EDUCATION

2005
Ph.D. in Entomology ("magna cum laude"), University of Hamburg

Doctoral Thesis: "Molecular and morphological approaches to the systematic position of Pteromalidae within Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera: Apocrita)"

2001
M.Sc. (Diplom) in Zoology, University of Hamburg

Master Thesis: "The preimaginal development of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)"

1998
B.Sc. (Vordiplom) in Biology (Zoology, Applied Botany, Microbiology), University of Hamburg

1995-1996
Education as emergency technician (part of alternative civilian services)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

since January 2009

Editor-in-Chief of Insect Systematics & Evolution http://www.editorialmanager.com/ise/

since April 2008

Head of the Hymenoptera Section at the Entomological Department of the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart

February 2009-April 2011

EDIT team leader at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart http://www.e-taxonomy.eu/

January 2007-March 2008
Postdoctoral Researcher, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity, The University of Adelaide, Australia

January-December 2006
Curation, determination and digitalisation of the Chalcidoidea Collection in the Zoological Museum, Hamburg; Concept and arrangement of the permanent insect exhibition in the Zoological Museum, Hamburg

November-December 2005
Curation and determination of the Rudow Hymenoptera Collection in the Phyletic Museum, Jena

2002-2006
Lecturer of insect determination courses with combined field excursions, University of Hamburg

1999-2001
Museum technician at the Entomological Collection of the Zoological Museum, Hamburg

Feb-Apr 1998
Ecological internship at the field station "Bilsa" in the littoral forest of Ecuador (organised by the Jatun Sacha foundation - http://www.jatunsacha.org), Assistance in reforestation, collection of herbar material and ornithological observations

GRANTS AND AWARDS

2011

Research project on fossil Hymenoptera (20 working days) at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris -

invited as 'Maître de conférence'

2010

Research project on fossil Chalcidoidea (10 working days) at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris -

SYNTHESYS-programme of the European Union http://www.synthesys.info/

2009

Research project on the systematics of Pompilidae (10 working days) at the National History Museum London -

SYNTHESYS-programme of the European Union http://www.synthesys.info/

2006-2008
Feodor Lynen Research fellowship (2 years) at the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide - Alexander von Humboldt foundation http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/

2007

Weiss/Wiehe prize for an outstanding PhD thesis in Entomology - Ingrid Weiss/Horst Wiehe foundation

2006
Research stay (40 working days) at the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (Summer 2006) - Entomological Department, ZMUC

2005
Participation in a Tree-of-Life-Workshop on the Phylogeny of Chalcidoidea in Riverside (08.-20.09.2005) - University of California, Riverside

Research project on the phylogeny of Hymenoptera (60 working days) at the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (18.05.-10.08.2005) - SYNTHESYS-programme of the European Union

2004
Research stay (60 working days) at the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (13.04.-12.07.2004) - German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

2002-2004
Doctoral grant (01.10.2002-30.09.2004) - University of Hamburg

2001
Travelling grant for the participation in a congress on parasitic Hymenoptera in Koeszeg (Hungary) (14.- 22.05.2001) - University of Hamburg

Research Travels

Ecuador (1999), Hungary (2001, 2010), Denmark (2004, 2005, 2006), Sweden (2005, 2011), California (2005, 2009, 2010), Australia (2007, 2008, 2009), South Africa (2008), England (2009), Switzerland (2009), New Caledonia (2009), France (2010, 2011)

Professional Associations

International Society of Hymenopterists (ISH) - http://www.hymenopterists.org, German Society of General and Applied Entomology (DGaaE) - http://www.dgaae.de, Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS) - http://www.gfbs-home.de, Society of Australian Systematic Biologists (SASB) - http://www.sasb.org.au/, Entomological Society Stuttgart (EVS) - http://www.entomologie-stuttgart.de, German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) - http://www.nabu.de