Funktion und Aufgaben:

• Leiter der Sektion “Globales Geomonitoring und Schwerefeld” am Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam, GFZ Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum
• Professor für Physical Geodesy an der Technischen Universität Berlin (TU Berlin)

Wissenschaftliche Interessen:

• Modellierung des Schwerefeldes der Erde, insbesondere dessen zeitlichen Variationen
• Design und Realisierung von künftigen Schwerefeldmissionen

Karriere:

• 1988-1992: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Deutschen Geodätischen Forschungsinstitut, München
• 1992-2010: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam, GFZ Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum
• 2010-2013: Kommissarischer Leiter der Sektion “Globales Geomonitoring und Schwerefeld”
• Seit 2013: Leiter der Sektion “Globales Geomonitoring und Schwerefeld”
• Seit 2013: Professor für „Physical Geodesy“ an der Technischen Universität Berlin

Werdegang / Ausbildung:

• 1979: Abitur, Kopernikus-Gymnasium, Duisburg
• 1987: Dipl.-Ing (=M.S.) Vermessungswesen (Hauptfächer Physikalische und Mathematische Geodäsie), Universität Bonn
• 1999: Promotion zum Thema „Determination of the total electron content from PRARE Range and Doppler observations”, Universität Bonn

Projekte (in englischer Sprache):

• CARIOQA: Scientific and Technical Advisory Board member (1/2014-12/2024)
• GFZ GRACE-C Project Manager (since 12/2023)
• Airbus Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Study (10/2023-6/2024): Project Lead
  
• GFZ GRACE-I Phase A Study (4-9/2022): Project Lead
  
• ESA NGGM/MAGIC Science Support Study during Phase A (6/2021-9/2023)
• ESA Third Party Mission Science Study (6/2021-5/2023): Project Lead
  
• Contribution to ESA MAGIC Science Support Study (5/2021-11/2022)
• DLR GRACE-I Phase 0 Study (3-12/2021): Project Manager for science contributions
• Study Lead "Realization of a satellite mission “GRACE-I” for parallel observation of changing global water resources and biodiversity" with DLR Space Administration, Bonn, DLR Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing (SI), Hannover, DLR Institute for Space Systems (RY), Bremen,  Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Immenstaad, SpaceTech GmbH (STI), Immenstaad, Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics, Hannover, and Max-Planck-Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz (4-8/2020)
  
• Contribution to EU funded project “Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product (G3P)” (1/2020-12/2022)
• Work Package Manager of DLR-funded project „Ableitung von Hochwasserindikatoren aus GRACE Follow-on Missionsdaten (AHOWAG)“ (1/2020-12/2020)
• Spokesman of DFG Research Group NEROGRAV (New Refined Observations of Climate Change from Spaceborne Gravity Missions) (since 12/2018)
• Work Package Manager of EU H2020 funded project EGSIEM (European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management) (1/2015-12/2017)
• Work Package Manager of DFG-funded project UHR_GRAV_DAT (Ultra-High Resolution GRAVity DATa) (8/2013-7/2015)
• Work Package Manager of ESA study GETRIS (Geodesy and Time Reference in Space) (01/2012 – 12/2013)
• GFZ GRACE-FO Project Manager (since 12/2011): responsible till launch in May 2018 for implementation of German contributed mission elements Launcher, Mission Operations, Laser Ranging Interferometer optics, Laser Retro Reflectors and Science; after launch for Mission Operations and Science Data System
• Participation in e.motion (Earth System Mass Transport Mission) proposal for ESA Earth Explorer Call 8 (01/2010 – 11/2010)
• Work Package Manager “Numerical simulations of future mission concepts“ within BMBF GEOTECHNOLOGIEN-3 joint project „Next Generation Gravity Missions“ (01/2010 – 12/2011)
• Work Package Manager of ESA-funded study „Next Generation Gravity Mission (NG2)“ with EADS/Astrium and University Bonn (10/2009 – 02/2011)
• Coordinator of the BMBF GEOTECHNOLOGIEN-3 joint project “LOTSE-CHAMP/GRACE” (Long Time Series of Consistently Reprocessed CHAMP and GRACE Data), Project Manager of GFZ project “TOBACO-CHAMP/GRACE” (Towards Baseline Consistent Reprocessed CHAMP and GRACE Data (06/2009 – 05/2012)
• Work Package Manager in “RESEL-GRACE“ (Refined European sea level estimations by combining altimetry, tide gauges, hydrographic and other data sets with improved regional GIA modeling and tailored regional GRACE gravity field models) within TopoEurope Program of the European Science Foundation (02/2009 – 01/2012)
• GRACE Co Principal Investigator (since 07/2009)
• Project manager of GFZ R&D studies GRAF (GRACE Follow-on), 3M4C (Mass Motion Monitoring for Climate) and FPS (Fine Pointing Study) with German industry (SpaceTech GmbH, Friedrichshafen) (10/2008 – 11/2010)
• Coordinator of the BMBF GEOTECHNOLOGIEN-2 joint project “Quality improved GRACE Level-1 and Level-2 Products and their validation by ocean bottom pressure” (10/2005-08/2008)
• Principal Investigator of the PRARE-L  (PRARE Lunar Version) gravity experiment in phases 0 an A of the German moon mission LEO (Lunar Explorations Orbiter) (01/2007-08/2008)
• Geodesy coordinator of the DFG Special Priority Program „Mass Transport in System Earth“, GFZ Manager for projects DAROTA-1/2, COTAGA, IDEAL-GRACE-1/2, JIGOG-1/2/3 and ANTARCTIC-IMB-3 (08/2005-07/2008)
• Project lead of BMBF GEOTECHNOLOGIEN-1 joint project „Development of a scientific processing system for the GRACE mission” (10/2001 – 12/2004)
• German project manager of the NASA/DLR satellite mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment). Responsible for the  mission elements launcher, Laser Retro Reflector, mission operations and development of the Science Data System (08/1998 – 03/2002)
• Project manager of the German satellite tracking system PRARE (Precise Range and Range Rate Equipment) onboard the Russian satellite METEOR-3/7 and onboard the ESA European Remote Sensing satellite ERS-2 (10/1992 – 07/1998)

Wissenschaftliche Gremien:

• 2010-2014: Mitglied der GGOS Satellite Working Group
• Seit 2014: Mitglied in der Deutschen Geodätischen Kommission
• 2015-2019: Co-Chair der IAG Sub-Commission 2.3 “Dedicated Satellite Gravity Missions”
• Seit 2017: Vice-Chair des Directoring Boards des International Combination Service for Time-variable Gravity Products (COST-G)
• 2019-2023: Chair der IAG Sub-Commission 2.3 “Dedicated Satellite Gravity Missions”

Auszeichnungen:

• 2003: Wernher-von-Braun Ehrung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt für das GFZ CHAMP/GRACE Projektteam
• 2003: NASA Group Achievement Award für das GRACE Projektteam
• 2007: NASA William T. Pecora Award der NASA für das GRACE Projektteam
• 2018: NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medaille „for outstanding leadership of the European partner organizations and science team for the GRACE mission”
• 2019: NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medaille „for outstanding leadership of the GRACE-FO international partners resulting in successful launch and continuation of the 16 years record mapping Earth´s gravity”
• 2019: Ivan Mueller Award “for Distinguished Service and Leadership” der Geodäsie-Sektion der AGU
• Seit 2019: Fellow of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG)
• 2020: Gewinner (Top 10) in der Kategorie „Physical Sciences“ bei der Falling Walls 2020 Conference, Berlin
• 2021: AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) International Cooperation Award "For outstanding leadership of the international consortium in the planning and implementation of the successful Earth gravity missions GRACE and GRACE-FO"

Autor und Editor:

• Autor oder Co-Autor von (seit 2009) ca. 70 publications (~50 peer-reviewed)
• 10/2018-12/2019: Guest Editor bei Remote Sensing´s Special Issue: “Remote Sensing by Satellite Gravimetry”