After graduating from the Medical School of Heidelberg University in 1998, I finished my research thesis in 1999 under supervision of Martin Bentz, in the group of Peter Lichter at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The topic was molecular-cytogenetic analysis of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, in the context of a clinical multicenter treatment trial.

My professional experience includes training in internal medicine at Heidelberg University Hospital, with focus on hematology/oncology. Clinically, I was involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant hematologic disorders, notably aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. I coordinated the local patient recruitment into studies of the DSHNHL. From Heidelberg, I left for a postdoctoral position in the group of Michael Cleary. At Stanford University, I worked on the analysis of oncogenetic pathways in leukemia models, through expression array analysis of leukemia cell lines containing inducible oncogenes, and subsequent target gene characterization. From 2003 until 2006, I had the position of a research assistant professor in pediatric hematology/oncology at the University of Florida, followed by a research position at the Institut für Humangenetik (RWTH Aachen University).