Education
1995 Habilitation in Paleontology and Historical Geology
University of Bonn, Germany (Note: The Habilitation degree is required for the supervision of graduate students and is a prerequisite for becoming a full professor in the German system.)
Sponsor: Prof. Dr. Wighart von Koenigswald
Title of Habilitationsschrift: “The microstructure of reptilian tooth enamel: terminology, function, and phylogeny” (published in 1999, see publication list)
1985 – 1988 Ph.D. in Paleontology
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Title of Ph.D. Dissertation: “The pachypleurosaurids (Reptilia: Nothosauria) from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland) with the description of a new species” (published in 1989, see attached publication list)
Supervisors: PD Dr. Olivier Rieppel
1982 – 1984 M.A. in Geology
University of Texas at Austin, Texas
Title of thesis: “Depositional environment and taphonomy of some vertebrate occurrences in Archer County, Texas”
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Wann Langston
1979 – 1982 B.Sc. in Geology (Vordiplom: 1982)
B.A. in Prehistoric Archeology (Zwischenprüfung: 1980)
University of Freiburg, Germany
Academic Appointments
July 2022 – August 2024
Guest Co-Curator, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, USA, for the exhibit “Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada”
August 2019 – May 2021
Guest Curator, Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, for the exhibit “GROSS, GRÖSSER, DINOSAURIER”
January 2018 – present
Visiting Research Professor, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
January 2018 – April 2023
Speaker of the DFG Research Unit 2685 “Fossilization”
August 2017 – October 2022
Chair, Examination Board, M.Sc. Program OEP Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
December 2014 – July 2015
Guest Curator, Yomiuri Shinbun at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, for the exhibit “Mega-Dinosaurs”
July 2014 – 2020
Member, Foundation Board (=board of trustees), Leibniz Institute Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
July 2014 – 2020
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Leibniz Institute Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
July 2011 – June 2014
Member, Scientific Advisory Council, Leibniz Institute Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
January 2014 – present
Research Associate, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, USA
April 2012 – July 2017
Member, Examination Board, M.Sc. Program OEP Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
January 2011 – November 2015
Vice Chair for Public Relations and Chair of the Division of Paleontology, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Germany
May 2010 – April 2011
Guest Co-curator, American Museum of Natural History, New York, for the exhibit “Titans. The World’s Largest Dinosaurs. The Science Behind Their Size”
October 2007 – present
Head, Goldfuß Museum, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Germany
2007 – present
University Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology, Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Germany
2004 – 2014
Speaker of the DFG Research Unit 533 “Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs”.
(See also www.saurpod-dinosaurs.uni-bonn.de)
1995 – 2007
Adjunct Professor (Privatdozent), Institute of Paleontology, University of Bonn, Germany
1993 – 2007
Curator of Paleontology (Kustos, a tenured position), Institute of Paleontology and Goldfuß Museum
April 1992 – February 1993
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Paleontology, University of Bonn, Germany
Research focus: The origin of enamel prisms
January – February 1991
Postdoctoral Researcher, Laboratoire d’Anatomie Comparée of the Université Paris VII with Prof. Armand de Ricqlès
Research focus: Bone histology of Mesozoic marine reptiles
April 1990 – March 1992
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Paleontology, University of Bonn, Germany
Research focus: The ultrastructure of reptile tooth enamel
1985 – 1990
Teaching and Research Assistant, Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Assistance in teaching, management of the collection, research
1983 – 1984
Teaching Assistant, Department of Geology, University of Texas at Austin
Undertaking geological and paleontological exercises and site visits
1981 – 1982
Teaching Assistant, Department of Prehistory, University of Freiburg, Germany
Paleontologist Prof. Dr. P. Martin Sander 