I did my Ph.D. with Thomas Happe at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. In 2010, I joined the group of Joachim Heberle to focus on vibrational spectroscopy. As a biospectroscopist, my research includes both chemical and physical approaches and is motivated by biological questions. I am married and have two hilarious children.
2010 – today Freie Universität Berlin, Postdoctoral scientist
2007 – 2010 Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Dissertation in Biology
2001 – 2007 Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Studies of Chemistry and Biology
I develop and apply spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques to probe proteins under biologically relevant conditions. My key interests involve gas-processing metalloenzymes like hydrogenases, CO- and formate dehydrogenases, nitrogenases, as well as cytochrome-c oxidase and photosystem II. I try to understand the catalytic mechanisms of H2, O2, and CO/CO2 turnover as well as in vivo cofactor synthesis.