| 1975-1981 | Medical school, University of Freiburg, Germany |
| 1981 | Final medical exam, University of Freiburg, Germany |
| Medical license, Landesärztekammer Südbaden |
| 1982-1984 | Residency training in neuropathology, University of Freiburg |
| 1984 | MD degree, University of Freiburg |
| 1984-1987 | Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego |
| 1987-1989 | Residency training in neuropathology, Institute of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, University of Zürich |
| 1989-1992 | Senior resident in neuropathology, Institute of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, University of Zürich / Switzerland |
| 1992-2003 | Professor of Neuropathology, Head of the Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn Medical Center |
| 1994-2003 | Head, German Brain Tumor Reference Center, Bonn |
| 1994-1999 | Member, Executive Committee, University of Bonn Medical Center |
| 1994-2003 | Coordinator, Collaborative Research Center for Clinical & Molecular Neurobiology, University of Bonn |
| 1995-2003 | Chairman, BONFOR research committee, University of Bonn Medical Center |
| 1996-2004 | Elected member Pathology Board, German Research Council (DFG) |
| Member of the Medical Advisory Board, German Cancer Aid |
| 1997 | Appointment as Head of the Department of Neuropathology, Charité Medical Center, Humboldt University Berlin (declined) |
| 1998-1999 | President, German Society of Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy |
| 2000-2004 | Head of the Review Board Theoretical Medicine, German Research Council |
| 2001-2003 | Vice-Coordinator, Transregional Collaborative Research Center Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsies, Universities of Bonn, Berlin, Freiburg and Magdeburg 2001-2012 Review Panel Member, NCCR Neural Plasticity & Repair, Zürich |
| 2001 | Election to the German Life Science Academy Leopoldina |
| 2002-2003 | Chief Scientific Officer, Neuroscience Technology Platform LIFE & BRAIN, University of Bonn Medical Center |
| Chairman of the Board, Competence Network for Stem Cell Research, State of Northrhine Westfalia |
| 2004-2015 | Chairman and Scientific Member, Management Board Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg |
| 2004-2014 | Chairman of the Advisory Board, Deutsche Krebshilfe |
| since 2004 | Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Krebshilfe |
| Member Board of Trustees, Meyenburg Foundation, Heidelberg |
| 2004-2010 | Coordinator, Brain Tumor Network, National Genome Research Network 2 |
| 2004-2012 | Member Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, German Institute for Nutrition Research, Potsdam |
| 2004-2008 | Member Scientific Advisory Board, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf |
| since 2004 | Member Board of Trustees, Heinrich F.C. Behr Foundation |
| since 2005 | Member Board of Trustees, Alois Hirdt-Erben und Wieland-Stiftung |
| 2005-2012 | Coordinator of Biomedical Research, Helmholtz Association |
| since 2006 | Member Board of Trustees, Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung, Frankfurt |
| 2007-2014 | Member Board of Trustees , Hertie-Institut für Klinische Hirnforschung, Tübingen |
| since 2007 | Member Board of Trustees, Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt |
| 2007-2012 | Vice President, Helmholtz Association |
| 2007-2011 | Member, Advisory Board Molecular Diagnostics, Siemens Medical Solutions |
| Member, Founding Committee, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases |
| since 2009 | Member, Scientific Committee Hansen Family Award Bayer |
| since 2010 | Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Institute Gustave Roussy, Villejuif/Paris |
| Member, International Scientific Advisory Board, INCA Paris |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Bayer Healthcare Berlin |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Board, University of Cologne |
| since 2011 | Coordinator, German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research |
| since 2012 | Member of the European Academy of Tumor Immunology |
| since 2014 | Member of Supervisory Board, BAYER AG |
| since 2015 | Chair of SAB of National Sequencing Center |
| President of the Helmhotz Association in Berlin |
| since 2016 | Member of the Supervisory Board, Berlin Institute of Health |
