of Geological Sciences IUGS
Member of the Climate KIC General Assembly (2010 - 2014; 2018 - 2021)
Founding member of the „International Geoscience Education Organization (IGEO)
Managing Director "GFZ Friends" (2018 - 2024)
Awards:
2021: awarded with the first-ever Prize for Education and Science Diplomacy. The award recognizes scientific collaborations that build trusting and sustainable partnerships across national borders and whose findings can be an important basis for political decisions. The prize is endowed with €75,000.
2017: Award in the national ideas competition "International Research Marketing“ of the German Research Council DFG. The concept "The international Geo-Campus Potsdam/Berlin - Enhancing the international visibility of GFZ and the Geo.X Network to capitalize a worldwide unique constellation of research and training opportunities" submitted by the International Office was awarded with 100.000 €.(link)
