Born in 1952; studied law from 1972 to 1977 at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg and the University of Göttingen; referendariat from 1978 to 1981; Second State Examination in Law in 1981 in Freiburg; from 1981 to 1992, research assistant and later senior research assistant at the Institute for Criminology and Economic Criminal Law under Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Klaus Tiedemann at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg; received his doctorate in 1983 in Freiburg; habilitation in 1991; received his first professorial appointment in 1992 at the University of Bayreuth, Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Information Law; since 1992, member of the Executive Committee of the Association for European Criminal Law; since April 2007, Chair of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure with a special focus on European and international aspects, and since January 2009, Director of the Institute of German, European, and International Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Heidelberg University.

Research areas: Economic and tax criminal law at the national, European, and international level; medical criminal law; European criminal law; comparative law.