He was Professor of Nordic Philology at the University of Bonn and a known expert on Scandinavian literature.

After graduating from Neues Gymnasium Nürnberg [de], Uecker studied Nordic and German philology at the universities of Munich and Oslo.

Uecker completed his habilitation in 1977, and subsequently served as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago.

He is known for his research on Norwegian authors Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun.

In 2004, Uecker received both the Willy Brandt Prize and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.