His primary area of research is academic philosophy (Schulphilosophie) during the Early Modern Period with an emphasis on Central Europe.
His PhD dissertation focused on philosophy and philosophical issues in historical perspective, together with the history of education.
He was also trained as a librarian and an archivist, earning a Master of Information and Library Science (University of Michigan, 1990).
[2] His secondary areas of research are archival theory from the 16th through the 19th centuries and subject-classifications during the early modern period.
He has also given lectures at the Universities of Basel, Bern, Copenhagen, Halle-Wittenberg, Leipzig, Salzburg, and Tübingen as well as at Trinity College, Dublin.