Crystal MOOC Maker / Lecturer / Chemist

I studied chemistry in Hamburg, Germany, and obtained my ph.d. in 2002. After spending 5 years in Gießen (near Frankfurt) as a post-doc I came back to Hamburg and have now a permanent position as the head of the X-ray crystallography division at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the University of Hamburg. I am always looking for opportunities to combine the technical progress, and in particular the development of web tools, with my teaching passion. In 2014 I decided to give a MOOC (massive open online course) on the topic "Fascination of Crystals and Symmetry", which was a really great experience.

In my spare time I love to take photos (Architecture, Stills) and enjoy urban gardening. I also like very much windsurfing, cycling and mountain-walks. Apart from my science-oriented business preferences I'm interested in politics, arts, music, design, photography, architecture - and other open-minded people :-)

Probably my headline - The community is the message - needs some explanation. The shortest is as follows: 100 years ago, it was probably possible to live rather isolated and to pursuit the own individual happiness alone. This is no longer be possible, and as we are social human-beings we should do everything to raise the well-being of the communities in which we are involved. Despite other credos or paradigms: it is not the individual person that counts.