Geochemistry and Isotope Geology

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Information
Born on May 19, 1972, in Germany.


Current Position
Since April 2007 Professor (W2) and since April 2019, Full Professor (W3 Chair) of Isotope Geology at the Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany.


Academic Career



  • October 1992 – December 1997: Studied Mineralogy at the University of Bonn, including a research internship at the former Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Graduated with a Diplom in Mineralogy (grade 1.0).

  • April 1997 – December 2000: PhD studies at the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Bonn.

  • December 7, 2000: Awarded the degree of Dr. rer. nat. with distinction (summa cum laude) for the dissertation Tracing the Origin of Oxide Inclusions in Continuously Cast Steel Using Stable Oxygen Isotopes – An Interdisciplinary Approach.

  • January – April 2001: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the group of Prof. Zachary D. Sharp, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, investigating oxygen isotopes in Fe-Mn ores.

  • April 2001 – June 2003: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the group of Prof. Herbert Palme, University of Cologne, working on high-temperature experiments and the origin of refractory forsterites in chondrites.

  • July 2003 – June 2005: DFG Emmy Noether Research Fellow at the CNRS Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Nancy, France, conducting experimental studies on the partitioning of Fe, Co, and Ni between metal and olivine.

  • September 2005 – March 2007: Head of a DFG Emmy Noether Research Group at the University of Hannover, focusing on experimental and analytical cosmochemistry.

  • March 2007 – March 2019: Associate Professor (W2) of Isotope Geology at Georg-August University Göttingen.

  • December 2018: Offered a Full Professorship (W3) at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany (declined).

  • Since April 2019: Full Professor (W3 Chair) of Isotope Geology at Georg-August University Göttingen.


Academic Administration



  • 2008 – 2019: Member of the University of Göttingen E-Learning Steering Committee.

  • May 2009 – March 2012: Dean of Study Affairs, Faculty of Geosciences and Geography.

  • April 2015 – March 2019: Managing Director of the Geoscience Centre Göttingen.

  • April 2023 – March 2025: Managing Director of the Geoscience Centre Göttingen.

  • Since April 2025: Dean for Research Affairs, Faculty of Geosciences and Geography.


Honours and Academic Recognition



  • 1995: DAAD Fellowship, Johannesburg, South Africa.

  • 1997: Heinrich Hörlein Award for the Diploma thesis.

  • 2001: DAAD Fellowship, Albuquerque, USA.

  • 2003: DFG Research Fellowship, Nancy, France.

  • 2004: Paul Ramdohr Award for Best Poster Presentation.

  • 2005: DFG Emmy Noether Research Fellowship.

  • May – July 2018: Guest Professor, Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Austria.

  • August – September 2024: Visiting Fellow, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

  • Since January 2026: Elected Corresponding Member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony.


Research Supervision
Principal supervisor of thirteen completed PhD projects and numerous additional doctoral students in collaborative supervision. Former members of the research group now hold professorships and senior positions at universities, research institutes, and museums.


Research Interests
My research integrates cosmochemistry, isotope geochemistry, paleoclimatology, and applied mineralogy, with a strong emphasis on the development and application of stable isotope methods. In cosmochemistry, I investigate the timing and physicochemical conditions of solid formation in the early Solar System using meteorites and samples returned from space missions. A particular focus is the origin of the Moon, studied through high-precision triple oxygen isotope analyses of terrestrial and lunar materials.


In geochemistry, my work addresses the chemical and isotopic composition of rocks and minerals, with special emphasis on subtle variations of the three stable oxygen isotopes in silicates and carbonates. I also develop novel isotope-based proxies to reconstruct ancient atmospheric CO2 concentrations and physiological parameters in mammals using the triple oxygen isotope composition of bioapatite.


A major component of my research is the development of analytical instrumentation and methodology, including automated laser fluorination systems for high-precision oxygen and silicon isotope analyses and tunable laser absorption spectroscopy for CO2 isotope measurements. Current projects include the development of new approaches for tracing fossil fuel-derived atmospheric CO2.


I also contribute to international efforts related to Mars Sample Return and the scientific investigation of returned planetary materials. Furthermore, I developed an aerodynamic levitation apparatus for high-temperature containerless experiments, extending experimental capabilities in both geochemistry and cosmochemistry. In applied mineralogy, I collaborate with the steel industry to determine the origin of oxide inclusions in steel using mineralogical and isotope-geochemical techniques.


Personal Interests
Outside academia, I enjoy fine-art black-and-white photography using classical 35 mm, medium-format, and large-format cameras together with traditional darkroom printing techniques.