Personal
StatusMarried, two children
20.02.1969Birthday (in Hannover, Germany)
Languages
Germannative speaker
EnglishC1, high proficiency
SpanishC1, high proficiency. Exams: C1 (very good), Unicert III (good)
FrenchC1, high proficiency. Exams: C1 (very good), Unicert III (good)
RussianB2, medium proficiency. Exams: B1.1 exam (very good), Unicert Basic (good)
Education
1988Abitur (equiv. A-levels)
1988/89Military service
10/1989 – 03/1994Student of Chemistry (University of Hannover)
07/1993 – 06/1994Diploma in Chemistry (equiv. to MSc), University of Hannover, Diploma Thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, USA, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. D. Seyferth and Prof. H. M. R. Hoffmann, Ph.D, DSc.
07/1994 – 02/1997Dr. rer. nat. (equiv. to Ph.D), University of Hannover, Grade: summa cum laude, Supervisor: Prof. H. M. R. Hoffmann, Ph.D, DSc.
05/1997 – 05/1998Postdoc at the Chemical Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. S. V. Ley, FRS, Great Britain
06/1998 – 07/2001Habilitand (equiv. to Assistant Professor) at the University of Göttingen, Mentor: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Armin de Meijere
07/2001Habilitation (equiv. to DSc.), University of Göttingen
Professional Career
09/2001 – 11/2001Heisenberg Scientist, University of Göttingen
12/2001 – 03/2002Guest Professor, University of Greifswald
04/2002 – 11/2004Full Professor (C4) of Bioorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Greifswald
12/2004 – todayFull Professor (C4) of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Rostock, Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry
7/2005 – todayHead of the Department of Organic Synthesis of the Leibniz-Institute of Catalysis e.V., University of Rostock
Administrative Positions
University of Greifswald, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2002 – 2004Vice-director of Institute of Biochemistry
University of Rostock, Institute of Chemistry
2004 – todayHead of the Department of Organic Chemistry
2006 – 2008Vice-director of the Institute, Head of committee of examinations
2008 – 2010Member of the Academic Council of the University
2014 – 2016Vice-director of the Institute, Head of committee of examinations
2016 – 2022Director of the Institute
2022 – todayVice-director of the Institute
Contributions to Research and Graduate Education
Scientific interestsOne-pot-cyclizations, domino reactions, homogeneous catalysis directed towards organic synthesis, organosilicon chemistry, heterocycles, medicinal chemistry (new antibiotics and anti-cancer agents), natural products, carbohydrates, new materials
Publications> 810 scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals
Ph.D theses> 100 Ph.D theses supervised
M.Sc theses> 80 M.Sc theses supervised
B.Sc theses> 30 B.Sc theses supervised
Guests scientists> 150 foreign guest scientists
h-index46
Awards and Scholarships
1992 – 1994Study Scholarship of the German National Fellowship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes)
1995 – 1996Ph.D Scholarship (Fonds der Chemischen Industrie)
1997Award of the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Hannover
1997/98Feodor-Lynen-scholarship (Alexander-von-Humboldt foundation)
1990 – 2001Liebig-scholarship (Fonds der Chemischen Industrie)
2000Thieme-Journal-Award
2001Heisenberg-scholarship (DFG)
2010Gold medal of Yerevan State University (YSU) presented by the rector of YSU
2011Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of Yerevan State University (Republic of Armenia)
2012Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Vietnam)
2012Honorary Professor (Prof. h.c.) of the University of Mosul (Iraq)
2012Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the Tishreen University, Lattakia (Syria)
2013Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Science
2013Patron's (President of Pakistan) Gold Medal awarded by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT)
2013Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the University of Debrecen (Hungary)
2013Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the Research Institute of New Chemical Technologies and Materials of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Almaty (Kazakhstan)
2014Honorary Professor (Prof. h.c.) of the University of Granma (Cuba)
2014Honorary Professor (Prof. h.c.) of Amity University (India)
2014Gold Medal of Yerevan State University (YSU), Republic of Armenia
2014Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the National Academy of Science of the Republic of Armenia
2014Gold Medal of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Almaty (Kazakhstan)
2014Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Almaty (Kazakhstan)
2015Civil award 'Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam' by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
2015Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
2015Honorary member of the Society of Organic Chemistry of Argentina
2017Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of Amity University (India)
2021Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of University of Granma (Kuba)
2022Honorary Doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the Institute of Single Crystals of the Academy of Science of Ukraine (Charkov)
2023National Award of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba 2022 (Premio Nacional de la Academia de Ciencias de Cuba 2022)
Memberships
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GdCh)
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal Tetrahedron