After studying Chemistry and Biology in Cologne (Germany) and Edinburgh (Scotland), I obtained my PhD in Genetics at the Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research / University of Cologne. Mentored by Prof. Ari Helenius, I trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the ETH Zürich.

In 2009, I became a junior group leader funded by the Emmy-Noether program of the DFG at the University of Münster.

In December 2017, I became director of the Institute of Cellular Virology, which is associated with the Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE). My research focuses on the host-pathogen interactions that lead to initial infection of small DNA tumor viruses and the underlying cell-biological mechanisms. In a ‘seeing-is-believing’ manner, I am keen on using various microscopy and imaging approaches in live and fixed cells, tissues, and animals to approach our scientific goals.