1970-1975 Study of Physics and Mathematics, Universität Köln
1975-1978 thesis, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
1978-1983 Research Associate, Universität München
1979-1980 Visiting Fellow at JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder
1980-1981 Feodor-Lynen-Fellow of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation
1983-1985 Heisenberg-Fellow of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft at JILA an NIST Boulder, Colorado
1985-1989 Group leader (C3) at Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching
1986-1994 Faculty member (PD), Universität München
1990-1994 Technical Director of Nanomach AG, Buchs, Switzerland
1996-2005 Member of the board of the Quantum Electronics and Optics Division of the European Physical Society
1998-2000 Chairman of the division 'quantum optics' of the Deutsche Physikalsche Gesellschaft
2000-2008 Elected referee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
since 1994 Professor of Physics, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
2003-2008 Director of the Max Planck Research Group for Optics, Information and Photonics, Erlangen
since 2009 Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen