From 1980 to 1985, Mücklich studied Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology.
In 1988, he received his PhD with a dissertation on 'X-ray diffraction analysis of point defects in highly perfect Gallium arsenide single crystals' at the Heinrich Oettel Institute.
As postdoctoral researcher he stayed at the University of Technology in Freiberg where he headed the metallography working group at the Institute of Physical Metallurgy.
Five years later, he was appointed professor at Saarland University and built up the Chair of Functional Materials.
Together with the mathematician Joachim Ohser he described the theoretical background of his research in the book Statistical Analysis of Microstructures in Materials Science.