• 1965-69:
• University education: Biology and Geology at the University of Tübingen.
• Okt. 1969:
• Diploma exams with the subjects Zoology (first subject), Botany, Palaeontology and Geology.
• Jan. 1971:
• Diploma thesis "Die Isopoden der Inseln Rhodos und Karpathos (Südostägäis)".
• Okt. 1973:
• Ph. D. exams with first subject Zoology (Prof. Grell and Prof. Hennig).
• Ph. D. thesis: "Skelett und Extremitäten-Muskulatur des Isopoden- Cephalothorax. Ein Beitrag zur Klärung von Phylogenie und Systematik der incertae-sedis-Familie Tylidae".
• 1974-77:
• Scientific staff member in the DFG-research program "Palaeo- Ecology" (director Prof. Seilacher) at the Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, University of Tübingen.
• Since 1977:
• Curator at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Department of Phylogenetic Research, since 1999 Department of Entomology.

Field campaigns:

• Greece (nearly every year since 1966), Turkey, Israel, Tunisia, Cameroon, Colombia.

Guest lecturer:

• 1988
• Concepcion/Chile: Seminar "Phylogenetics and Phylogenetic Systematics" for Ph. D. candidates on invitation of the University of Concepcion (3 weeks).
• 1992
• Montevideo/Uruguay: Lectures, courses and seminars on Crustacean Biology and Phylogenetic Systematics (6 weeks).

Supervisor of Ph. D. candidates of the Universities of Tübingen, Bielefeld, Bochum, Barcelona and Athens.

Editorial activities:

• 1) Editor of the Series C of the Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde (popular accounts of natural history topics).
• 2) Member of the editorial board of:
• Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A (Biologie);
• Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Zoologische Reihe;
• Tropical Zoology, Florenz.
• 4) Editorial board member of the symposium proceedings of the Symposia on the Biology of Terrestrial Isopods.