Academic Degrees

Habilitation (in Sociology), 2006, University of Mannheim
Dr. rer. pol. (in Sociology), 2002, University of Rostock
Diplom-Sozialwissenschaftler, 1998, University of Bochum

Employment

April 2010 - present
University of Cologne,
Full Professor (W3) of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology & Social Psychology, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

February 2003 – March 2010
Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA), University of Mannheim
Head of the Research Unit ‘Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe' (from May 2005) and German Survey Manager

May 2002 – February 2003
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock,
research scientist in the Laboratory of Contemporary European Fertility and Family Dynamics

January 1999 – April 2002
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock,
doctoral student in the Research Group on Social Dynamics and Fertility

June 1998 – December 1998
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on the Ruhr District (ZEFIR),
research assistant in the project ‘Extent and Structure of Poverty in North-Rhine Westphalia’

Research Affiliations & Visits

2022 – present
BiB - Federal Institute for Population Research,
Fellow

2015
King's College London, Department of Social Sciences, Health & Medicine,
Visiting Professor (January - March)

2014 – 2016
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Social Sciences,
International Research Fellow

2012 – 2022
MEA - Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy,
Senior Fellow

2004 – present
German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin),
Research Fellow at the Department ‘German Socio-Economic Panel Study’

2004 – 2009
University of Mannheim, Department of Social Science,
Associate Lecturer at the Chair of Statistics and Social Research

1997
Syracuse University (USA),
Exchange Student at the Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (May - December)