I studied biology in Hannover, and received my doctorate in fisheries biology at Kiel University in 2006. From 2009 to 2018 I worked at the Department of Economics at Kiel University. In 2018 I became adjunct professor at the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University. Between 2019 and 2020 I have been leading the research group on Marine Food Security at Kiel Marine Science. I am currently working on social-ecological systems and concepts of sustainability in the ocean, fisheries management, science communication, games for education and communication (www.ecoocean.de), developing practical management advice and working with fishing communities. I co-organized research and community workshops in Senegal and Cape Verde and participatory modelling workshops with indigenous communities in Haida Gwaii and Sitka gaining intercultural competence. I am Member of the Group of Experts and German Focal Point for the World Ocean Assessment. I have been co-ordinator of the BMBF funded project Humboldt-Tipping and work package leader in the EU funded projects TRIATLAS and GoJelly. From 2020 to 2024 I was Chair of the Science Committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Since April 2024 I am Director of Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems at WorldFish, based in Penang, Malaysia.