My research is focused on the design, fabrication, characterization and utilization of novel materials and quantum devices. I’m tailoring and investigating low-dimensional electronic and photonic materials with the emphasis to understand and exploit their properties for research and application. What excites me is the interdisciplinary nature of my work: I can design advanced materials as an engineer, investigate them as a material scientist, explore fundamental physics aspects as basic scientist, and exploit new effects in devices as an inventor.

I have received my diploma degree in Applied Physics from the University of Applied Science in Coburg and my Ph.D. degree from Würzburg University. I was with the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Solid-State Physics, Freiburg, Germany from 2001 to 2002 working on the characterization of InGaAs light emitting diodes. Then I joint Würzburg University for my Ph.D. work on single mode emitting GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers. From 2006 until 2013 I led the Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Group at Technische Physik, Würzburg University. I now hold personal chair at the University of Würzburg and the University of St Andrews.

My research includes studies on materials and devices that exhibit exotic topological phases, and investigated systems are InAs/GaSb, GaAs/AlGaAs, Bi2Se3, and transition metal oxides.