Curriculum
- TSVP Visiting Scholar, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, July – October 2024 (sabbatical)
- Guest scientist, affilitated to: Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Dept. Protein Evolution (Prof. Andrei Lupas) 2018 – present.
- Full Professor of Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Münster, Germany, 2003 – present.
- Guest professor Universite Lyon1, Claude Bernard, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, June 2013 (sabbatical)
- Visiting Scholar EBI , Thornton Group “The Spices”, Cambridge, April – July 2009 (sabbatical)
- Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, UK, 2000-2003
- Project Manager Biochemical Pathways and Databases, EML GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany, 1998-2000
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany, 1996-1998
- Assistant Professor (Univ. Ass.), Institute of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Austria, 1994-1996
- Summer School in Complex Systems, SantaFe Institute 1993
- PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Biochemistry, University of Vienna, Austria, 1995
- Diploma (equ. to MSc) in Biochemistry, University of Vienna, Austria, 1992
- Studies in Biochemistry, Physics and Mathematics, University of Vienna, Austria, 1981-1991
- Best school ever! BRG4 (1973 — 1981)
Current Teaching
- BSc: Bioinformatics 2 (Evolutionary sequence analysis of proteins and RNA), Enzymology, optional module on Molecular Evolution.
- MSc: Several specialised courses on molecular evolution and computational biology and modelling of biological systems
- Contact hours: Tuesday 10:30 – 11:30 Room 110.6, please call in advance to secure availability
Research Areas
- P1: Multi-trait fitness landscape: Modelling Evolvability, Epistasis and Molecular Robustness in Molecular Evolution
- P2: Algorithms and Evolutionary Dynamics of Modular Protein Evolution
- P3: Evolutionary Origin, Fixation and Functions of de Novo Protein Coding Genes
- G1: Comparative Genomics and Molecular Mechansims Underlying Sociality, Ageing and Epigenetics in Insects
- G2: Population genomics, transcriptomics, meta-genomics and epi-genomics (ended)
Unified Research and Publication Profiles (… just marvel how little they match …)
- Publications
- Faculty
- University of Münster [CRIS]
- Pubmed
- GoogleScholar
- ResearcherID A-1563-2013
- ResearchGate
- ORCID 0000-0002-1826-3576
- SCOOP US ID 66 0381 8279
- DFG ID is: BO2544/ XX – Y (where X and Y stand for project specific NUMBERS!)
- Academic tree (Computational Biology)
- And my real number
Vulgarisation, PUSH and contribution to (anti-)social media:
Research Consortia:
- GEvol – Genomic Basis of Evolutionary Innovations, DFG SPP 2349 (2022 – ongoing)
- EsCat – Evolutionary Synthetic Biology and Catalysis, EC FP2020 ITN (2016 – 2020)
- DrosEU – European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium
- MGSE – Münster Graduate School of Evolution (2009 — ongoing)
- EvoPad – Evolutionary Processes in Adaptation and Disease, Graduertenkolleg der DFG 2220/0 (2016 – 2020)
- (T)Race back in Space — Reconstruction of multi-functional ancestral molecular systems for high-throughput evolutionary selection processes, HFSP Research Grant (2013 – 2017)
- SoLong (DFG FOR 2281), Comparative genomics of the molecular basis of ageing in social insects (2015 — 2021)
- GBR – Leibniz Graduate School on Genomic Biodiversity Research
- Genome projects (leading roles only): i5k Blattella germanica (german cockroach), Cryptotermes secundus (dry wood termite)
- DieTerm: Dietary restrictions and molecular effects on fecundity in long-lived termite queens.
Merits and Community Services:
- Four HFSP grants (2006 co-PI, 2013 PI, 2018 co-PI, 2023 co-PI);
- Member Faculty of 1000
- Editor in Chief “Bioinformatics and Biology Insights” (since 2009); Board member “ Genes (Since 2019)”, Editor “Trends in Evolution” (2010-2013), “Proc. Royal Soc. Interface” (since 2012), “J. Exp. Zoology” (since 2012), ” Assc. EditorJournal of Molecular Evolution” (since 2019).
- Member steering commitees: DEMAIN Münster, MGSE Münster, GBR Bonn

