About

since 2019

Senior Scientist at the Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Urban Green, Julius Kühn-Institut, Braunschweig, Germany, responsible for Future City Concepts with special focus on the development of sustainable food production systems in the urban green infrastructure (urban agriculture and climate change mitigation)

2008-2019

Co-ordinator of the registration process of Plant Protection Products in the Julius Kühn-Institute, Braunschweig, Germany.

2003-2022

Managing Director of the German Society for Plant Protection and Plant Health (DPG)

2001-2008

Scientist at the Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture, Julius Kühn-Institute (formerly Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry), Braunschweig, Germany; responsible for the risk assessment of fungicides within the registration process in Germany, expert for integrated plant production and contact partner for questions concerning production quality. In this function expert for tropical and subtropical agriculture with respect to the performance of Good and Best Horticultural and Agricultural Practice.

1996-2001

Scientific manager of the Institute for Plant Cultivation, Solkau, Germany, responsible for planning, fundraising and realisation of scientific projects. With respect to the mycorrhizal technology the up-scaling procedure of inoculum mass production inclusively the quality control procedures were worked out and offered the opportunity for the successful marketing of AMF. Other objectives were:  re-introduction of the stinging nettle and development of propagation methods for fibre nettle cuttings under practical conditions; in vitro production of medicinal plants and forest trees.

1991-1996

Assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Botany of the University Hamburg; responsible for the coordination of a bilateral project between Brazil and Germany which dealt with the recultivation of degraded areas in Amazonia by ecologically equilibrated polyculture systems. Especially the introduction and management of mycorrhizal fungi to those systems led to the successful reuse of the abandoned areas what, in the future, can reduce the pressure to the primary forest due to no longer migrating farmers.

Parallely, the development of the scientific basis for the Directed Inoculum Production Process of AM fungi took place and offered the effective chance to spread the mycorrhizal technology into the horticultural and agricultural practice in Europe.

1991

PhD thesis at the Botanical Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig: "The Mycorrhiza of the rubber tree Hevea spec. Müell. Arg.: Occurrence at natural sites and in plantations, effect on resistance reaction and utilization in plantations

1987-1990

Research stays at the former CNPSD (Centro Nacional de Pesquisa da Seringueira and Dende, now CPAA), Manaus, Amazonia, Brasil, the former INVAM, Gainesville, Florida, USA, and the University of Vicosa, MG, Brasil

1981-1987

Studies of Biology, Technical University of Braunschweig: Degree in Zoology, Botany, Microbiology and Soil Science

Diplom-thesis: "Resistance reactions of rubber tree roots following the infection by the pertotrophic fungus Thanatephorus cucumeris and the colonization by mycorrhizal fungi

Expertness

Phytomedicine - Best Agricultural Practice - Symbiont Technology - Biology of useful plants