I studied Computer Science and Economics at the University of Kaiserslautern and received the Diploma in 1994.

1994 - 2003 I was with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH) in Kaiserslautern. In the DFKI Intelligent Engineering Systems and later on in the DFKI Knowledge Management department, I worked on topics such as knowledge representation & reasoning, knowledge evolution, and knowledge-based systems for technical configuration, production planning, and scheduling.

As a researcher, project leader and project director in projects such as ...

* KnowMore (Knowledge Management for Learning Organizations)

* KnowNet (Knowledge Management with Intranet technologies)

* DECOR (Delivery of Context-Sensitive Organizational Knowledge)

* Frodo (Framework for Distributed Organizational Memories)


... I investigated organizational, methodological, and technological issues for building Organizational Memories and Knowledge Management solutions by integrating collaboration and coordination technologies, document management, and formal knowledge processing.

Since Spring 2003 I have the pleasure to manage Prof. Rudi Studer's KM group at FZI managing and working in world-wide renowned Ontology, Semantic Web, and Knowledge Management projects such as Ontologging, VISION, SWWS, or DIP.

Ph.D. (with distinction) in Applied Informatics from University of Karlsruhe (TH), Institute AIFB, thesis about Business-Process Oriented Knowledge Management.

Up to now, I wrote, co-authored or edited about 100 books, journal articles, and refereed publications in Expert Systems, Knowledge Management, and Semantic Technologies.

My research interests include:

+ Ontology-Based Applications
+ Semantic Web and Semantic Web Services
+ Agent-Mediated Knowledge Management
+ Business-Process Oriented Knowledge Management
+ Expert Systems and Organizational Memories
+ Machine Learning, Data & Text Mining

I teach "Knowledge-Based Systems" and "Knowledge Discovery in Databases" at the University of Karlsruhe and at several Universities of Applied Sciences.

Current, recent, and soon starting projects in my team comprise:

+ In the area of Semantic Web Services:

* SWWS [EU]

* DIP [EU]

* OntoGov [EU]

* SAUER [SAP]

* SAUER II [SAP]


+ In the area of Knowledge Management:

* VISION [EU Roadmap]

* Rocket [EU Roadmap]

* Wiman [Baden-Württemberg Network]

* HRMore [Skill Management@DaimlerChrysler]

* Semantic Multimedia System [eLearning@Ontoprise]

* CollaBaWü [Baden-Württemberg, application in Software Engineering]

* TEAM [EU, application in Software Engineering]

* SYNERGY [EU, application in Virtual Organisations]


+ In the area of Intelligent eGovernment:

* OntoGov [EU]

* FIT [EU]

* SAKE [EU]


+ In the area of Semantic Desktop:

* Nepomuk [EU]

* WAVES [bmb+f, application in Software Engineering]

* WISSENSNETZ [bmb+f, application in eScience]


Besides this, I act as the W3C representative (ACR) of FZI.