Born 1958 in Meppen, Germany; Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil., natural scientist. Studies in chemistry and biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. Ph.D. in 1986 and habilitation for ecology in 1993 at the University of Osnabrueck (Germany). Scientific colla-borator at the Nuclear Research Center in Jülich (Germany), Central Department for Chemical Analysis. Head of the Study Group on Sampling and Sample Preparation of the Central Department for Chemical Analysis, Nuclear Research Center Jülich (Germany). From 1992 to 1993 Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute for Inland Water Research of the GKSS Research Center in Magdeburg (Germany). From 1994 to 2003 Director of the International Graduate School (IGS), Germany. Later on Univ.-Prof. for Environmental High Technology at IGS, Germany. Since 2009, early retirement due to a car accident. Publications: author/co-author or editor/coeditor of about 300 scientific papers and more than 20 scientific books.

Research interests: the biogeochemistry of trace substances in the water/soil/plant/animal/human system, instrumental analysis of chemical elements, developing the „Biological System of Elements“ (BSE), eco- and human toxicological aspects of hazardous substances, pollution control by the use of bioindicators and biomonitors, development of technologies for waste management, environmental restoration and remedial action on soils, different interdisciplinary work in the fields of economic and social sciences.

Born 1958 in Meppen, Germany; Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil., natural scientist. Studies in chemistry and biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. Ph.D. in 1986 and habilitation for ecology in 1993 at the University of Osnabrueck (Germany). Scientific colla-borator at the Nuclear Research Center in Jülich (Germany), Central Department for Chemical Analysis. Head of the Study Group on Sampling and Sample Preparation of the Central Department for Chemical Analysis, Nuclear Research Center Jülich (Germany). From 1992 to 1993 Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute for Inland Water Research of the GKSS Research Center in Magdeburg (Germany). From 1994 to 2003 Director of the International Graduate School (IGS), Germany. Later on Univ.-Prof. for Environmental High Technology at IGS, Germany. Since 2009, early retirement due to a car accident. Publications: author/co-author or editor/coeditor of about 300 scientific papers and more than 20 scientific books.

Research interests: the biogeochemistry of trace substances in the water/soil/plant/animal/human system, instrumental analysis of chemical elements, developing the „Biological System of Elements“ (BSE), eco- and human toxicological aspects of hazardous substances, pollution control by the use of bioindicators and biomonitors, development of technologies for waste management, environmental restoration and remedial action on soils, different interdisciplinary work in the fields of economic and social sciences.