1971-1974 BA (Hons) in Mathematics (Christ's College, University of Cambridge, UK); 1974-1975 Followed Genetics final year course; 1978 M.A. (University of Cambridge); 1975-1978 PhD under supervision of Dr. Paul Broda (Department of Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland). Thesis title "Plasmid spread and chromosome mobilisation in Escherichia coli K12 populations"; 1978-1980 Royal Society European Programme Fellowship for post-doctoral research wirh Prof. Heinz Saedler, Institut für Biologie III, Universität Freiburg, FRG. 1980-1981 Post-doctoral research with Prof. Saedler at the Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung, Cologne, FRG; 1981-1987 Lecturer in Applied Molecular Biology, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK; since 1988 Professor for Genetics (C4 - full professor) at the Universität Kaiserslautern, FRG.