Education

1982-1986 Scholar of the Evangelische Studienstiftung, Haus Villigst

1983 Metal-organic chemistry, Bristol University

1986 Dipl. Chemie (Master in Chemistry), Philipps-University Marburg

1990 Dr. Ing. (PhD Engineering), TU Hamburg-Harburg

1999 PD Dr. habil (Geology), CAU Kiel
 

Professional Experience

1990-1992 Postdoc at GKSS Research Center Geesthacht, trace metal fluxes from estuarine sediments

1992-1993 Postdoc at Graduate School, Bremen University, early diagenesis in marine sediments

1993-2005 Research Scientist at IFM-GEOMAR (Dept. Environmental Geology, FB2), fluid flow and gas hydrates at the seafloor, volatile cycling in subduction zones, geochemical evolution of oceans and atmosphere

2005- W3-Professor at CAU, head of the research division Marine Geosystems, GEOMAR (FB2)

2004-2005 Vice-Speaker SFB 574

2005-2006 Steering committee of SFB 574

2005-2007 Speaker of the Network and Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean"

2008- Coordinator of the German large-scale project: SUGAR I-III: Submarine Gashydrate-Deposits: Exploration, Mining and Transport

2008- Subproject Leader SFB 754 A7, Subproject Leader SFB 754 B1

2011-2015 Coordinator of the large-scale coordinated EU project ECO₂: Sub-seabed CO₂ Storage: Impact on Marine Ecosystems.

2015- Coordinator of EU program on gas hydrate reseach MIGRATE: Marine gas hydrate - an indigenous resource of natural gas for Europe.

2020 - APOC Anthropogenic impacts on particulate organic carbon cycling in the North Sea

2021- GEOSTOR Submarine Carbon Dioxide Storage in Geological Formations of the German North Sea

During sea-going expeditions, I am studying the input of water, methane and other volatiles into the ocean through cold seeps and mud volcanoes, the formation and dissociation of marine gas hydrates, the microbial degradation of sedimentary organic matter and the recycling of nutrients into the ocean. Moreover, I am evaluating and reconstructing the geochemical evolution of the oceans and the atmosphere using proxy records from marine carbonates and evaporite. I am using numerical models to simulate long-term changes in the earth system with a special focus on biogeochemical processes in marine sediments.