born in Munich, Germany

1979
Abitur at Luisengymnasium (secondary school), Munich

1979 - 1985
Undergraduate studies in Biology at the Technical University Munich,
Diplom 1985

1985 and 1986
several months of research training in the labs of:
Prof. Johnstone, Auditory Lab, Department of Physiology, University of Western Australia and
Prof. Konishi, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA

1986 - 1989
PhD thesis work in the lab of Prof. Manley, Dept. of Zoology, TUM
supported by a young investigator fellowship of the state of Bavaria and by travel grants from the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds for intermittent work in the Auditory Lab, University of Western Australia

1989
Graduation to Dr.rer.nat. (equivalent to a Ph.D.), Title of thesis (translated): "Structure and function of the hearing organ of lizards: A comparison of Lacertidae and Scincidae"

1990 - 1995
Postdoc in the Munich SFB (program grant) "Hearing in vertebrates", partly working in the Auditory Lab, University of Western Australia

1995 - 1997
Fellowship by the DFG (the German Science Foundation) for Habilitation

1997
Habilitation at the faculty of Chemistry, Biology and Geology, TUM
Title of thesis (translated): "Neural acoustic processing in birds: Inner ear and lower auditory brainstem"

1998 - 2003
Heisenberg fellow of the DFG. Research and Teaching at the Dept. of Zoology, TUM. Cooperations during overseas sabbaticals (as part of the Heisenberg fellowship) with:
Dr. Graeme Yates, Auditory Lab, University of Western Australia and
Prof. Catherine E. Carr, Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

May - July 2001 (break in Heisenberg fellowship)
Acting Chair of Zoology / Neurobiology at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, sabbatical replacement for Prof. G. Neuweiler

April 2003 - August 2006
Oberassistentin (equivalent to Associate Professor or Reader) in Zoology, TUM June 2004: awarded the title of "apl. Professorin" in recognition of postdoctoral achievements in research and teaching

September 2006 - September 2009
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physiology, University of Sydney

Since October 2009
Professor for Cochlear and Auditory Brainstem Physiology, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany