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 February 2009

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

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

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

2010

Research project on fossil Chalcidoidea (10 working days) at the Muséum national d'Historie 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 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

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