After graduation in chemistry and physics at the Free University Berlin 1983 he recieved his Ph.D. in organic chemistry 1988 at the same University in 1988 working in the group of Prof. Dr.H. Kurreck and Prof. Dr.W. Lubitz with Dr. C. J. Winsom on transition metal complexes as models for catalytic and biological processes. From 1988-1990 he held a postdoctoral position at Princeton University, USA with Prof. Dr. G. C. Dismukes studying the natural Photosystem II and manganese model complexes of the watersplitting enzyme. In 1990 he joined the Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz as project leader for electronic processes of conjugated oligomers and polymers and their radical ions. In 1996/97 he recieved the Habilitation in Organic Chemistry (venia legendi) and is now Privatdozent teaching at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität. From 1999-2002 he participated at the graduate college TU-Darmstadt on "kinetics and mechanisms of ion reactions". In 2001/2002 he hold a guest professorship for organic chemistry at the Universität des Saarlands for 2 semesters  teaching aromatics  and heterocycles. 2004 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Northeast Normal University, Changchun China.

His primary interests focus on the synthesis and characterization of novel pi-polymers with defined conjugation length and organic high spin molecules as building blocks for molecular magnets, charge and spin distribution in extended pi-systems, and quantum theoretical calculations of electronic structures for interpretation of experimental results and predictions of new compounds of interest.