| since May 2009 | Research fellow, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne |
| 2009 | Doctorate in sociology, University Duisburg-Essen; Thesis: "Märkte für Träume: Die Soziologie des Lottospiels" |
| Sept. 2008 - Feb. 2009 | Visiting Fellow, Department of Sociology, Harvard University |
| 2005-2009 | Doctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne |
| 1998-2005 | Studied sociology, psychology and statistics at the University of Duisburg-Essen; Diplom-Sozialwissenschaftler |