I studied Biochemistry in Berlin and Cambridge (England). In 2006 I obtained the PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) from Essen University and then moved to Montreal for a first postdoc. In 2008 I joined the lab of Kristen Lynch in Dallas for a second postdoc and relocated with the lab to Philadelphia in 2009. In 2011 I moved to Marburg, Germany, where I started as an independent PI with an Emmy-Noether-Fellowship from the DFG. Since 2013 I have been Professor of RNA Biochemistry at FU Berlin. When I am not in the lab I enjoy running, cooking and eating.