He studied chemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany) from 1970 to 1975, where he completed his PhD in 1978 under the supervision of Rolf Huisgen, with a thesis "Neue Beiträge zu den Additionen der Diazoalkane und zur Chemie der 3H-Pyrazole" (Contributions to the Additions of Diazoalkanes and the Chemistry of 3H-Pyrazoles).

[4] His research interests include the development of new synthetic methods, the investigation of reaction mechanisms and the synthesis of natural products.

He is particularly interested in reactions of lithiated alkoxyallenes, the use of samarium diiodide in synthesis and cycloadditions of nitroso alkenes.

Besides the synthesis of a broad range of heterocycles his group achieved total syntheses of natural products (strychnine, γ-rubromycin etc.)

He has been a corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities since 2012 and received the Liebig Medal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker in 2014.