In 1980 he gained his Doctor of Philosophie at the University of Freiburg with a thesis on the architecture of Holkham Hall.
Since 1995 he is full Professor holding the chair for architectural conservation at Brandenburg University of Technology.
[1] Schmidt's research interests include the theory and practice of heritage preservation and its history, the history of city development and historic town centres, and architecture and urban planning during the reign of the Wilhelmine Empire.
He has studied building archeology and heritage preservation of English Country houses of the 18th century.
He has compiled a history of the building of the Berlin Wall[4][5] and the army research center Peenemünde.