I earned my Bachelor degree in cell biology at the University of Osnabrück in 2004 and my Master’s degree in biomedicine at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz in 2006. Early 2007, I joined the DFG Research Group 809 at the RWTH Aachen University as a PhD-student working on the role of Ccl17 expressing dendritic cells (DCs), plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and neutrophils in atherosclerosis. Having completed my PhD studies in 2011 resulting in a key publication on the role of pDCs in atherosclerosis, I started a postdoc at the institute of cardiovascular prevention at the LMU Munich to investigate molecular interactions and pathophysiological functions of chemokines and their receptors on leukocytes and vascular cells and their role in cardiovascular diseases. During my time in Munich I was able to join an international cooperation (Fondation Leduq) on the subject: “Molecular mechanisms of novel genes associated with plasma lipids and cardiovascular disease” allowing me to do an internship in the laboratory of Daniel J.Rader, MD (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia). Returning to Munich I became a group leader in 2013 and a Principal Investigator within the SFB 1123 where I further focused on immune cell interactions in atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation. Since 1st of January 2020 I am now working as professor at the Inselspital, University hospital Bern at the division of Angiology in the field of transitional angiology where I want to further detail on the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis paying particularly attention to lower extremity arterial disease