1967 -1973  Studiy of physics,  chemistry and mathematics,  University of Heidelberg.   Diploma work   "Drift- time   curves and drift time distributions  in muliwire drift chambers "
1. Physical Inst. Univ. Heidelberg   Supervisors:   J.Heintze and  V.Soergel (later head of the German electron  synchrotron,  DESY)

1973 -1976 Ph D work on "High Pressure Enzyme Kinetics of Dextransucrase, supervisor  H.Ludwig     Inst. Applied Physical Chemistry , University of Heidelberg ,  Head: Klaus Ebert

1976 -1979   (with H.Ludwig)  Studies on the kinetics of glycolytic enzymes

1980-1982 Europ. Molecular Biology Laboratory  (EMBL): Thermodynamic und fluorescence spectroscopic  investigations on structural transitions  (with  D.A. Marvin) and on  (gene 5-) protein  DNA - interactions   (with  R.W.Wijnaendts van Resandt) in the  filamenteous bacteriophage Pf1.

1982-1983 Weizmann  Institute of Science, Rehovot,  Israel :  Time  resolved fluorescence studies (with E.Haas)on   the electrostatic interaction of the protamin thynnine with DNA.    Small angle X-ray  scattering experiments  (with  H.Eisenberg)on nucleosomes and on the salt induced    transition  of  chromatin from the low (LOS) to the high order structure (HOS ).

1984-1992 Univ. Heidelberg:  Head of an interdisciplinary group working on lasers in biology at the Phys. Chem. Inst. (with J.Wolfrum). Fluorescence - and Raman - spectroscopic studies on peptides and  protein folding,  interactions in  hnRNP (ribonucleoprotein-) complexes  and on the formation of nucleic  acid triple helices.   First use of optical tweezers outside  the US and worldwide first combination with a laser microbeam for  complete micromanipulation of individual particles and molecules by light. Laser induced gene  transfer into plant cells and chloroplasts,  laser induced cell fusion,  laser microdissection and microcloning for molecular genetic studies.

August 1988 Organisation of the "Bunsentagung"  on  "Laser in Life Sciences"  in   Heidelberg    (with J.Wolfrum, K.C.Holmes, T.Jovin, E.W.Schlag ).
Co-editor of issue 93.3 (1989) of the  "Berichte der Bunsengesellschaft"  on this subject.

Nov.   1989 Habilitation (Faculty of chemistry , University of Heidelberg on:  "Temporal and spatial high resolution   methods for spectroscopy and micromanipulation of organic materials".

Apr.    1990 Associate professor (C2) for Biophysical Chemistry at the  faculty of chemistry,  Univ.Heidelberg

Nov    1992 Inst. molec. Biotech., Jena:  Head of department  "Single Cell and Single Molecule Techniques".

Jul.    1993  also:  Professor of Biophysics , Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

Jul.    1993 Organisation of a  BMFT expert-meeting on research at the frontier between physics and biology.

1994-1995 Scientific supervisor for the production of a film on laser- microtechniques by  IWF Göttingen. Okt.1995 Award for the best research film at the " International Film Festival"  in Ronda, Spain.

1994-now Development of techniques for observation and manipulation of single molecule reactions
and of a   combination of single cell gel electrophoresis with fluorescence in situ hybridisation (COMET-FISH)

Jun. 1996  Co-editor of a special issue of the journal  "Experimental Technique of.Physics"   on " Single Molecule Detection".

Sept.1996 Organisation of the 6.th International Meeting on  Laser Applications in Life Science  (LALS 96)  with K.H.Feller, Jena and C. von Borczyskowski,  Chemnitz.

Jan 1999 Publication of a single author book on  " Micromanipulation  by light in biology and medicine:   The laser microbeam and optical tweezers         Birkhäuser Basel Wien Boston

Aug 2007 Editor (together with M. W, Berns, Irvine California) of the book  "Laser manipulation of cells and tissues" in the series"Methods in cell biology, Elvesvier,/Academic press, San Diego